Cinco de Mayo

If you don’t speak Spanish, we aren’t talking about a whipped condiment. We’re talking about the next meeting of the Harrisburg Senators Fan Club.

Following our Sunday, May 3rd trip to Citi Field to see the Nationals and Mets wrap up their weekend series, we’ll gather Tuesday, May 5th for our first in-season meeting.

I don’t mean to throw you a curve (I never really could!), but we’ll start at 6:30 PM at Shugar’s Philly Deli, 316 Bridge Street, New Cumberland. Our usual spot has a scheduling conflict so the folks at Shugar’s were kind enough to invite us to try their new meeting room.

Our guest speaker will be baseball historian Ted Knorr, who will make a case for the best year in Pennsylvania baseball history. Order from Shugar’s menu if you please.

Oh, and you’re welcome to BYOB. Shugar’s offers bottled wine and refrigeration if you’d like to bring along your own bottled or canned beer.

One more note: please complete sales of your May Daily Number fundraiser tickets and send your stubs and payment before the end of April. This is very important for our accountability of all sold and unsold tickets.

We look forward to celebrating Cinco de Mayo with you and the Senators Fan Club! Bring an amigo or two to join our ranks.

Brian Williams

President

Better Than Opening Night

While Game One was exciting, Matt Skole made sure that Game Two had a better result for Senators fans. Leading off the bottom of the 11th, Matt launched a drive the opposite way. My only hesitation was whether the ball would reach the corner of Ollie's Cheap Seats or bang off the wall beside them at the 335 mark.

Matt took a walk-off stroll around the bases, Paul Demny racked up the Senators' first W after 2 IP, and the home crowd enjoyed the game-ending fireworks as much as the post-game version. Even the weather cooperated and remained a good ten degrees warmer than Thursday night.

For the second straight game, the one-run difference featured our first MLB rehab participant, Pirates catcher Chris Stewart. Although Chris went 0-2 in the opener, he notched a pair of singles (2-4) in Game Two as he nurses a right hamstring injury.

Newcomer Joe Ross pitched the first 4 innings. Derek Self and Robert Benincasa followed with 5 scoreless frames to set up Demny and Skole's dramatic finish.

Oh, and the dancers returned, receiving a healthy round of applause following their between-inning performance. This is a must-see.

Paolo Espino, who held Eastern League hitters to a .229 average through 29 appearances (16 starts) with the Senators last year, takes the hill tonight. His mound opponent will be the Pirates' #1 prospect (according to MLB and Baseball America), Tyler Glasnow. This will be his first game at the AA level.

Finally ... Opening Night

As much as we celebrated the return of baseball Tuesday, April 7th at Welcome Back Senators Night, last evening proved it's really here. Honest. The Senators and Altoona Curve crossed the white lines on a misty, raw 41-degree evening; however, I only witnessed smiles as baseball is truly back.

My observations:

The teams played a crisp, pitching-dominated opener ... Only one error per side. Both had to be scored on tough plays to third ... Catcher Pedro Severino opened a lot of eyes by quickly releasing lasers to catch four Curve runners running the bases ... Austin Voth's 6 scoreless IP shouldn't go unnoticed ... Kudos to Aaron Margolis and his team for the scoreboard and ribbon board updates. Everything is much easier to read at a glance. I'm really impressed ... The front office and fellow fans were downright giddy that we were actually watching a baseball game take place. It didn't have anything to do with shivering from the dampness or even $2 beer night. I guess this off-season and winter really were that depressing! (I'll never understand why those in charge of calendars steal days and weeks from a baseball season, multiply them, and indiscriminately stick them into the off-season. It just isn't fair.)

Each team managed just five hits, not unusual considering the weather ... Five of the six combined walks didn't hurt, although each team had scoring threats ... A lead-off walk, however, still does hurt. (I'm still amazed by how many lead-off walks score in MLB.) Nothing against Abel, who battled through his first hitter of the season in less than stellar conditions. You know it's cold when Bob Hauer's wearing long pants and long sleeves!

I look forward to Game 2 tonight. The temperature should be higher, but it'll be tough to beat a tight 1-0 Opening Night final.

One final note: If the weather scared you away last night, be sure you don't miss the new synchronized dancers between innings tonight.

Opening Day Eve

Welcome Back Senators Night reunited the team, front office, media and Fan Club members last night (Tuesday, April 7th) at the West Shore Elks Lodge. We also greeted new Senators players and some new attendees that we look forward to seeing at Metro Bank Park this season.

What I most enjoyed from last evening's event:

Just seeing my "baseball family" again ... dinner with Matt Skole ... all the smiles as we celebrated the return of the game we love ... words of wisdom and "Harrisburg hospitality" from Mayor Reed ... words of excitement from the Senators' new principal owner, Mark Butler ... the beaming faces of youth from CD Rec Softball at Linglestown and New Cumberland Minor Athletics as they interacted with Senators players ... my beaming face as I welcomed back manager Brian Daubauch, Ricky Hague, hitting coach Mark Harris, Bryan Harper, new first base coach Devin Ivany, et al. ... Randy Whitaker's "all-time alphabetical modern Senators" ... the fact that Devin Ivany made that list! ... President Kevin Kulp announcing the 2015 front office roster ...more youth attendees ....

The Elks' fantastic spread of hors d'oeuvres, dinner and dessert ... the "home run trot" of each prize winner (I really wanted to win those Spot Dogs! The Spot makes baseball season on City Island doubly awesome.) ... Baseball historian and author Andrew Linker getting snubbed for an autograph of his first pair of books prize ... After winning the second set that Andy donated as prizes, Ricky Hague accepting Andy's autographs. (Now Ricky can enjoy some fine road trip reading.) ... Meeting new Senators players ... Brian Daubach introducing the coaches and players ... Kevin Kulp leading us in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" to honor the memory of long-time Fan Club member Nancy Tacchi.


Just as it had 28 times before, the 29th annual Welcome Back Senators Night has now ushered in the new 2015 season. As Mayor Reed reminded us, this traditional celebration began in Harrisburg and is now celebrated by minor league teams everywhere.

We can be proud of this and all of our Harrisburg baseball traditions. I certainly delight in those traditions today.

And tomorrow? The latest Senators team takes the field.


Brian Williams, President
"From Deep Short"



 

Road Trip!

During our March meeting, we generated a lot of interest for an early-season trip to the see the Nationals. That trip is now a reality.

Put on your travelin’ shoes and board the bus for Citi Field on Sunday, May 3rd. The Harrisburg Senators Fan Club invites you to join us to see the Nationals play the Mets in New York.

We’ll depart the Radisson/Perkins parking lot in Camp Hill at 8:30 AM. That will give us plenty of time to be part of the first 15,000 fans to receive a free MLB Network/Mets tote bag.

We’ll be seated in Section 125, which is just behind the outfield corner of the Nats’ dugout on the lower level. From here, we’ll enjoy the 1:10 start as the Nats and Mets complete their three-game series.

Following the game, we’ll head back to town with more baseball memories. (Another no-hitter, perhaps?)

We have limited space, so please call Jeanne Jacobs at 717-774-2730 as soon as you can commit to the $110 per person reservation. ($115 for non-members includes your 2015 Fan Club membership.) That includes your Wolf's Bus transportation and ticket to the game. We’ll also provide refreshments for the ride.


Brian Williams
President

Renewed Energy

There was something special about last evening's Harrisburg Senators Fan Club meeting. Beyond our green attire and the sold-out corned beef and cabbage dinner special (must have really been tasty!), I sensed a renewed energy throughout the room.

Random reasons for this unknown force have been passing through my mind on this day after:

First and foremost, I believe our loyal and always cheerful friend, Nancy Tacchi, was watching over us. I noticed that Mary, Ida, the Bobs and their entire table honored Nancy’s memory with one empty chair and a St. Patrick’s Day hat. We celebrated Nancy’s time with us with a moment of silence and a unanimous decision to donate to the cause of preventing and curing diabetes in her name.

I believe the Fan Club is excited over local ownership taking majority control of the Harrisburg Senators and the leadership of Mark Butler.

I believe the continued dedication of Past-President Barry Fealtman moves our organization forward on many fronts.

I believe Jon Boles’ Senators’ promotional season preview spoke to each of us as fans eager to hurry through this final blustery stretch toward Opening Night. The Director of Ticket Sales had us almost tasting the new baseball season that lies before us.

I believe our ability to talk about actual baseball events, like former Senator Tyler Moore’s torrid spring at the plate, added to the energy.

I believe the overwhelming interest in an early-season bus trip to see the Nationals contributed. (More on this in a separate message to follow.)

I believe that even the silly, over-sized green hat that Carl Fritz bestowed on me at the start of the meeting added to our celebration of baseball’s return. (All photos of this crowning have been destroyed.)

If you were unable to attend our fun evening, you’re welcome to attend our next gathering. Make reservations for our annual Welcome Back Senators Night on Tuesday, April 7th. Please call Fan Club Vice-President Jeanne Jacobs (717-774-2730) for details. Everyone has dinner with a Senators player or coach at the same table and gets to welcome the entire team to our area as Manager Brian Daubach formally introduces each one.

Also, mark your calendar for our next business meeting Tuesday, May 5th at the New Cumberland American Legion Post #143 on Market Street. Our guest speaker will be baseball historian, Ted Knorr. Ted will make a case for Pennsylvania’s best ever year of baseball.

The energy is quite evident to me. Can you feel it?

Brian Williams, President

From Deep Short

Love for Baseball

Well, it's snowing again in Central PA. This isn't the usual March way of signaling spring. That's the quick, fluffy dusting some of us refer to as "onion snow". It disappears quickly, ushering in a new season of rebirth.

No, this is the real thing, which seemingly hasn't stopped since Thanksgiving week. The insult added to this latest injury is yet another temperature dive tonight, perhaps into single digits.

Meanwhile, professional baseball has migrated to sun-soaked Arizona and Florida. Seeing games on TV this week has a dual effect on me: for one, baseball is returning; but secondly, looking out the window reminds me that it isn't returning nearly soon enough.

I've been fortunate to join the escape to Spring Training only once. Within 48 hours, that trip will have been 27 years ago.

It's easy for me to recall details of that migration, because 27 years ago today Mindy and I said "I do" at a church altar in Middletown. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the temperature soared to near 70.

It was a perfect day to share with our Creator, family and friends. What followed was a perfect week on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Mexico.

Not only could we walk on the beach every morning, but we could enjoy our love for baseball each afternoon. I remember wooden bleachers in Dunedin, where friendly Canadians (who also migrated for obvious reasons) shared conversation and snacks. In Clearwater, Harry Kalas, Rich Ashburn and several players were not only accessible, but cordial.

Plant City offered a terrific strawberry festival and a Rose. Pete was getting out of his car right in front of us as we were walking toward the gate.

At St. Pete, we spoke with Steve Lake in the parking lot. In my haste to take a picture of Mindy and Steve without delaying him, I covered the lens with my thumb. So we have a great snapshot of a smiling Mindy with my thumbprint! (For those born more recently, film cameras were highly unforgiving.)

We've grown a lot since that amazing adventure. We've promised ourselves that we need to return.

We understand that access isn't quite the same as in 1988. But at least the weather will be a lot closer to the sunny blessing we received on our wedding day than to the snow piling up on our driveway today.


Brian Williams
From Deep Short