I am writing this during the fourth or fifth big storm of the week. It's amazing that our schedule has held together this far. We did NOT get to the State College Spikes game on Wednesday, but that was due to a last-minute work conflict rather than a weather cancellation. If the current rain goes away, we will see the Spikes Friday night and be back on track.
Thursday was a big day as Bob and I passed the halfway mark of the trip with a day game in Harrisburg and a nightcap in Allentown.
Harrisburg's Metro Bank Park (formerly Commerce Bank Park, formerly RiverSide Stadium) occupies City Island on the Susquehanna River. Many fans park in town and walk across the Walnut Street Bridge. Island parking in a lot and a more distant garage is $2. The current stadium dates to 1987 when the Senators set up shop there with the encouragement of Mayor Steve Reed. In recent years, the place became a bit decrepit but a renaissance is under way.
On the way out after this year are metal bleacher seats and a grandstand behind home plate that offers obstructed field views due to vertical roof support beams. On the way in (next season) are modern seats, luxury suites, an arching roof over several seating areas and a concourse encircling the entire stadium.
The improvement began this past off-season with the addition of seats above the left field and right field walls, installation of the concourse ("boardwalk") between the foul lines in the outfield, a larger and more versatile scoreboard, and a new food stand in right field. The early work has already bettered the game experience by giving people more places to watch the game from and more available information about players.
Bob chose a cheeseburger and I pecked a grilled chicken sandwich. Although there are signs the team might add some more variety, the food and drink selections at MBP are pretty limited and the prices are comparable to other parks we've visited.
A notable midsummer visitor to Senators games is the mayfly, but they are only really a factor after dusk. I will write on another occasion to sing the praises of the humble mayfly.
This stadium also happens to be the site of the Greatest Baseball Game Ever Played. It took place Sept. 20, 1999. I will write more about that closer to the anniversary.
On Thursday, the Harrisburg Senators hosted the Altoona Curve. Future hall-of-famer Pedro Alvarez did little for the Curve, but starter Daniel Moskos mowed down Senators batters efficiently. The score after one inning had Altoona up 2-1 and that turned out to be the final tally.
We speculated that the game would move fast because both teams had to travel afterward. The umpires appeared to be in on the gag with the home plate ump establishing a very wide strike zone to the frustration of some hitters. The seventh-inning stretch came up after just one hour and 45 minutes.
A steady rain arrived in the bottom of the sixth and gained intensity an inning later, although the game went on. Bob and I stayed dry in our seats under the roof. One batter into the eighth, the game was stopped for 38 minutes, during which the rain fell in buckets. The grounds crew deployed the tarp to cover the infield, but it couldn't be stretched to cover quite all of the third base line.
The warm sun returned right after the storm passed, but the ump and managers decided the field was not playable. There were large puddles in foul ground, but I think the desire to get on their buses played a role. The game became a rain-shortened Altoona victory and Bob and I hit the road for Allentown.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Where's Bill heading?
This is a popular question on the Weather Channel this week, as Hurricane Bill grows. In a different context, it's a question some have asked about the remainder of our baseball trip.
On Wednesday, we are scheduled to be in State College.
On Thursday, a Harrisburg Senators afternoon game is followed by a trip to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
On Saturday, it's the Williamsport Cross Cutters, then we finish on Sunday afternoon in Erie and Sunday night in Washington, Pa.
On Wednesday, we are scheduled to be in State College.
On Thursday, a Harrisburg Senators afternoon game is followed by a trip to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
On Saturday, it's the Williamsport Cross Cutters, then we finish on Sunday afternoon in Erie and Sunday night in Washington, Pa.
Scranton comes up short
Tuesday saw Bob and I driving north to Scranton's PNC Field, just off I-81 near the Montage Mountain ski area. Originally known as Lackawanna County All-Purpose Stadium, PNC Field ain't no PNC Park. Opened in 1989, it's now 20 years old and starting to show signs of age.
Arrival was good, with plentiful FREE parking next to the stadium. The stadium is a high, two-deck design but it looks unfinished due to the abrupt end of seats down both baselines. There is no outfield seating or outfield concourse for fans who want to take a walk.
One quickly understands that the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team is the AAA affiliate of the Yankees. The Yankee name is all over and fans sport all kinds of Yankee pride in their attire.
We arrived in plenty of time and bought tickets at the gate for the front row of the high upper deck. But when Bob saw the infield still covered by a tarp, he knew something was wrong. Five minute before game time came an announcement the game would be delayed by rain. 10 minutes later, the heavy rain came and last about 25 minutes.
A nice feature of this stadium is there was plenty of room in the lower and upper concourses under the stands to stay completely dry. The crowd was sparse so it was not terribly crowded. A drawback of this stadium is the rows of seats are pretty tight so there is not too much legroom.
Bob and I were frustrated by long waits in the food lines. It was not the number of people in front of us. Rather it was the insufficient staffing of the food stands, for whatever reason. but it's not like we had somewhere else we needed to be during the rain delay.
Unlike the Yankee venues in the Bronx and in Tampa, the food here was not outrageously overpriced. Burgers ($4) and dogs ($2) were comparable with prices at our other stops. Beer is $5 but there is a very limited and uninspired selection. We splurged and got a box of white Old Forge Pizza.
We saw the first-place SWB Yankees play the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs (Phillies). Top prospects Austin Jackson (Yankees CF) and Joe Savery (Pigs SP) were both in action. It won't be long before they are playing in the big leagues.
Champ the mascot was assisted by a team of spirited college-age kids who tried to raise the enthusiasm of the crowd with little success. What are you going to do on a humid Tuesday night? The "Everybody Clap" cheer made its first appearance in the bottom of the 2nd and the PA system played numerous musical clips between hitters.
Owing to the hourlong rain delay, Bob and I left just three innings into the game so we could be home before midnight. A few hours later, in downtown Scranton, the landmark Community Bake Shop burned down, which would have been more exciting than anything we saw in the early stages of the Yankees' 10-5 win over the Pigs.
Overall, the stadium left a lot to be desired. The mildly dingy, two-decade old, concrete architecture reminded Bob and me of some of the less appealing aspects of Three Rivers Stadium. The wide-open outfield vista is useless because it faces a steep hill. The limited view is an apt metaphor for how PNC Field left us feeling.
Weather and work permitting, we'll travel to State College on Wednesday to see one of the jewels of minor league baseball parks.
Arrival was good, with plentiful FREE parking next to the stadium. The stadium is a high, two-deck design but it looks unfinished due to the abrupt end of seats down both baselines. There is no outfield seating or outfield concourse for fans who want to take a walk.
One quickly understands that the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team is the AAA affiliate of the Yankees. The Yankee name is all over and fans sport all kinds of Yankee pride in their attire.
We arrived in plenty of time and bought tickets at the gate for the front row of the high upper deck. But when Bob saw the infield still covered by a tarp, he knew something was wrong. Five minute before game time came an announcement the game would be delayed by rain. 10 minutes later, the heavy rain came and last about 25 minutes.
A nice feature of this stadium is there was plenty of room in the lower and upper concourses under the stands to stay completely dry. The crowd was sparse so it was not terribly crowded. A drawback of this stadium is the rows of seats are pretty tight so there is not too much legroom.
Bob and I were frustrated by long waits in the food lines. It was not the number of people in front of us. Rather it was the insufficient staffing of the food stands, for whatever reason. but it's not like we had somewhere else we needed to be during the rain delay.
Unlike the Yankee venues in the Bronx and in Tampa, the food here was not outrageously overpriced. Burgers ($4) and dogs ($2) were comparable with prices at our other stops. Beer is $5 but there is a very limited and uninspired selection. We splurged and got a box of white Old Forge Pizza.
We saw the first-place SWB Yankees play the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs (Phillies). Top prospects Austin Jackson (Yankees CF) and Joe Savery (Pigs SP) were both in action. It won't be long before they are playing in the big leagues.
Champ the mascot was assisted by a team of spirited college-age kids who tried to raise the enthusiasm of the crowd with little success. What are you going to do on a humid Tuesday night? The "Everybody Clap" cheer made its first appearance in the bottom of the 2nd and the PA system played numerous musical clips between hitters.
Owing to the hourlong rain delay, Bob and I left just three innings into the game so we could be home before midnight. A few hours later, in downtown Scranton, the landmark Community Bake Shop burned down, which would have been more exciting than anything we saw in the early stages of the Yankees' 10-5 win over the Pigs.
Overall, the stadium left a lot to be desired. The mildly dingy, two-decade old, concrete architecture reminded Bob and me of some of the less appealing aspects of Three Rivers Stadium. The wide-open outfield vista is useless because it faces a steep hill. The limited view is an apt metaphor for how PNC Field left us feeling.
Weather and work permitting, we'll travel to State College on Wednesday to see one of the jewels of minor league baseball parks.
More of the same in Lancaster
Bob, John, Chuck and I visited downtown Lancaster's Clipper Magazine Stadium for a Monday night game between the Lancaster Barnstormers and the Somerset (N.J.) Patriots. CMS opened in 2005 and resembles the York ballpark in many respects. Parking next to the stadium was free, perhaps because we arrived quite early.
In our consensus opinion, though, York's stadium has a slight edge on Lancaster. I can't give many specifics but York just seems to be "better" than Lancaster when one is there. The York stadium was built two years later so it's likely they noted a few points in Lancaster upon which they could improve.
Both parks have a kids' play area with a carousel but in Lancaster this is stuffed between the third base line and the parking lot. Both parks have the same food vendor and a wide array of food choices. Both have a picnic area overlooking the right field corner. Both have luxury boxes upstairs from the main seating area. Both have comfortable seats colored dark green.
Over the left field wall, Lancaster has a swath of "berm seating" which is a fancy name for a grass hill that people can sit on. Lancaster has two video display boards but they didn't make much use of them at the game we attended. Lancaster also has the Home Run Cove in right center which is a water pool in which kids can ride small peddle boats. Like York, Lancaster has a concourse letting you walk all the way around the outfield.
Lancaster's coaches are former big leaguers Von Hayes and Tom Herr. Visiting Long Island was coached by ex-Yankee Sparky Lyle, whose mustache is now gray but just as big as in his playing days.
One beverage item I noticed at Lancaster was Tamanend Winery selections for $5 a glass. However, the stand was not open the night we were there.
The Barnstormers' mascot Cylo appears to be a red cow and at several points in the game a cowbell cheer was briefly heard.
We arrived more than an hour early, just because we could I guess. The game was delayed more than 10 minutes in the bottom of the first while the ground crew made repairs to the pitcher's mound. We wondered why someone didn't check that out beforehand.
One drawback of Lancaster that we did not have in York was the sun. CMS is oriented so the setting western sun shines in the faces of everyone on the first-base side. In York, the sun sets behind the building behind home plate.
Strangely enough, we never heard the "Everybody Clap" cheer although there were several times it would have worked.
John tried the funnel cake but quickly moved on to ice cream. The four of us made it to the seventh-inning stretch before calling it a game. Lancaster was up 3-2. Somerset tied it in the 9th, but Lancaster hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th to win 4-3.
In our consensus opinion, though, York's stadium has a slight edge on Lancaster. I can't give many specifics but York just seems to be "better" than Lancaster when one is there. The York stadium was built two years later so it's likely they noted a few points in Lancaster upon which they could improve.
Both parks have a kids' play area with a carousel but in Lancaster this is stuffed between the third base line and the parking lot. Both parks have the same food vendor and a wide array of food choices. Both have a picnic area overlooking the right field corner. Both have luxury boxes upstairs from the main seating area. Both have comfortable seats colored dark green.
Over the left field wall, Lancaster has a swath of "berm seating" which is a fancy name for a grass hill that people can sit on. Lancaster has two video display boards but they didn't make much use of them at the game we attended. Lancaster also has the Home Run Cove in right center which is a water pool in which kids can ride small peddle boats. Like York, Lancaster has a concourse letting you walk all the way around the outfield.
Lancaster's coaches are former big leaguers Von Hayes and Tom Herr. Visiting Long Island was coached by ex-Yankee Sparky Lyle, whose mustache is now gray but just as big as in his playing days.
One beverage item I noticed at Lancaster was Tamanend Winery selections for $5 a glass. However, the stand was not open the night we were there.
The Barnstormers' mascot Cylo appears to be a red cow and at several points in the game a cowbell cheer was briefly heard.
We arrived more than an hour early, just because we could I guess. The game was delayed more than 10 minutes in the bottom of the first while the ground crew made repairs to the pitcher's mound. We wondered why someone didn't check that out beforehand.
One drawback of Lancaster that we did not have in York was the sun. CMS is oriented so the setting western sun shines in the faces of everyone on the first-base side. In York, the sun sets behind the building behind home plate.
Strangely enough, we never heard the "Everybody Clap" cheer although there were several times it would have worked.
John tried the funnel cake but quickly moved on to ice cream. The four of us made it to the seventh-inning stretch before calling it a game. Lancaster was up 3-2. Somerset tied it in the 9th, but Lancaster hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th to win 4-3.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Three up, three down
Bob and I completed days one and two of the minor league baseball tour in good shape after visiting Altoona, Reading and York.
Altoona's Blair County Ballpark is a handsome stadium with easy access off I-99 and plentiful parking ($2) in a garage beyond the outfield. The park opened about 10 years ago but has aged well and still presents as a clean, modern venue. Our seats were at the front of the upper deck directly behind home plate. Most of the seats in BCB have good sightlines and field proximity.
The visual highlight is Lakemont Park's roller coaster beyond the right field fence. It only ran a handful of rides on Saturday evening but the screams of riders add to the Altoona soundscape.
The scoreboard display includes a large video screen that shows instant replays during the game as well as recorded clips. One features Al Tuna, an orange fishlike creature who appears only when the Curve scores.
Altoona dropped a slow-moving 4-2 decision to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Pirates top prospect Pedro Alvarez went 0 for 3 with a walk and committed two errors in the top of the 9th to let the visitors widen their lead. Starter Yoslan Herrera suffered his first 2009 loss (9-1) but showed guts in pitching out of several jams.
Bob and I enjoyed cheeseburgers from the food stand. We agreed they are the largest, thickest burgers we've seen in a ballpark. Bob said the ice cream also was enjoyable. The stadium has an excellent selection of beers throughout. Lemonade is a bargain at $2.75.
It did not take long (bottom of 1st) to hear the ubiquitous "Everybody Clap Your Hands" cheer, which we expect to hear at every stop on this journey. Later in the game, the scoreboard flashed Bob's name in honor of his 9th birthday.
The evening weather was comfortable, making this first stop on our Pennsylvania tour a winner. We listened to the GPS lady to find our way to Camp Thunder Road before midnight.
We hit the road Sunday morning, stopping for a diner breakfast in Carlisle on the way to Reading.
GPS lady took us right to First Energy Stadium on Centre Avenue where the Reading Phillies hosted the Binghamton Mets. Parking in nearby lots was free and casual, probably because it was Sunday. The 1:05 game was played in 90-degree heat. Bob and I lucked out with seats just barely in the shade.
The stadium dates to 1951 and definitely has an "old ballpark" feel. The concourse under the stands does not offer field views and is narrow and busy. In size and design, the stadium also evokes some of the older spring training venues we have frequented in Florida.
The folks at Reading call this site Baseballtown, America's Classic Ballpark. While it is older, it still functions well and there are plenty of extras for fans who might be less than fully engaged in the game at hand. A picnic deck in right field includes a small swimming pool just above the fence.
Comparing to Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg, there is more excitement and activity at Reading. Bob did not like the color scheme of the seats (blue, yellow and red levels) which he thinks looks cheesy.
Behind the first base bleachers, a plaza includes games for kids and a bar for adults. This area offers no view of the field however. A good variety of beers is sold here and elsewhere in the stadium.
Bob and I benefited from a $1 hot dog special on the day we visited (normal price is $1.75 for the small dogs). The "Everybody Clap" cheer did not surface until the bottom of the 7th, mainly because Reading was unable to mount a threat for much of the game.
Reading's cleanup hitter was designated at the Arby's Roast Beef RBI guy. If he had knocked in a run, everybody would have been able to claim a free Arby's sandwich. Despite the chants of "roast beef" he struck out three times looking with men in scoring position.
Once again, we saw a pitcher's duel that strangely took longer than it should have. We left after 7 innings to get to our next game but listened on the radio as the R-Phils scored on a throwing error in the bottom of the 9th for a 1-0 win.
York's Sovereign Bank Stadium is in its third year of use and still looks almost brand new. We paid $4 to park across the street which was a good deal in the heat. The ticket office people were helpful in getting us great seats six rows back from home and in the shade.
Some features of SBS are a playground beyond center field that includes a carousel; a tented picnic area beyond right field; a walkway that encircles the field; an upper level of luxury boxes; and an open, wide concourse with unlimited field views.
The left field wall dubbed the "Arch Nemesis" is the tallest outfield wall in baseball, six inches higher than Fenway's Green Monster. At the base of this wall is a manual scoreboard operated by two people putting the correct numbers in place.
The visiting Long Island Ducks got ahead early on the York Revolution, on their way to a 10-5 win. Notable names included York first baseman Pete Rose Jr. and Ducks manager Gary Carter.
All of the seats are comfortable and angled to face the infield. It's a mystery to me why some newly built ballparks do not follow this commonsense approach.
Beer selection seemed to be just average here. I had a turkey burger ($6.75) for dinner and Bob found a delicious chicken Caesar salad for $7.50.
The between-inning promotions are a little more whimsical in York. At one point a fan was velcroed to a wall in right center, supposed to stay there for several innings. If she caught a home run while hanging there, she'd win five grand. I think she got hot in the sun because she didn't stay a full inning.
For each game, one visiting player is designated as the breadsticks man. If he strikes out that night, everyone can get free Pizza Hut breadsticks. The crowd gets into it by chanting "bread-sticks." Our guy did indeed strike out his second time up, but he hit safely every other time. Hilarity ensued in the fifth inning when one loud fan behind us continued chanting "bread sticks" while this guy batted - until he connected for a long three-run homer. As the hitter returned to the dugout he looked directly at the guy who had been yelling at him and stuck his tongue out.
Bob and I agreed that the trip is off to a good start. We enjoyed all three stadiums and found unique points in each to appreciate. On Monday evening, it's on to Lancaster, hopefully with a couple additional travelers.
Altoona's Blair County Ballpark is a handsome stadium with easy access off I-99 and plentiful parking ($2) in a garage beyond the outfield. The park opened about 10 years ago but has aged well and still presents as a clean, modern venue. Our seats were at the front of the upper deck directly behind home plate. Most of the seats in BCB have good sightlines and field proximity.
The visual highlight is Lakemont Park's roller coaster beyond the right field fence. It only ran a handful of rides on Saturday evening but the screams of riders add to the Altoona soundscape.
The scoreboard display includes a large video screen that shows instant replays during the game as well as recorded clips. One features Al Tuna, an orange fishlike creature who appears only when the Curve scores.
Altoona dropped a slow-moving 4-2 decision to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Pirates top prospect Pedro Alvarez went 0 for 3 with a walk and committed two errors in the top of the 9th to let the visitors widen their lead. Starter Yoslan Herrera suffered his first 2009 loss (9-1) but showed guts in pitching out of several jams.
Bob and I enjoyed cheeseburgers from the food stand. We agreed they are the largest, thickest burgers we've seen in a ballpark. Bob said the ice cream also was enjoyable. The stadium has an excellent selection of beers throughout. Lemonade is a bargain at $2.75.
It did not take long (bottom of 1st) to hear the ubiquitous "Everybody Clap Your Hands" cheer, which we expect to hear at every stop on this journey. Later in the game, the scoreboard flashed Bob's name in honor of his 9th birthday.
The evening weather was comfortable, making this first stop on our Pennsylvania tour a winner. We listened to the GPS lady to find our way to Camp Thunder Road before midnight.
We hit the road Sunday morning, stopping for a diner breakfast in Carlisle on the way to Reading.
GPS lady took us right to First Energy Stadium on Centre Avenue where the Reading Phillies hosted the Binghamton Mets. Parking in nearby lots was free and casual, probably because it was Sunday. The 1:05 game was played in 90-degree heat. Bob and I lucked out with seats just barely in the shade.
The stadium dates to 1951 and definitely has an "old ballpark" feel. The concourse under the stands does not offer field views and is narrow and busy. In size and design, the stadium also evokes some of the older spring training venues we have frequented in Florida.
The folks at Reading call this site Baseballtown, America's Classic Ballpark. While it is older, it still functions well and there are plenty of extras for fans who might be less than fully engaged in the game at hand. A picnic deck in right field includes a small swimming pool just above the fence.
Comparing to Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg, there is more excitement and activity at Reading. Bob did not like the color scheme of the seats (blue, yellow and red levels) which he thinks looks cheesy.
Behind the first base bleachers, a plaza includes games for kids and a bar for adults. This area offers no view of the field however. A good variety of beers is sold here and elsewhere in the stadium.
Bob and I benefited from a $1 hot dog special on the day we visited (normal price is $1.75 for the small dogs). The "Everybody Clap" cheer did not surface until the bottom of the 7th, mainly because Reading was unable to mount a threat for much of the game.
Reading's cleanup hitter was designated at the Arby's Roast Beef RBI guy. If he had knocked in a run, everybody would have been able to claim a free Arby's sandwich. Despite the chants of "roast beef" he struck out three times looking with men in scoring position.
Once again, we saw a pitcher's duel that strangely took longer than it should have. We left after 7 innings to get to our next game but listened on the radio as the R-Phils scored on a throwing error in the bottom of the 9th for a 1-0 win.
York's Sovereign Bank Stadium is in its third year of use and still looks almost brand new. We paid $4 to park across the street which was a good deal in the heat. The ticket office people were helpful in getting us great seats six rows back from home and in the shade.
Some features of SBS are a playground beyond center field that includes a carousel; a tented picnic area beyond right field; a walkway that encircles the field; an upper level of luxury boxes; and an open, wide concourse with unlimited field views.
The left field wall dubbed the "Arch Nemesis" is the tallest outfield wall in baseball, six inches higher than Fenway's Green Monster. At the base of this wall is a manual scoreboard operated by two people putting the correct numbers in place.
The visiting Long Island Ducks got ahead early on the York Revolution, on their way to a 10-5 win. Notable names included York first baseman Pete Rose Jr. and Ducks manager Gary Carter.
All of the seats are comfortable and angled to face the infield. It's a mystery to me why some newly built ballparks do not follow this commonsense approach.
Beer selection seemed to be just average here. I had a turkey burger ($6.75) for dinner and Bob found a delicious chicken Caesar salad for $7.50.
The between-inning promotions are a little more whimsical in York. At one point a fan was velcroed to a wall in right center, supposed to stay there for several innings. If she caught a home run while hanging there, she'd win five grand. I think she got hot in the sun because she didn't stay a full inning.
For each game, one visiting player is designated as the breadsticks man. If he strikes out that night, everyone can get free Pizza Hut breadsticks. The crowd gets into it by chanting "bread-sticks." Our guy did indeed strike out his second time up, but he hit safely every other time. Hilarity ensued in the fifth inning when one loud fan behind us continued chanting "bread sticks" while this guy batted - until he connected for a long three-run homer. As the hitter returned to the dugout he looked directly at the guy who had been yelling at him and stuck his tongue out.
Bob and I agreed that the trip is off to a good start. We enjoyed all three stadiums and found unique points in each to appreciate. On Monday evening, it's on to Lancaster, hopefully with a couple additional travelers.
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