Stormy weather

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.