After school one day in 1960, Frank Carretta and a few of his students watched the little TV in his classroom in Penn Avenue School, Turtle Creek. They saw Bill Mazeroski hit the World Series-clinching home run in Game 7.

Thanks to a 75th birthday gift from his wife, son and three daughters, Mr. Carretta had a chance to finally meet Mr. Mazeroski -- and a number of other Pirates greats at Pirates Fantasy Camp in Bradenton, Fla.

This year's camp ran from Jan. 20 to 27 and was called "A Salute to the Captain," in memory of Willie Stargell.

On the first day, Mr. Carretta and the 71 other campers had customized jerseys hanging in their lockers. There was a No. 8 jersey in his stall -- the number worn by Stargell, and by Mr. Carretta's son, Randy, while playing as a youth.

"It was a thrill to see my name hanging up in the stall. It is something a lot of kids dream about," said Mr. Carretta, of Wilkins.

During the week, the campers played in eight games and a three-inning exhibition against Pirates of the past. With only nine to a roster, Mr. Carretta, the second-oldest camper, played all seven innings of each game, but managed to stay out of the trainer's room for the most part.

After receiving cleats and a glove for Christmas, Mr. Carretta had an inkling that a trip to Pirates Fantasy Camp would be the next gift in store.

Mary, his wife of more than 40 years, Randy and daughters Laura, Janice and Jackie got together to make that possible.

Because he had not swung a bat in years, he went to batting machines before the trip. It paid off as Mr. Carretta hit close to .400 and struck out only once.

"Getting that trip was the furthest thing from my mind," he said. "I have been to a few Pirates games and they would flash an ad about [fantasy camp] on the scoreboard, but I never gave a thought to actually doing it.

"I didn't know what I was going to do down there, playing with those guys. I thought I was going to make a fool out of myself, but it turned out to be a great experience. I did pretty well and hit the ball well, but I never thought 90 feet [between the bases] could be so long."

In addition to Mazeroski, the campers met Rennie Stennett, Chuck Tanner, Dave Cash and John Candelaria.

"All the players down there were very personable," Mr. Carretta said. "Rennie Stennett was a good guy all around, and he gave us all kinds of instructions. They didn't worry about winning or losing; it was just about having fun. And the players would autograph anything you wanted.

"It was something I will always cherish. In terms of birthday gifts, it has to be No. 1."

Mr. Carretta has always been close to sports. As an adult, after filling in for a missing manager in a youth league game, he eventually became a manager then president of the Wilkinsburg Baseball Association.

That organization didn't have an excess of money, so he umpired games for free. After hearing plenty of criticism from parents, he took and passed a test to become a PIAA official.

For more than 15 years, he has been umpiring and officiating softball and volleyball at high schools such as Penn Hills, Gateway, Franklin Regional, Woodland Hills and North Allegheny.

Mr. Carretta retired from the Woodland Hills School District in 1992. He taught elementary school, mainly math and science.

This year's campers will have a reunion at the June 8 Pirates game. Mr. Carretta plans to attend.

Although the Pirates have a string of 15 consecutive losing seasons, Mr. Carretta still likes to go to the ball park.

"Baseball has always been my favorite sport because the game doesn't end by somebody kneeling down to kill the clock," he said. "You always have to get that last out, and sometimes it's difficult to do.

"I am a Pirates fan and, unfortunately, I have been disappointed. The money is so much of an aspect today and the steroids are unfortunate, but going down to the ballpark still makes for a nice night out."