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.