The MLB All-Star experience
Sony's MLB '06 team shows why they know the game.

Experience. It's invaluable in any line of work; but when you're trying to create a baseball simulation that satisfies the most ardent seam-heads around, it's especially important.

And it helps when the folks designing it are huge fans themselves.

Last week, I had a special opportunity to head to Pittsburgh and meet with the MLB '06 team in person at the All-Star Game and get an idea of what makes them tick. Not surprisingly - for anyone who has played the game (which we rated a 10/10 on the PS2) - the game's designers are just as into the game as anyone who plays it; some of them still play MLB '06 in their spare time, even after months and months of seeing the game as nothing but "work".

After arriving in Pittsburgh - a lovely city that's undergone a stunning process of urban renewal; it's green rolling hills, bridges and waterways taking center stage once more - I had dinner on the banks of the Monongahela River with members of the MLB '06 team for an enlightening discussion about their game, baseball itself and the state of sports gaming in general.

While I've met many design teams of various games that operate in a vacuum, Sony's MLB team isn't one of them. They're at least as hard on their game as most reviewers, and are driven to constantly improve the title - sometimes even with their own entertainment in mind. What's even better is that the Sony team is well-integrated; programmers, designers, licensors, and front-office types all work closely together as a focused unit to give the team a balanced perspective, set between the heads-down coding and big-picture view of the industry as a whole.

And if the team's passion for baseball and knowledge of the sport were in question to anyone, most members of the team called it a night early - they were scheduled to take batting practice at PNC Park bright and early the next day; excited about the opportunity to pick the brains of a few big-leaguers and experience Pittsburgh's jewel of a ballpark from home plate first-hand.

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After experiencing FanFest (a huge, interactive baseball playground that's worth a look despite the long lines), our group headed to the Home Run Derby, where we sat in the left-field bleachers and were peppered by a barrage of round-trippers all night. From our perspective, we could even see the occasional Ryan Howard bomb splash-land into the Allegheny River; a flotilla of kayaks in pursuit. Members of the design team were playing their PSPs along with the Derby, seeing if they could top the show playing out in front of them.

After the Home Run Derby came to a close, we had our own big-leaguers to mingle with at the MLBPA All-Star party - at what used to be a 1920's church in downtown Pittsburgh. The converted chapel was thumping with the bass lines of dance, house and hip-hop as All-Star players (past and present) and baseball bigwigs alike converged to sample the Pittsburgh nightlife.

Detroit's Ivan Rodriguez sidled up to the bar with his guests, while St. Louis' David Eckstein moved a little closer to the booming speakers, and Atlanta's Andruw Jones was flashing his trademark smile to some of the guests. Legendary base stealer Tim Raines was holding court, and I allowed myself one brief moment as a fan as I introduced myself to a childhood hero, Dave Winfield.

Late into the night, the Yankees' Derek Jeter left the party, wearing a suit easily more expensive then my entire wardrobe, with a veritable parade of provocatively-dressed ladies trailing behind him.

Yes, it's good to be young, athletic, and fabulously wealthy. Duh.

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The next day, we wandered into town for some local Pittsburgh cuisine (undoubtedly bad for you but oh, so good!) and a couple of pints before making our way back to the riverfront to take part in a pre-game party. There was live music, plenty of food and drink, and with entertainers on stilts and actors posing as statues for hours, the atmosphere was charged as everyone waited in anticipation for the main event.

As PNC Park sits on the Allegheny River, we took a ferry from the party to the ballpark, floating by Pittsburgh's impressive skyline and sitting next to Cubs GM Andy McPhail and Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker. I didn't eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but overhear their proposed Derrek Lee-for-Lance Berkman trade… just kidding.

As we disembarked and walked toward the end of the Roberto Clemente bridge, I noticed that the entire bridge and street bordering PNC Park was covered in a giant red carpet, probably close a mile long. People stopped everywhere to have their pictures taken and feel like an All-Star themselves.

After entering the stadium at the feet of Willie Stargell's bronze statue, we made our way to our seats behind home plate. PNC Park may not be a finest park in the majors, but it's up there, and the view from behind the plate - overlooking the Allegheny and Clemente Bridge and peering into the brilliant skyline - is about as good as it gets.

After the pomp and circumstance, after the exciting game and all the fireworks, we took the ferry back to our hotel, where I prepared to leave the next morning with a suitcase full of good memories, an appreciation for a dedicated team of gamers that just happen to develop the best baseball game on the planet, and no small amount of anticipation for MLB '07.