July 27

Wednesday afternoon: on the road to Baseballtown one final time in July as the R-Phils wrapped up the series with Altoona. It was 81 degrees at game time, we had a little more than 5000 in attendance. The homestand ended on a flat note as the R-Phils lost 3-2, once again the Curve took an early 3-0 lead and were never headed. Michael Spidale and Carlos Rivero hit solo home runs for the R-Phils, starting pitcher Tyson Brummett took the loss. The game started at 7:05 and ended at 9:20, I was home before 10:10 (that hardly ever happens anymore). The ballclub's record stands at 54-50 (28-27 at home, 26-23 on the road). The boys are away until Tuesday the 2nd, that gives me the opportunity to get away as well. On Thursday morning my mother and I are headed to Elmira for a few days of R&R. Last year my mother's friend Norma joined us but she can't make it this time around. My father was from Elmira, although I was not born or raised there I've always considered it a second hometown. We'll be staying with my cousin Roxanne, for me the attraction is to see some ballgames at Dunn Field. The Elmira Pioneers play in the Perfect Game Collegiate League, they are at home on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Right now the plan is to come home on Monday, that is the next time we'll be here on the blog. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 25-26

Monday afternoon: a rainstorm moved into the area around 2:15 or so, I drove through it most of the way to Reading for the ballgame. It cleared up in the late afternoon but right around game time some strong storms moved into Berks County delaying the scheduled 7:05 start. We finally got underway past 8:45, the R-Phils took an early 3-0 lead over the Altoona Curve on an RBI double by Terry Evans and a two-run single from Carlos Rivero. The Curve rallied to take a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth, Tim Kennelly's RBI double tied the game and Rivero's sacrifice fly scored Kennelly with the winning run as the R-Phils persevered for the 5-4 walk-off win. Mike Cisco won it in relief of starting pitcher Tyler Cloyd. The game ended at 11:38, a mere four hours and thirty-three minutes after the scheduled start time. We had a little more than 4400 in attendance, much less than that by the time it was over. On Tuesday morning I was with Jenny in Quarryville, we did lunch at the pizza parlor. I'm going to Elmira on Thursday for a few days' vacation so this was a chance for us to get together before that happens. In the evening it was back to Baseballtown for game #2 with Altoona, the Curve evened the series with a 5-0 win. The R-Phils had only five hits in the game (nobody had more than one), Joe Esposito started and took the loss. This game started on the dot at 7:05 and ended at 9:50, I was home by 10:30 (two hours earlier than Monday). The series wraps up on Wednesday. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 24

Saw in the newspaper where on Saturday night in Lancaster the BSers played a 15-11 game that took almost four hours, given the weather here of late that borders on cruel and unusual punishment. It was somewhat cooler on Sunday (if you consider temperatures in the 80s cooler), Jenny and Helen were along for the finale of the series with Binghamton. This was the third and final Sunday night home game of the season, the two home Sundays in August will be day games. We had some light rain before the game but it was nothing major, it probably felt very comfortable to those who were in it. After two straight wins the R-Phils fell hard on this night as the B-Mets left town with a 10-1 win. This was a "worse than it sounds" loss for the R-Phils, there were no offensive highlights to speak of until Terry Evens broke up the shutout with a ninth-inning home run. Starting pitcher J.C. Ramirez took the loss, Derrick Loop and Chris Kissock worked in relief. We started at 6:05 and wrapped it up three hours later, close to 5600 in attendance for "kids' day" activities including a pregame autograph session with the team. The homestand continues through Wednesday as the Altoona Curve comes to town, after that I'll be heading to New York State for a few days of R&R. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 23

According to the local newspaper the daytime high in Lancaster on Friday was 103 degrees, that broke a record that had stood since July of 1966. On Saturday it was still uncomfortable as I went to Jenny's place for lunch and a visit. She and Helen had planned to join me in Reading in the evening but the heat made them reconsider, they may come on Sunday instead. In Baseballtown for the third game of the series with the Binghamton Mets, it was 96 degrees when we started at 6:35. The R-Phils won their second in a row with a 3-2 verdict, Derrick Mitchell had a two-run single and Stephen Susdorf had an RBI hit as well. Austin Hyatt pitched six innings for the win, Justin Friend saved it with support from Mike Cisco and Jake Diekman. Better than 7100 in the house for a fireworks show that as usual got underway as I heading down route 222. We wrap up this series (the B-Mets' lone appearance in Reading this year) on Sunday night, the Altoona Curve comes to town on Monday. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 22

Friday afternoon: on the road to Baseballtown for game #2 with Binghamton, as hot as it was on Thursday this day did it one better. Late afternoon temperatures were above 100, by game time it had cooled all the way down to 99 degrees. The R-Phils evened the series with a 5-2 win over the B-Mets before another crowd of more than 7000 in the sweltering heat. Fidel Hernandez hit a two-run home run in the first inning, Freddy Galvis had an RBI double in the second and Derrick Mitchell capped it with a two-run bomb of his own in the eighth. B.J. Rosenberg worked five tough innings for the win, Josh Zeid pitched two innings out of the bullpen and Jake Diekman finished it for the save. Most of the crowd stayed for the fireworks show after the game but as usual I was not among that number. The series continues on Saturday and Sunday (both are night games and thank goodness for that). Take care, thanks for reading.

July 18-21

The weather over the past few days has been oppressive, with little going on I spent most of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at home in the AC. On Thursday morning I was in Quarryville with Jenny, we had our usual lunch date at the pizza parlor. In the afternoon I was on the road north to Reading as we started a seven-day stand at home. The R-Phils went 4-3 on the road trip, on this night the Binghamton Mets were in town for the first of a four-game series. It was Reading Baseball Hall Of Fame night, the Class of 2011 was inducted in ceremonies before the game. Those festivities would prove to be the highlight of the evening as the R-Phils lost to Binghamton 11-1, the B-Mets scored three runs in the first inning and never relinquished control. The R-Phils' lone run came in the fourth inning when Freddy Galvis doubled and scored on a Matt Rizzotti base hit. Joe Esposito started and took the loss, Chris Kissock and Derrick Loop worked in relief. We had better than 7000 in attendance, game time temperature was 98 degrees with a heat index well into triple digits. The game ended around 9:50 or so, I wasted no time getting to my car and cranking up the AC while the bulk of the audience stayed for fireworks. I was home by 10:30, it was still 88 degrees at that hour. I imagine I'll sleep overnight with the air on, it won't be comfortable any other way. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 15-17

Friday afternoon: Dick and I decided to go to Wilmington in the evening, the Frederick (Maryland) Keys were the opponent. The Keys are the Orioles' Carolina League affiliate, they've been in the league since 1989. The club got its nickname from Francis Scott Key (of "Star Spangled Banner" fame) who is interred in Frederick. On this night in Wilmington they had post-game fireworks, the crowd of better than 7500 was the second-largest in franchise history (the Blue Rocks have been around since 1993). Unfortunately for our good friends in Delaware the Keys ruined the party with a 6-4 victory. On Saturday Dick joined Marty and me for the trip to Baltimore as the Orioles (major league version) hosted the Cleveland Indians. As an Orioles fan I've been to Baltimore many times but this was the first time for me in several years. The fact is since just about every big league game is televised these days there is little incentive to travel eighty miles to attend in person, Marty wanted to go because he's an Indians fan. We took Interstate 83 south from York to Hunt Valley, parked there and took the train downtown to Camden Yards. We sat in the top level of the upper deck in left field for ten dollars, for a major league game you can't beat that at all. The Orioles won 6-5 before better than 24,000 and broke a nine-game losing streak, the club has struggled mightily in recent years and this season has regrettably been no different. With the travel involved it was past 1:00am before we got back to Lancaster, I slept until past 10:00 on Sunday morning. In the evening Jenny and Helen came into town for the ballgame on North Prince Street, the "BSers" hosted the Bridgeport Bluefish. The "Fish won 8-4 in a game that started at 6:05 and took better than three hours, a typical Atlantic League marathon (although in fairness it should be noted that the game in Wilmington also exceeded the three-hour mark). Over three nights this weekend we saw the Carolina League, the American League and the Atlantic League-that's like entering a building on the fifth floor, taking the elevator to the penthouse and from there to the underground parking garage. That may sound cruel but most baseball people would not argue. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 12-14

Helen was admitted to the hospital on Monday evening, after some testing and treatment she came home on Wednesday evening. She may need surgery at some point down the road and at age 73 that's always a cause for concern. We shall see what we shall see. Not much else going on the last few days outside of morning errand runs and a visit with Jenny on Thursday, Helen was with us for lunch as usual. This weekend should be somewhat busier, Dick was talking about going to Aberdeen or Wilmington on Friday so I may join him for that. On Saturday Marty wants to go to Baltimore, the Cleveland Indians are in town and he's an Indians fan. On Sunday Jenny and I are planning to go over to North Prince Street, the BSers are at home this weekend and Sunday is the only night there are no post-game fireworks (and in Lancaster that's disaster with a capital D). At least the weather should cooperate, no rain in the weekend forecast. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 11

Many years ago there was a movie called "The Long, Hot Summer", this day in Baseballtown was The Long, Hot Afternoon. We got underway beneath the blazing sunshine at 12:05, game time temperature was 87 degrees. As the day wore on the temperature reached the low 90s, the heat index approached triple digits. In my booth in the press box I have a fan to circulate the air conditioning but it was still warm, I can tell you that as a spectator I would not have been there. We had a little under 7000 hearty souls who were in attendance, most of them youngsters from area summer camps. The R-Phils were looking for a win to cap off a four-game series sweep, in the ninth inning they led 6-3 before Trenton rallied to tie the game. On we went into the eleventh inning before Matt Rizzotti ended it with a walk-off homer for the 7-6 win. Paco Figueroa had two hits and two RBI, Freddy Galvis had a two-run single and Tuffy Gosewisch had a sacrifice fly RBI. The ballclub used seven pitchers as B.J. Rosenberg worked the first three innings, he was followed by Chris Kissock, Brad Lidge, Joe Savery, Josh Zeid, Jake Diekman and winning pitcher Derrick Loop. Lidge was in town on rehab assignment, he is the fourth Philadelphia Phillie to play in Reading this season. He worked one inning and retired all three batters he faced, two by strikeout. With it all the game wound down at 3:35 (and not a moment too soon). The Eastern League All-Star break is at hand, the game is in Manchester, NH on Wednesday the 13th. The R-Phils will be represented by Matt Rizzotti, Michael Spidale and Austin Hyatt. The boys will be on the road after the break, we're back home on Thursday the 21st. When I got home there was a message from Jenny, Helen went into the hospital earlier in the day with chest pains. She went in one day last summer with a similar ailment, it turned out to be a bad reaction to a medication. We'll just keep a good thought and hope for the best. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 10

Sunday afternoon: Jenny and Helen were along again for game #3 with the Trenton Thunder. It was a kids' day at the ballpark as usual for a Sunday, the game started at 6:05 in 85 degree heat. The R-Phils won their third consecutive game, the score on this night was 8-5. Carlos Rivero had four hits including a home run and two RBI, Derrick Mitchell also homered and had two ribbies. Freddy Galvis had two doubles and two RBI, Stephen Susdorf had a run-scoring hit as well. Joe Esposito worked five innings for the win, Derrick Loop (two innings) and Jake Diekman (a two-inning save) pitched in relief. A little more than 7400 in attendance for a night game than did not feature a fireworks show, we were done before 9:00 and home by 10:30. The series wraps up on Monday at 12:05, rumor has that Brad Lidge will be in town on rehab assignment from Philadelphia. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 9

With Jenny at her place in the morning, after lunch she and Helen came back to the city for the afternoon drive to Reading. Earlier this week it appeared that Helen would be roped into babysitting on this day but luckily it didn't happen so she was able to be with her daughter at the game. On this night the R-Phils made it two in a row over Trenton with a tough 6-4 win. The ballclub fell behind early, took the lead, gave it back and eventually rallied for the victory. Derrick Mitchell hit a solo home run, Matt Rizzotti and Stephen Susdorf had RBI doubles. Carlos Rivero and Niuman Romero had run-scoring hits, Tuffy Gosewisch had a sacrifice fly RBI. Joe Savery pitched two innings in relief of Austin Hyatt and picked up the win, Justin Friend worked a scoreless inning for the save. Savery is a former starting pitcher who was being converted into a position player, he has been pitching out of the bullpen in recent weeks and getting good results so perhaps that is where he'll find his niche. Time will tell. The game took over three hours to play, we started at 6:35 and wound down at 9:45. A crowd of better than 8800 in the park for more post-game fireworks but as you might guess we were gone ASAP and PDQ. The series continues on Sunday evening at 6:05, the ladies will be along for that one as well. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 8

Temperatures were in the high 70s on Friday morning, in the afternoon it got very dark to the north/northwest. I left town at 3:00 for Reading, about five miles north of town it started to rain. It came steadily the rest of the way to the ballpark, it continued up until 5:30 or so. We managed to get the game started right on time at 7:05, after losing three of four on the road the R-Phils won on this night 6-1 over the Trenton Thunder. Derrick Mitchell had two hits and two RBI, Carlos Rivero had a run-scoring hit and a sacrifice fly and Stephen Susdorf had two doubles and an RBI. Tyler Cloyd pitched his second consecutive home game and went six innings for the win, Josh Zeid and Justin Friend worked in relief. We had 6940 in attendance on a 79 degree night, the afternoon rain undoubtedly held the crowd down somewhat. The game ended at 9:50, another fireworks show afterward but I was gone as quickly as I could be. The series continues on Saturday, Jenny will be along for that one. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 4-7

Monday afternoon: Marty came into town, we met at the local shopping center and headed to York for the evening's ballgame. The Revolution hosted the Long Island Ducks, there was a holiday fireworks show after the game but as is the norm we were out of there when the game ended. The Ducks won 7-4 in a contentious game that featured two ejections. On Tuesday I did something I had not done since June 19-I actually spent an evening at home. After the morning errand run there was little going on, with temperatures in the high 80s a night at home in the AC wasn't a bad idea at all. Dick Myers called and asked if I wanted to ride over to Camden, New Jersey for the game on Wednesday, he wanted to go since the Lancaster ballclub was the opponent. Camden has been in the Atlantic League since 2001, I saw a game there that year but I haven't been there since so I took him up on the invite. Camden is right across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, it's about a two hour drive from Lancaster. The ballpark is located at the base of the Ben Franklin Bridge, it's a very picturesque location. The Camden Riversharks have had a poor season thus far and on this night the crowd was very sparse, they announced 2400 but there was probably less than 1000 actually there. The BSers won the game 6-0, they were in control from the word Go as the 'Sharks only mustered two base hits. Thursday was much like Tuesday, after a morning visit and lunch with Jenny the rest of the day was in the quiet and the air conditioning of home. The R-Phils come home on Friday for four days, three night games and a day game on Monday. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 3

Sunday night baseball in Reading as the R-Phils and the Richmond Flying Squirrels met for the final time in 2011. After losing six of seven on the last homestand and nine of ten overall the R-Phils finished a 6-1 week with a 4-3 victory. Tyler Cloyd pitched seven innings for the win and helped himself at the plate with an run-scoring single. Niuman Romero had two RBI on a base hit and a sacrifice fly, Stephen Susdorf contributed an RBI single. Joe Savery and Justin Friend worked in relief, Friend earned the save. The game started at 6:35 and ended at 9:02, I was back in Lancaster well before 10:00 and I won't complain about that at all. A crowd of almost 9300 in the house for a Fourth Of July fireworks show (albeit one day early) but it goes without saying I was out of there forthwith and posthaste. With the victory the club is now 42-40 on the season, 21-23 at home. The boys will be on the road for four days, the Trenton Thunder comes to town on July 8. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 2

In any non-leap year July 2 marks the official mid-point of the calendar year-182 days down, 182 to go. In the morning I was with Jenny at her place, after lunch she and Helen came back to the city and onward to Reading in the afternoon. The R-Phils made it two in a row with a 7-4 victory over Richmond, they took an early 2-0 lead and were never headed. Matt Rizzotti hit a home run and had three RBI, Stephen Susdorf had three hits including a round-tripper of his own. Carlos Rivero and Derrick Mitchell had run-scoring hits and J.C. Ramirez helped his own cause with a sacrifice bunt RBI. Ramirez pitched six innings for the win, Josh Zeid (recently reinstated from the disabled list) worked in relief and picked up the save. Game time temperature was 83 degrees with low humidity but don't let that fool you, it was a warm evening. We started at 6:35 and finished at 9:05, most of the 8900 in the park stayed for fireworks while the ladies and I did what they used to do in the old Westerns on TV: we saddled up and rode out. The series wraps up on Sunday night (more fireworks) then the boys head to the road for four days. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 1

Friday afternoon on the road to Reading for game #2 of the weekend series with Richmond. It was 78 degrees at game time, that's 26 degrees Celsius for our neighbors to the north since July 1 is a national holiday in Canada. The R-Phils evened the series with a 9-5 win over the Flying Squirrels, rallying for the victory from another early 4-0 deficit. Tuffy Gosewisch hit a three-run homer, Stephen Susdorf had a two-run single, Matt Rizzotti and Niuman Romero had RBI hits as well. Mike Cisco won it in relief of B.J. Rosenberg, Justin Friend picked up the save. We had close to 7700 in the house for more fireworks but I was long gone before they started and longer gone by the time they ended. The game started on the dot at 7:05 and ended shortly before 10:00. The games on Saturday and Sunday are at 6:35. Take care, thanks for reading.