December 30-31

Friday afternoon: Jenny and Helen were along for the final home game of the calendar year, the Trenton Titans were the opponent. Jamie Burkholder joined us as well, as a Flyers fan (like me) he wanted to see the Titans since they are the Flyers' ECHL affiliate. The Royals' struggles on home ice continued on this night as Trenton jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the game was eleven minutes old. Goals by Ryan Cruthers and Yannick Tifu got the Royals back into the game in the second period, Cruthers' second goal of the night evened it at 3-3 early in the third. Unfortunately the comeback had no payoff as the Titans scored a late power-play goal to win it 4-3, Joe Palmer took the loss in net for the Royals. It was a notable night for Cruthers, his first goal was his 50th as a Royal and his assist on Tifu's score made him the club's all-time assist leader breaking the tie with Graig Mischler he had established on Wednesday. In fifteen home games the boys are just 3-9-3, the overall mark is 12-13-6. The club will play its next three games on the road, the next home date is in January on Friday the 13th. On Saturday the ladies and I had our usual lunch date, in the evening we were in Hershey for the annual New Years Eve game. The Norfolk Admirals were the opponent, the game started at 6:00 (one hour earlier than usual for a Saturday) so everybody had extra time to get to wherever they were going to ring in 2012. For me that would be the comfort of my own home with no fanfare whatsoever. Hershey won the game in OT shootout 4-3, we'll be there again on January 7th when the Adirondack Phantoms visit. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 28-29

The rainy conditions moved out overnight, Wednesday was cold and windy. Jenny and I were on the road north in the afternoon for the Sovereign Center in downtown Reading. The Royals went 2-0 on their most recent road swing, on this night the Elmira Jackals were the opponent. The Royals held two separate one-goal leads but could not hold the advantage as the Jackals won it in OT shootout 4-3. Todd Griffith, Yannick Riendeau and Rob Kweit scored for the Royals, Mark Owuya took the tough-luck loss in net. It was a milestone night for Ryan Cruthers, his assist on Kweit's goal was his 96th as a Royal tying him with Graig Mischler (2003-2005) for the all-time franchise lead in that category. That point was also his 145th overall which makes him the club's all-time leading scorer surpassing the mark established last season by Ben Gordon (currently playing in Dusseldorf, Germany). The Royals had won four straight after ending that nine-game winless streak earlier in the month, they'll look to get back into the win column on Friday at home against Trenton. Saw on the internet where McCaskey defeated York in the championship game of the tournament by the eye-catching score of 104-85. Winning a holiday week tournament means little in the long run, what matters is recording a solid win over a quality opponent. The club's record improves to 5-3 (2-1 in league play), the next game is on January 3rd when we play at Penn Manor. Not much going on Thursday besides lunch with Jenny, in the afternoon some snow flurries were blowing around but it amounted to very little besides making the streets wet. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 26-27

Went to the mall on Monday morning for lunch, with all the post-holiday sales going on the place was a zoo. On Tuesday it was dark and rainy, Jenny and I had lunch at a local sub shop since she was in town on business. In the evening we were at McCaskey for basketball, this was the opening night of our annual holiday tournament. In the opener York beat Franklin Learning Center (from Philadelphia), in the nightcap JPM was victorious over Robeson HS (also from Philly) 71-48. This is the first year Robeson has been in our tournament, we didn't know a lot about their program other than they were 7-0 thus far this year. JPM was down by four at the quarter but rallied to lead by nine at the half. After the break the Red Tornado pulled away and won it easily, Coach Powell played the reserves for most of the last quarter. Everybody played and all scored but one, Devonne Pinkard led with 18 while Brian Newsome had 11 and Luis Fuentes added 10. The win improves the club's mark to 4-3, they will meet York in the tournament championship game on Wednesday. It should be an excellent game but whatever happens will occur in my absence, I'll be at the Sovereign Center as the Royals host the Elmira Jackals. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 23-25

This is a time of year that I freely admit I could easily do without, for the most part I find it horribly depressing. In my younger years I enjoyed the season as much as anyone else. Many years ago something happened to me during the month of December that was as traumatic as anything I've ever experienced, it is something I would never wish on another human being. It was at that point that everything associated with this time of year ceased to be important, I'm not exaggerating when I say that everything changed in a sudden fashion. I honestly wish I could view it the way I once did (and it certainly is not my intention to drag anyone else into the sewer with me) but it just isn't in me anymore. I must acknowledge that it's gotten better over the past several years because of Jenny's presence in my life, the season matters to her so I try for her sake. She and her mother came to our place for the day on Sunday, in the past they've been invited to a relative's house but for some reason that didn't happen this year. The day itself was not a huge deal outside of gift exchanging plus lunch and supper but at least we got to be together, I'd rather be with Jenny than apart from her any day. As the world slowly returns to normal this week will be busy with basketball at JPM on Tuesday, the Royals at home Wednesday and Friday plus a game in Hershey on Saturday. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 21-22

Wednesday evening at the Lancaster Ice Rink for a high school hockey game as Central York met Hempfield. Don Tankesley's son Devyn is a junior at Hempfield, he's one of their top players. This was expected to be a showdown (CY was 7-0-0 coming in while Hempfield was 6-0-1) but the game was never really in doubt as Central York took a quick lead and won going away 7-2. Devyn figured in both goals for Hempfield, scoring one and assisting on the other. I rarely get to see him play since most of the games are on nights I'm busy so one takes advantage of what opportunities there are. On Thursday morning Jenny was in town for an appointment, we met and had lunch at the mall. Later in the afternoon we went over to McCaskey to meet up with the team bus, from there we drove down to Q-ville for the game at Solanco. There are some nights when things happen that are absolutely unexplainable, this was one of them. On this night JPM lost 74-70 to a team that was winless coming in. Take nothing away from Solanco, they played like world champions and earned the victory fair and square. The story of this game was our club's effort which was addressed at length in the locker room after the game. What was said in there will stay in there, let's just say that the mood was not a happy one. The loss drops us to 3-3, right where we were last year at this time (the only difference being that we're 2-1 in the league instead of 3-0). It started to rain during the game, when we came out of the building it was coming hard. I took Jenny home (she only lives two miles from the school) then headed back to the city to call it a night. The boys are back in action on Tuesday the 27th in our annual holiday week tournament. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 18-20

Not much going on Sunday outside of pro football on TV. On Monday morning Jenny had an appointment in Willow Street, her niece took her there and I brought her home for a lunch date at the pizza parlor. On Tuesday it was chilly and rainy, in the evening we were at JPM as the Red Tornado hosted Elizabethtown in a divisional crossover. This was an ugly down-and-dirty type of game, at one point a shoving match broke out which was quickly diffused by the officials and the coaching staffs. It was not an artistic success by any means but a win is a win as JPM took it 72-62. Luis Fuentes was high scorer with 16, Aaron Swinton and Brian Newsome had 11 apiece and Calvert Gantz had 10. With the victory the club moves above .500 overall at 3-2, 2-0 in league play. The boys play again on Thursday as we travel down a familiar road to a familiar town, the game is at Solanco High School in Quarryville. After that the team will host the annual holiday tournament on the 27th and 28th with divisional play set to begin on January 3rd. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 17

In Quarryville with Jenny on Saturday morning, after lunch we came back to the city. The Pennsylvania Class AA championship football game was played on this day, for the second time in three years the Lancaster Catholic Crusaders earned gold with a 17-7 victory. The game was televised, we saw the end of it once we were back in town. This championship win for LCHS caps a 16-0 season, over the past three seasons the club's record is an incredible 42-2. The program will face new challenges in 2012 as it moves up to Class AAA in terms of enrollment and into Section One of the LL League. The competition will be exponentially tougher as a result but the Crusader program is very strong, there's no reason to think they won't be able to hold their own. Later in the afternoon we were on the road to Reading as the Royals finished their four-game miniseries with the Wheeling Nailers. After a 6-3 road win on Friday the Royals finally broke through at home by an identical count of 6-3. It was Teddy Bear Toss night for the benefit of Toys For Tots, the United States Marine Corps ROTC helped to collect the donations when the first goal was scored. Dale Mitchell scored the "teddy bear" goal in the fourth minute of play so we got it out of the way quickly, it was the first of his two scores in the game. Yannick Tifu also hit the net twice, newcomers Todd Griffith and Andrew Favot added single tallies in support of winning goaltender Mark Owuya. The win ends a six-game winless streak at home as the overall record improves to 10-12-5, the next home game is on Wednesday the 28th. As we were downtown at the Sovereign Center the McCaskey boys were at Reading High for the first of four games I will miss this season. Later in the evening I saw on the internet where JPM lost 77-76. That drops the club's mark to 2-2, the boys play at home on Tuesday against Elizabethtown. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 15-16

It was rainy and chilly on Thursday morning, I had a 10:00 appointment at the auto service center.. From there it was down to Q-ville for a visit and lunch with Jenny, on the way home the rain started to come harder so it was a good day to stay in and dry. On Friday afternoon I was at JPM as we boarded the bus for the first road game of the season. The Red Tornado opened league play with a decisive victory over Ephrata, the boys literally doubled up the opposition by a final of 94-47. We were up by seventeen after the first quarter and were never seriously threatened. Eleven was the lucky number on this night, we had that many players in uniform and they all scored. Five of the guys hit double figures as Aaron Swinton, Diante Cherry, Calvert Gantz, Devonne Pinkard and Deron Johnson all scored exactly eleven points. In a game like this the reserves get almost as much playing time as the regulars, Derrick Dixon (who scored 20 points in the junior varsity game) made his first varsity appearance of the season and scored eight points. The JV game was one-sided as well, JPM won 75-47 to stay unbeaten at 3-0. The boys won't have a lot of time to savor the victory, they are back on the bus on Saturday for another non-league game at Reading High. I will be in Reading on Saturday as well but in a different building, the Royals are at home against Wheeling. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 13-14

Tuesday evening hoops at JPM as the Red Tornado hosted Chester. Steve Powell is a Chester alum from the class of '68, we've been playing them every year since he's been head coach at McCaskey. They are perennially one of the top programs in the state, all they did last year was win the state championship. On this night the JV game started twenty minutes late because Chester was late arriving and of course it went into overtime before McCaskey won it 53-51. That game by itself was worth the price of admission, I've always felt that a good JV game stokes the crowd for the varsity game to follow. In the main event of the evening Chester showed why they're the state champs as they downed McCaskey 71-61 in a game that was closer than the score would indicate. Eight players got in for JPM and seven of them scored, Diante Cherry had 18 and Calvert Gantz had 15. The game didn't start until 8:40 because of the JV OT, it wound down at 10:10. The loss drops the Red Tornado to 1-1 on the young season, league play begins on Friday with a divisional crossover game in Ephrata. On Wednesday night the McCaskey girls played their first home game as Reading High came to visit. I don't get to see the girls play often since most of their games coincide with when the boys play. Not a good night for JPM, the junior varsity lost by seven and the varsity game was uncompetitive from the word Go as RHS won by thirty. The girls begin their league slate on Friday as well with a home game against Ephrata. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 11-12

Jenny and Helen were along on Sunday afternoon as we headed to the Sovereign Center for the Royals game with Wheeling. The club's winless streak ended with a victory in Wheeling on Friday but the Royals could not sustain the momentum as the Nailers won on this day by an identical 4-2 score. Dennis McCauley and Dale Mitchell scored for the Royals, Mark Owuya was the goaltender of record. The loss extends the Royals' winless streak at home to six games (0-4-2), in twelve games at the SC the club is just 2-8-2. The boys next play on Friday as this four-game miniseries with the Nailers continues on the road, they will meet yet again in Reading on Saturday the 17th. On Monday morning I was at the health campus to have some blood work done, it was something the doctor suggested when I got my flu shot in November. The rest of the day was spent in the warmth and quiet of home but the next two nights will anything but with basketball at JPM. The boys host Chester on Tuesday, on Wednesday the girls' team will play its first home game as they host Reading High. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 10

Saturday morning: saw on the internet where the Royals' unsightly winless streak ended on Friday night as they won in Wheeling 4-2. The rematch is on Sunday at the Sovereign Center, after that the teams meet for another home-and-home set next weekend (nothing like four straight games against the same opponent). In the afternoon we were at JPM as the Red Tornado opened basketball season on the good side with a 64-55 win over Harrisburg. Everybody remembers the game in Harrisburg last year when a 70-70 tie somehow became a loss for JPM, on this day in Lancaster such hi-jinks were nowhere to be seen. Four players hit double figures for McCaskey as Diante Cherry had 10, Blaise Glover scored 11, Calvert Gantz contributed 16 and Devonne Pinkard had a game-high 19. Devonne is a junior transfer from Lancaster Catholic, he was one of their top players last season. He's one of two newcomers on the varsity roster, the other is senior Deron Johnson. Deron is an interesting story-he played JV two years ago, sat out last year and earned a roster spot this season. It's good to see the club win its opener against a quality opponent, on Tuesday they will host Chester in another tough non-league matchup. Got word later in the afternoon that LCHS won its state semifinal playoff game, they will play for the state championship on the 17th. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 8-9

The rain cleared out overnight, Thursday morning was sunny but cold and windy. Stopped by the athletic office at McCaskey to get a copy of the basketball rosters now that they are official. The season-opening varsity roster features twelve players (five seniors and seven juniors), ten of them played at the varsity level for JPM last year. The junior varsity squad has eleven players including three returnees from last season. Had lunch with Jenny in Quarryville, in the evening we were at the Sovereign Center as the Trenton Titans made their first regular-season appearance in Reading since 2007. The Trenton franchise began as the Titans in 1999, over the past few years the team had a different nickname which was largely unpopular with the fanbase (the original nickname was restored during the off-season). On this night at the SC the Royals' winless skein reached nine games as Trenton won in overtime 3-2. Dale Mitchell gave the club an early 1-0 lead but the Titans led 2-1 in the third period before Dennis McCauley scored the tying goal. In overtime the Royals killed a Trenton power play opportunity before the Titans netted the game-winner in the final seconds. Mark Owuya returned to the lineup after a six-week stint in the AHL and took the tough-luck loss in goal. The Royals are now 0-5-4 in their last nine, the saving grace is that you earn a standings point for losing in OT or a shootout (0-5-4 is better than 0-9-0) but in the record it's still a loss. The boys play Wheeling in a home-and-home set this weekend, the game in Reading is on Sunday afternoon. Not much going on Friday, stopped in at practice at McCaskey in the afternoon as JPM gets ready for the Saturday afternoon home opener against Harrisburg. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 4-7

Not much going on Sunday, with rare exception Sundays tend to be rather slow this time of year. On Monday I was with Jenny for lunch in the morning, later in the day I was over at McCaskey. The boys were traveling to Wilson High School for a scrimmage, I went along for the ride. WHS is in West Lawn (just outside Reading), it felt strange riding north on 222 in a vehicle I wasn't driving. At a scrimmage there are no stats kept so I was not there in any official capacity, it was just an excuse to get out of the house and see the guys play one more time before the season starts. We got underway at 6:00 and played eight ten-minute running-time periods, the clock only stopped for foul shots and time outs. With it all we were done at 8:00 so the teams got their money's worth. Tuesday and Wednesday were uneventful which was just as well, both days were largely rainy and miserable. The Royals are at home on Thursday and Sunday, the first official game for JPM is on Saturday at home. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 2-3

Friday afternoon: on the road north with Jenny and her mother as the Wheeling Nailers made their first appearance of the season at the Sovereign Center. The Royals' winless streak continued on this night as the Nailers won it 5-1. Dale Mitchell scored the lone goal for the Royals in the third period but that was long after the issue was decided. Joe Palmer started in net and surrendered three goals in twenty-one minutes of play, Karel St. Laurent finished it in relief. After ten games the club's record on home ice is 2-7-1, not good no matter how you look at it. On Saturday we did our usual lunch at the shopping plaza in Q-ville, in the evening we were in Hershey for the third consecutive week. The Portland Pirates were the opponent, they are the AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes. From 1977 to 1983 the Flyers had their AHL club in Portland, at that time the franchise was known as the Maine Mariners. This night in Hershey was the annual Teddy Bear Toss night, we'll have ours in Reading on the 17th. The Pirates scored the first goal but it was the only one they got as Hershey won 7-1, our next game there is on the 31st against Norfolk. The Royals played on Saturday night in Elmira and lost 3-1, the winless streak now stands at eight (0-5-3) as the overall record drops to 7-11-4. The boys will have a chance to get some quality practice time, the next game is at home on the 8th against Trenton. The LCHS Crusaders won their state playoff game on Saturday afternoon, if they win their semifinal matchup on the 10th they'll have the opportunity to play for the state championship on the 17th. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 1

The first day of the last month of 2011. With Jenny in Q-ville in the morning, we had our usual Thursday lunch date at the downtown pizza parlor. In the evening I was over at McCaskey for the first scrimmage of basketball season, the boys hosted Susquehanna Township (from suburban Harrisburg). Nine returnees played for JPM including Brian Newsome, Calvert Gantz, Jalen Washington, Shaki Staten, Christian Davidson, Blaise Glover, Luis Fuentes, Diante Cherry and Aaron Swinton. It was particularly encouraging to see Aaron playing, the last time we saw him was in September when he injured his knee playing football. That was eleven weeks ago but on this night he was moving well and showing no ill effects whatsoever. The club will have one more scrimmage before starting the season on December 10. The regular season schedule is twenty-two games as usual, as it stands right now I'll be absent from four because of the Royals (in other years it's been five or six so this season we got lucky). The non-league portion of the schedule features the yearly gauntlet of Harrisburg, Chester and Reading High, the annual holiday tournament plus a game against Cedar Cliff (another Harrisburg-area school) in January. It's a tough road but the only way to find out about yourself is to play against stiff competition. Take care, thanks for reading.