Week 3: A Visit to Pennsylvania's Capital

On Tuesday, we embarked on the real "unexpected exploration" of the week. However, like Monday, our travel party included Paula. She had a bonus holiday (a.k.a. furlough day) and so we headed to Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, followed by a ball game at the New Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg to see the Class AA team of the Washington Nationals.

It was about a three-hour trek to Huntingdon and we made it right at 2 p.m. for the final campus tour of the day. Like McDaniel the week before, I was surprised and impressed with the campus. The new science building, exclusively for chemistry and biology, and the theatre building were the most impressive buildings. I was also impressed with the wide open spaces as the campus layout took advantage of the small town location. Folks were very friendly as we visited our second of the 40 Colleges That Change Lives.

After a quick respite at Dairy Queen (it was 100 degrees or so!), we began the two-hour trip back toward Harrisburg. We drove around Harrisburg and settled on an Irish pub in an entertainment district on Second Street for dinner. Since we requested non-smoking, we were seated upstairs in a wonderful setting -- all by ourselves. We enjoyed sandwiches and hustled back to the car for the short trip across the bridge to the island in the middle of the Susquehanna River, which is the home to the ball park and a modest professional soccer venue.

Thanks to box office manager Dave Simpson, we had three great seats behind the Senators dugout. I understand the stadium has been undergoing renovations for about three years and the end result is outstanding. The club is hosting the Eastern League All-Star Game on July 14 and it will be a fitting location. I was most impressed with the variety of hospitality options - dugout suites, a concourse level club room, new upper level suites, outfield beer gardens with seating along the outfield fence and the Ollie's Outlet cheap seats. All great stuff. I don't know if it was the hot weather, but many of the hospitality areas were unused on this night. It was a real missed opportunity for the Harrisburg community!

After participating in an on-field contest at Hagerstown and throwing out the first pitch at Aberdeen, one could only wonder what opportunity might be waiting for Andrew on this night. Sure enough, he caught one of the Harrisburg Senator t-shirts in the toss in the fifth inning! Fortunately for me, it was an XL. I'm now the proud owner and will be advertising the Senators in the Perry Hall area!

Shortstop Danny Espinosa was the offensive hero for the Senators on this night. He hit a two-run homer in the third inning to post a 2-1 Harrisburg lead, then broke the 2-2 tie in the seventh with an RBI triple. The third-year pro player was a collegiate star at Long Beach (AD Vic Cegles), before he was drafted by the Nationals in 2008. Harrisburg won the game over the Richmond Flying Squirrels (the new team playing at The Diamond in Richmond), 3-2.

With this ballpark appearance, Andrew and I have not completed the Western Division of the Eastern League. We have seen games at Altoona (too long ago for Andrew to remember), Bowie, Akron, Erie and Richmond (VCU game). I think it's our first six-team division! Of the group, Altoona, Harrisburg and Akron are the ones not to miss!

It was an amazingly quick ride home. We left the ball park at 9:30 p.m. and were back at home on Forge Acre Drive before 11. It's great to live so close to so many entertainment options! Off until next week!

Mike