summer of baseball 2015

Summer of Baseball: York is a unique stop

March 2, 2016

Note: I am finishing my 2015 Summer of Baseball stadium reviews. The final review is below. To see all reviews I have done the past two years, please visit my Summer of Baseball page.

As the season dwindled down in 2015, a couple of us had wanted to hit a couple of more stadiums. But the minor leagues were winding down and making a trip to a new major league stadium wasn’t going to work within the time frame we had, as well as financially — at least for me.

All stamped in at York!

A late-season double-header in two stadiums offered us the chance to do a “two-fer,” which was perfect on a hot September day. The first trip was to Harrisburg and the Double A Senators. The nightcap was the fifth Atlantic League stadium visited in 2015 — the York Revolution and Santander Stadium (which has been renamed for 2016).

One thing I’ve figured out this past year is Atlantic League stadiums are pretty fun to visit. The stadiums are usually pretty solid when it comes to watching games, and there’s usually some interesting things happening.

York was no different.

The stadium features a full walk-around concourse, so you can see the game from most parts. There’s a nice berm in the outfield to be able to sit and such.

The food offerings were pretty solid. I enjoyed the hot dogs at the park. Concession prices were on par with other places. Seating was comfortable enough.

There are some fantastic things about this park.

For one, the scoreboard is manual operation. We wandered out at one point and chatted with the operator. He’s a teacher during the school year and his summer gig is operating the scoreboard for the Revolution. How cool is that?

The park as a whole is a tad unique with the way things wrap around the park. The scoreboard, walking behind a few other things etc. You can watch the game from most parts, but not all. There were a few negatives, but more of that in a moment.

The Revolution also have a cannon — seriously. It goes off for homers and when the team wins. That is uber cool. A video of the end of the game we were at is below.

Not everything was perfect, though.

Some of the seating seemed a bit off to me. If you went down the right- and left-field lines, the end parts of the seats curved back toward home plate, thus giving people a more direct look at the batter and such. The issue with that? If a ball goes into one of the outfield corners you won’t see it. Heck, anywhere in the outfield and depending where you are sitting in those sections, and you could be straining your neck to watch some of the action.

Looking out from the scoreboard in York.

I understand the thought process behind something like that, but at the same time, I’m a believer that I should be able to watch the whole game without having many issues. If you on the third-base line, it would be a pain to watch the scoreboard even. That’s not an issue down the first-base line.

Parking was a little iffy, too. Though close, you are parking mainly at a high school stadium lot, then walk to the ballpark. There are other lots, but you need to weave in and out of certain spots to get to them. If you aren’t local to the area, it can get a little confusing.

Overall, it was a good experience. I’ve gotten to enjoy Atlantic League games and hope to hit a few more this year. This was a good time and I could see going again, especially with a name change as the passport stamp will (I’d imagine) be changing because of that.

That wraps up reviews for 2015. Here’s looking ahead to 2016!

Park Notes:

Santander Stadium
York, Pennsylvania
Home of the York Revolution (Independent)
Visited on: September 6, 2015
Opponent: Bridgeport Bluefish (Independent)

Ratings (out of 10)

Stadium: 8/10
Concessions: 8/10
Parking: 7/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Friendliness: 9/10

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Summer of Baseball: Harrisburg give options for watching

February 24, 2016

Note: I am finishing my 2015 Summer of Baseball stadium reviews. I have two left, including the one below.

As the end of the 2015 baseball season approached, I was still interested in trying to add a couple of more parks and it appeared there was a chance to do a two-in-one-day trip.

All stamped in!

So, hey, why not?

On a nice and hot early September weekend, two of us headed down into Pennsylvania to see two games, with the first being in Harrisburg, home of the Double A Senators. I ordered tickets ahead of time in the “cheap seats,” but when we got there, things would change. More on that later.

The ride down was easy enough and, once we got there, parking wasn’t too bad. But let me tell you something about Metro Bank Park – it’s on an island in Harrisburg. There’s one bridge on and off the island. Some suggestions are also to park off the island and walk to the game. On a normal day, we may have considered this. But with a short window to get to our second game (in York), we needed to have the ability to try and get in and out fast.

We headed down a little early, as normal, so we would have time to check things out before the game. Parking on the island turned out to be pretty easy for us (for when we got there), but I could see where it might be harder closer to game time. It only cost a few bucks to park on the island, so overall not too bad.

The pulled pork, slaw, and chips were a pretty good lunch.

We then walked to the stadium, picked up the tickets and headed in. I have to say – this is a cool stadium. Though there are parts that seemed a little “cookie cutter,” I really liked the feel of the stadium. You could circle the stadium, but have to go up and down and over and around in parts. Oddly enough, that was kind of cool as it was different.

Behind home plate, you could walk around the stadium in a shaded atmosphere. The outfield was open for watching the game, which made it cool. The big screen in right field was just that – huge!

Our seats were in left field and with the sun beating down, that wasn’t going to be fun. Down the first-base line, there was a tent area that was kind of cool, but it might not have been the best sight line. So we ended up settling on a spot below the scoreboard, which engulfed that whole area in shade. There were places to stand with a mini table and we parked it there for the game. It turned out to be a smart move.

Good view.

What a great spot to watch the game from, too! That was the one great thing about Harrisburg — though you had a seat, you had several options on where to watch the game from and it wouldn’t interfere with anybody else. Parks like that are a plus in my mind.

The team store was nice (and air conditioned) and had several good choices. Food at the stadium wasn’t too bad overall. Prices were decent. Before the game, we went to an area where there’s several food options. I ended up with pulled pork and it was pretty good. Later in the game, of course, I grabbed a hot dog. I thought that was decent as well, especially because I got it at the spot below the scoreboard and they made it to order. Made it even better.

The people we chatted with seemed friendly and welcoming, so that’s always a bonus.

It appears the Senators have changed the name of the stadium to FNB Field, so I am sure that means I’ll have to get down there again for a new stamp!

Overall, this trip was a solid experience and it was a good place to take in a game.

Park Notes:

Metro Bank Park
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Home of the Harrisburg Senators (Double A affiliate of the Washington Nationals)
Visited on: September 6, 2015
Opponent: Akron Rubber Ducks (Double A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians)

Ratings (out of 10)

Stadium: 8.5/10
Concessions: 7.5/10
Parking: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Friendliness: 9/10

I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Summer of Baseball: Altoona gives a great atmosphere

February 17, 2016

Note: I am finishing my 2015 Summer of Baseball stadium reviews over the next month or so. I have three left, including the one below. I also have a review I am planning for something else. so this should take us into March and closer to the start of the 2016 season!

Years ago, I worked back-to-back summers at the local college as a painter. Basically, we painted dorm rooms.

One of those years, we had the radio on each day with the station out of Binghamton. The local Double A team – the Binghamton Mets – was set to host the Altoona Curve. So the radio hosts were being funny – or attempting to be – by telling a joke with Altoona (though, to be fair, this joke has probably been told with so many different towns…) and it went like this:

“Did you know the toothbrush was invented in Altoona? If it was anywhere else, it would be the teethbrush!”

Stamped in for a game in Altoona!

The radio hosts, of course, got a good chuckle out of that.

That was my first true connection with the Curve until a few years later, when I worked for my local newspaper and we had a kid from an area school playing for the Curve.

It’s truly one of baseball’s best names for sure. And for a few years, I’ve heard from a friend how good of a stadium Altoona had. This past August, I finally had the chance to see a game at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

Opened in 1999, PNG Field is really a gem. There are great sightlines throughout the park. The upper concessions aren’t in an open concourse, but the lower ones are, so it’s possible for you to grab a bite to eat and still be able to see the game.

A berm in part of the outfield allows people to sit out there for the game, too.

We sat down the right-field line. In fact, we were the last two in the row in the second tier of seats. So it was a nice spot. No worries with sun and a good view of the field. One really cool feature of PNG Park is beyond part of the outfield wall is Lakemont Park, which features many amusement park rides and such. One of those – a roller coaster – is viewable over the right-field wall at PNG Park, which is really cool.

It’s a great view in Altoona.

Everybody I encountered at the park was friendly. It was easy to navigate and there were a few things to see when we walked around. The team store was decent, but it was the end of the year so there weren’t a lot of choices. It looked like the stock was down, and that makes sense with how many games were left and such.

Food choices were pretty solid. Of course, I went with hot dogs and they were pretty good. I got to some ice cream at the end of the night, too, and enjoyed that. It also looked like there was a decent beer selection. Downstairs, they have the normal concession stands, but they also have stand-alone stands, for things like Italian ice etc.

Play ball!

There’s a bar/restaurant sort of thing down the left-field line, too, but I didn’t get out there to look at it too closely. People were there for it though. It may have just been a fancier looking concession area, but it seemed like people enjoyed it.

The area seems to really support the team and the night we were there (fireworks night), they came out in droves. There’s a negative to that, though. Parking was tough. They have a three-tiered parking garage and only a couple of lanes going in. It took us quite a while to get in, which is a little frustrating. Where the field is situated, there aren’t a lot of open spots around to park.

On the flip side, we were smart and decided to bolt before the fireworks. We watched them from the parking garage and were out of there before the crowd started to pour out of the stadium. That’s a good thing as we were heading back to New York that night and had a ride ahead of us.

Overall, though, this was a really good experience. I’d definitely come to the park again as it’s a nice place for a game. There are enough spots to find shade, too, so that’s always a bonus. PNG Park is good for baseball, but also has enough space and such for families to come and enjoy, even if there’s a few little ones who want to run around some.

Park Notes:

Peoples Natural Gas Field
Altoona, Pennsylvania
Home of the Altoona Curve (Double A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates)
Visited on: August 29, 2015
Opponent: Trenton Thunder (Double A affiliate of the New York Yankees)

Ratings (out of 10)

Stadium: 8/10
Concessions: 8/10
Parking: 7/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Friendliness: 9/10

I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Summer of Baseball: Pittsburgh offers a top-notch experience

February 10, 2016

Note: I am finishing my 2015 Summer of Baseball stadium reviews over the next month or so. I have four left, including the one below. With a few other baseball posts, this should take us into March and closer to the start of the 2016 season!

PNC Park in Pittsburgh has been around since 2001 – and it took me a long time to finally get to a game there.

It’s always been one of those places I wanted to get to, but just never made the trip. I should have taken advantage of being closer when I went to school in Lock Haven. Alas, it never happened.

Stamped in!

It’s OK, though. I finally made it.

A weekend baseball trip to hit Pittsburgh and Altoona gave me the chance to see PNC Park for the first time. It’s definitely a great place to catch a game. We had seats behind home plate, just off a little bit. But they were high up, allowing us to see us the whole park.

It’s a great view, with the Allegheny River beyond the outfield wall. The yellow bridges are easily seen, too, which made for a cool look. The field was great and the seating wasn’t bad.

Walking around the park is nice as well. There’s a spot before the game with some live music and other things going on. Though you can walk around the whole park, you will lose sight of the game in certain parts, such as beyond the right-field wall. Still, it’s a unique setup how things are done. I liked that aspect.

I watched a half-inning or so from the left-field side, where there’s a winding walkway to bring you from the bottom sections to the top. Very cool part of the park.

While they had many modern amenities, it also had a slight old-school feel, which I liked.

It’s a busy area around the park.

Sight lines were excellent from our seats. Some of the ones down the line probably could have been a little tricky, depending on where you are.

Food choices were excellent, of course. Most parks have their signature dishes and Pittsburgh wasn’t any different as it offered Primanti’s, which was pretty cool. Alas, I knew I was going there the next day, so I didn’t get it that night. I did have a couple of hot dogs, as normal, and they were solid. There is a lot of excellent beer choices in certain parts of the stadium, but Iron City is readily available, though I stayed away.

What is really nice is the city’s light rail offers free rides to the stadium if you park on a more outskirt area, which is what we did. It was nice, too, as we were steps away from the light rail where we parked and were whisked away to the stadium, which is in a crowded area. The parking, that we saw, wasn’t great. So I’m glad we didn’t try and get close to the stadium. I think parking cost us $5 if I remember right, so much better than the $20 or $25 to be close to the stadium. And we were in and out fast.

The ambiance was strong. Pittsburgh is a pretty solid sports city, so they definitely were into the game. It helped that it was a pretty solid game, too, with the Pirates beating the Rockies, 5-3. After the game, we strolled around the park a little, and then on the outside, before taking the rail back to the car.

Overall, it was a solid experience. Tickets were highly affordable and the trip wasn’t too bad. In the end, a great place to watch baseball and well worth the trip if you are looking for a cool stadium.

Park Notes:

PNC Park
Pittsburgh, PA
Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Visited on: August 28, 2015
Opponent: Colorado Rockies

Ratings (out of 10)

Stadium: 9/10
Concessions: 8/10
Parking (stadium): 5/10
Parking (elsewhere/take light rail): 8/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Friendliness: 9/10

I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Summer of Baseball: Everett a good place to watch a game

February 3, 2016

Note: I am finishing my 2015 Summer of Baseball stadium reviews over the next month or so. I have five left, including the one below. I also have a review I am planning for something else. so this should take us into March and closer to the start of the 2016 season!

This past summer, I made a trip to the West Coast for the first time. Specifically, I was in Seattle for some geocaching adventures. However, I knew I needed to hit at least one baseball game while I was out there.

Everett is a nice little place to watch a game.

Unfortunately, the Mariners weren’t in town. I did get a stadium tour (though I didn’t get a stamp in my Passport, as I feel I need to actually see a game to earn that stamp), but I still needed to watch a game somewhere. Most of the teams that were within driving distance weren’t home during the time I was there, which was disappointing. I did have a small window with one team, the short-season Single A Everett AquaSox, and I took advantage of that window to see a game.

Even better was that it was the final night in Seattle, so it was nice to drive up to grab a few caches and then settle in to watch a game.

Anyway, we got to the area a tad early and figured we’d walk around and do some geocaching. Our first stop was the main office for the team to get some tickets. We had a good chat in there with some of the workers who, as it turns out, had worked for some teams on the East coast in the past, including some in our area. That was pretty cool. With seats in hand, we ventured out and walked around the neighborhood to find a few caches.

We entered the stadium pretty early to walk around and such. There were a few downers — such as no Passport stamp. There was supposed to be one (I had messaged the creator of the program), but it wasn’t to be found. They told me it was in one spot and it turns out they were stamping with something that wasn’t the right stamp. So I left there — my only trip to the west — without a stamp. Disappointing.

The food choices were decent. I didn’t see anything that was a “must” have for the spot, like a signature dish. The hot dogs were decent. The popcorn was OK. The prices weren’t awful. One odd thing? The other person with me went down around the fifth inning to grab something. The concession stand was out of hot dogs and sausages. In the fifth inning. At a baseball game.

No stamp made me sad.

No hot dogs.

That seemed really odd to me, so the ratings below reflect that.

The souvenir stand was small, but decent. There were several good options and it was open to walk around inside, so that was nice.

The people I spoke with here were extremely friendly and cordial. That’s always a bonus. Here’s reality — you’re working baseball — so it should be fun. The workers I spoke with seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs, so that’s good.

Parking was pretty good, but we were there early enough to get street parking. I didn’t see the big parking lot they use. But it didn’t seem too crazy, that’s for sure. I think there was some free and some charged parking.

The stadium itself was quite interesting. The layout wasn’t traditional with how the wall in the outfield was, but I liked that. The viewing areas were solid. We sat up in the stadium, so didn’t have an issue with watching the game.

Overall, it was a pretty good experience. It wasn’t too far from the hotel we were at, so that made it nicer. I am glad I got to see a game on the other side of the country, though I was disappointed about the lack of a stamp. Hopefully they get one this year and know where it is so others who participate in the program can do so without issue!

Park Notes:

Everett Memorial Stadium
Everett, Washington
Home of the Everett AquaSox (Short-season A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners)
Visited on: August 17, 2015
Opponent: Spokane Indians (Short-season A affiliate of the Texas Rangers)

Ratings (out of 10)

Stadium: 7/10
Concessions: 6.5/10
Parking: 8/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Friendliness: 8/10

I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!