It's hard to believe, with snow in the forecast for tomorrow and a likelihood of snow on the ground for St. Patrick's Day, that spring is nearly here; I still have snow from the storm before Valentine's Day in front of my apartment. Nonetheless, this bleak winter of our discontent will soon give way to spring and flowers and trees and birds.
And baseball. Can't forget about the baseball.
For me, baseball means following the Nationals long-distance. I live in what I sometimes call "South Pennsyltucky" — York County, Pennsylvania — and though I've pencilled in three trips to DC this year, only one of those is baseball-related, the Cubs/Nationals game on July 4th. (The other two? Shamrock Fest next weekend, and Elbow at the 9:30 Club in May.)
Fortunately, I have minor league baseball close at hand!
There's an independent team here in York, and half an hour up the road is the Harrisburg Senators, the Nationals' AA affiliate.
The Revolution ticket office called me last week about buying a thirteen-game mini-plan. I let the call go to voice mail, and I haven't called them back. I probably won't; I like attending Revs games, but I had an unfortunate experience with DownTown, the Revs mascot, last June that left me a bit disenchanted about the experience.
Then I got an e-mail from the Senators this week about six game plans. I rolled it around in my head for a few days, and today I pulled the trigger. I picked up the Bongo Plan, for section 207:
- April 12: Reading Fightin Phils
- May 17: New Britain Rock Cats
- June 22: Akron RubberDucks
- July 13: Altoona Curve
- August 3: Akron RubberDucks
- August 10: Binghampton Mets
I'm going to have to exchange one of these; on August 3rd, I'll be at Shore Leave, a science-fiction convention in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The rest, though, look good.
The other two 6-game plans offered were mid-week plans and weren't good fits with my work schedule. I live in York and work in Hunt Valley, so attending a Senators game after work isn't really a viable option for me.
I feel good about this. Baseball and warm summer nights. Just thinking about it I'm feeling happy.
Spring's almost here. :)
