By Mike Dudurich
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, October 15, 2006

It probably seems like it's been 103 years since the World Series was played in Pittsburgh, but 14 consecutive losing seasons can do that to the memory.

It's actually "only" been since 1979 -- the year the "We Are Fam-i-lee" Pirates beat Baltimore in seven games -- that baseball's Fall Classic was contested here.

But as the 2006 World Series gets under way, it's worth noting that the very first one was contested near the shore of the Allegheny River between a team from Pittsburgh and one from Boston.

Exposition Park, the third incarnation of facilities with that name, was located in what has become a parking lot between PNC Park and Heinz Field on land originally rented from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. It afforded fans a view of the Pittsburgh skyline -- just one of the many things that has put PNC Park at the top of the short list of the best parks in baseball.

Left field at the old park was bordered by the B&O Railroad tracks in what was then known as Allegheny City but became part of the city of Pittsburgh in 1907. Third base was bounded by what later was known as Scotland Street, first base by Shore Avenue and right field by Galveston Street.

It would be stretching a bit to say that Exposition Park, which co-hosted that 1903 World Series with Boston's Huntington Avenue Grounds, had a storied history, because it existed for only 18 1/2 years.