April 27-29

Headed south to Quarryville on Friday afternoon for Jenny and Helen, from there we continued southeast through Delaware to Pennsville, New Jersey. Our dear friend Mazi moved there several months ago to be closer to her family, her mother is with her in Pennsville and her son lives just a few miles away. There really wasn't anything keeping her around our area so family became the prime consideration. Ever since she moved there Mazi has been wanting us to visit and this weekend was the perfect opportunity. The trip is about 63 miles one way, after crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge into New Jersey Pennsville is about two miles east. We arrived on Friday around 7:15 and spent the rest of the night and most of Saturday relaxing at her house. In the evening we crossed the bridge into Delaware for the twelve-mile drive to Wilmington for the ballgame, the Blue Rocks hosted the Winston-Salem Dash. Since she's been in NJ Mazi hardly ever gets to any games anywhere, this was supposed to be the highlight of the weekend for her but the weather didn't cooperate. It was chilly with a threat of light rain, in the fourth inning it started to mist and never got any better. Winston-Salem won the game 11-5, when we got back to Pennsville it looked like it hadn't rained there at all. The weather didn't dampen Mazi's spirits, she was just glad to see a game live again and for us to visit. On Sunday morning Mazi asked when we could come again, I told her there is a weekend in August that is a possibility so we'll keep it in mind. Mazi has been a dear friend for many years, it's always good to have the band back together. We headed out shortly after 11:30, with a lunch stop figured in I was back home before 2:30. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 25-26

Wednesday afternoon: back in Baseballtown for game #2 with Richmond. It was somewhat warmer at game time (61 degrees) but still windy. For the second straight night the R-Phils pitched a shutout as they eked out a narrow 1-0 win. The lone run in the game scored in the second inning when Stephen Susdorf singled and scored on a sacrifice fly from Tug Hulett. Trevor May threw six innings of one-hit ball for the win, J.C. Ramirez worked two innings and Tyson Brummett finished it for the save. The game was rapidly played, we started at 6:35 and were done by 8:50. Rain moved through the area overnight, Thursday dawned bleak and dreary. Hit the road at 8:30 as we wrapped up the homestand with the first school-kids game of the year, we got underway at 11:35. These games usually draw well but the crowd was down because the dark and chilly weather conditions. On this day the ballclub again mustered just one run but this time it wasn't enough. Sebastian Valle doubled to start the sixth inning and scored on Jiwan James' sac fly but Richmond pushed home the winning run in the ninth to take it 2-1. Chris Kissock took the loss in relief of starter David Buchanan. The loss drops the club's mark to 13-6 (9-3 at home),  the boys will return home on May 4. The skies were still dark in the late afternoon, at 5:00 we headed to Reservoir Park for the evening's street hockey games. The clouds broke up and we actually saw some sun for a brief time but later in the evening we played through some light nuisance rain. With it all we were done in good order, I was home shortly after 10:00. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 23-24

Monday was another rainy, windy and generally depressing day, at 5:00 Don and I decided to postpone the evening's street hockey games. The forecast wasn't encouraging and with the dampness in the air from the daytime it was a good night to stay home. It continued chilly and windy on Tuesday but the rain had moved on, Jenny and I had lunch together since she was in town. In the afternoon I was back on 222 for the ballpark as the R-Phils hosted Richmond, 53 degrees at game time with winds straight to center field at 10 miles per hour. The ballclub won it 6-0 as Darin Ruf had a home run and two RBI, Jiwan James hit a two-run double and Cesar Hernandez picked up an RBI on a bases-loaded walk. Tyler Cloyd worked seven innings for the win, Tyson Brummett and Justin Friend pitched an inning each in relief. The series continues on Wednesday night and wraps up on Thursday morning with an 11:05 school-kids day game. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 20-22

Friday afternoon: Jenny and Helen were along as we headed to Baseballtown, the Akron Aeros were the opponent. This was supposed to be a three-game weekend series but Mother Nature had other ideas. On Friday the R-Phils took the opener in extra innings 4-3. Akron led 3-0 in the eighth inning before Tyson Gillies' RBI hit got the club on the board. A two-out two-run single by Troy Hanzawa tied the game in the ninth, in the tenth inning Darin Ruf singled and scored the winning run on a Stephen Susdorf RBI double. B.J. Rosenberg won it in relief of stater Julio Rodrigeuz, we had better than 8000 in attendance on a 71 degree night. Saturday began well enough but there was talk of storms in the evening hours. The forecast was right on as the rain began lightly in the early innings and picked up as the night went on, the game went into a rain delay in the seventh inning with Akron ahead 7-4 and was called shortly thereafter. The R-Phils got RBI doubles from Darin Ruf and Jiwan James, Stephen Susdorf had a run-scoring hit and Cesar Hernandez picked up a ribbie on an infield groundout. Jonathan Pettibone started, worked five innings and took the loss. The temperature dropped sharply overnight, on Sunday morning it was still raining but the game was still on as I headed north at 10:30. The rain never let up, the game was finally called ten minutes after the scheduled start time. No make-up date was immediately announced but the Aeros make only one more visit so it will be somewhere in that series (June 15-18). Monday is an off-day, the Richmond Flying Squirrels come to town on Tuesday. Take care, thanks for reading

April 13-19

The spring allergy season is well underway, all I've been doing lately is coughing and sneezing. As expected the weekend was very quiet save for a lunch visit with Jenny on Saturday. On Monday we started the second week of street hockey season, with the ballclub away I was able to be there all four nights. As mentioned previously the eight teams in the East and West divisions play on Mondays and Thursdays, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays the six teams in the Midwest play a three-game night starting at 6:15. On Monday it was miserably hot with daytime temperatures in the 80s, by Wednesday it was cooler and rainy but we got the games played without incident. With two weeks in the books everybody now has four games played, the regular season in each division is fifteen games. The R-Phils followed the 6-1 opening homestand with a 4-3 road trip, the boys return home to host the Akron Aeros on Friday the 20th. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 11-12

Wednesday night in Baseballtown for the final game of the homestand. It was without doubt the chilliest night of the week, 51 degrees at game time with a 14-MPH wind. The R-Phils rebounded from the Tuesday loss with a 4-2 win over New Hampshire. Tyler Cloyd made his first start of the year and surrendered a two-run homer early on but from there he was in control going six innings for the win. Michael Cisco worked two innings in relief, Justin Friend finished it for the save. The ballclub benefited from some loose New Hampshire defensive play tying the game on a error and a fielders choice groundout, Cesar Hernandez gave the club the lead for good with a two-run single in the sixth inning. With the win the club moves to 6-1 in the early going, they hit the road for seven games before returning home on April 20. Jenny and I had lunch together as usual on Thursday, in the evening I was at Reservoir Park as we wrapped up the opening week of street hockey season. The East and West Divisions (four teams each) play on Mondays and Thursdays, this was the first of four crossover game nights. When we first started the league in 1979 one of the top teams was a group called the Kings, they played under that name until 1987. The vast majority of those guys haven't played in fifteen or twenty years (they're all in their late 40s-early 50s by now) but this season many of them have reunited for one last tour together. It will be interesting to see how well they do over the long haul, the legs may not be what they once were but the experience and knowledge hasn't gone anywhere. This weekend figures to be quiet with nothing special on the docket. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 10

Street hockey season opened on Monday evening, stopped by the rink on Tuesday morning to get the scoresheets and update the league website. Another chilly, windy night in Baseballtown (in other words, typical April evening weather) as the ballclub hosted New Hampshire in game #2 of the series. After five straight wins the R-Phils lost for the first time as the Fisher Cats took the early lead and won it 3-2. The ballclub had ten hits in the game but never put a rally together, the two runs came on solo home runs from Stephen Susdorf and Jiwan James. Jonathan Pettibone started and took the hard-luck loss, Jay Johnson (the lone left-hander currently on the staff) and Juan Morillo worked in relief. The series finale is on Wednesday, after that the boys hit the road for eight days. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 9

Monday evening in Baseballtown at wind-swept FirstEnergy Stadium as the R-Phils continued their homestand, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats were in town for the first of a three-game series. The last time we saw the Cats in Reading was in the 2011 playoffs when they beat the R-Phils en route to the Eastern League championship. On this night the R-Phils stayed undefeated on the young season with a 5-2 victory. Outfielder Tyson Gillies had the big night with three hits including a two-run homer, Michael Spidale picked up two RBI on a base hit and Darin Ruf contributed a run-scoring single. Starting pitcher Julio Rodriguez was the winner in his first appearance of the season, B.J. Rosenberg worked the final two innings for the save. As the ballclub looks to continue its roll another one in a different sport came to an end later in the evening. After winning two straight at home in their playoff series the Royals went on the road and lost the final three games of the best-of-five, the final score on this night was 4-2. This marks the second time in three years the franchise has lost a playoff series after holding the proverbial "insurmountable lead". We'll see what happens over the summer in preparation for the new season starting in October. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 6-8

Friday afternoon: Jenny and Helen were along for their first ballgame of the season. It was 53 degrees at game time with a sharp wind from the northwest at 14 miles per hour. The R-Phils made it 3-0 on the year with a 9-4 victory over Portland. Jiwan James had three hits including a home run and two RBI, returnee Tim Kennelly knocked in three runs, infielder Troy Hanzawa had an RBI hit and firstbaseman Darin Ruf hit a sacrifice fly. Trevor May pitched five innings for the win with bullpen support from J.C. Ramirez, Michael Cisco and Juan Morillo. The game took better than three hours, between falling temperatures and the persistent wind the ladies couldn't wait to get in the car at night's end. On Saturday we had our usual lunch date in Quarryville, in the afternoon Dick Myers joined me for the the ride north to Baseballtown, Jenny and Helen had planned on attending but with similar weather conditions in the offing they decided to forgo it and stay warm at home (can't say that I blame them, as a fan I don't think I'd enjoy sitting out in the wind and cold either). On this night the ballclub finished the four-game sweep with a 4-1 win as Jiwan James had an RBI triple, Leandro Castro and Tim Kennelly had run-scoring hits as well. The real story was starting pitcher David Buchanan who went seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts for the win, Justin Friend finished it for the save. This game was played in much quicker fashion, with a 6:05 Saturday night start we were done before 8:30 and back home before 9:30 (where was that on Friday). Sunday was slow and uneventful, it was a perfect time to relax and recharge the batteries. With baseball underway and the street hockey season starting this week business is picking up. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 5

Thursday morning: Jenny and I had an early lunch together, from there it was time to head to the ballpark for the 46th Opening Day in Reading Phillies history. The Portland SeaDogs were the opponent for an unusual opening day doubleheader. Scheduled doubleheaders are rare in minor league baseball, this one came about because there is no game on Easter Sunday. The R-Phils' roster is a mix of familiar returnees and promising newcomers and on this day the results were excellent as the club won both games of the double-dip. In the opener catcher Sebastian Valle hit a solo home run and outfielder Jiwan James knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly but it took an extra-inning two-run homer from outfielder Leandro Castro to give the club a 4-2 win. Michael Cisco was the winning pitcher in relief of starter Jonathan Pettibone. In the nightcap the boys completed the sweep with a 7-4 verdict as infielder Cesar Hernandez had two doubles and two RBI, Castro had a two-run single, returning outfielders Stephan Susdorf and Michael Spidale each contributed an RBI hit and infielder Tug Hulett recorded an RBI groundout. Chris Kissock won it in relief of spot starter Tyson Brummett, Justin Friend finished it for the save. The official attendance was 6825 but the crowd was small at the outset, a 4:05 start on a Thursday can be tough for a lot of people. All told the second game ended five hours and seven minutes after we started, it could have been better but it could have been worse. The series continues with single games on Friday and Saturday. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 4

A typical Wednesday morning errand run got the day started, in the afternoon it was on to the Sovereign Center for game #2 of the playoff series with Elmira. My absence on Tuesday was noted by many including Yannick Tifu who came by the penalty bench in the pregame warmup and welcomed me back. The Royals got off to a good start on this night as Dale Mitchell (back from a month-long stay in the AHL) and Mikael Bedard scored early for a 2-0 first-period lead. Ian O'Connor made it 3-0 before the Jackals clawed back to get within one, Kenny Ryan's empty-netter in the final minute clinched a tough 4-2 win. Mark Owuya (also back from the "A") earned the win in goal, he was the goalie of record on Tuesday as well. The victory gives the Royals a two-games-to-none edge in the best-of-five series, the remaining games are in Elmira on Friday, Saturday and Monday if needed. The organization has seen in the past how tough that one more win can be to obtain (a so-called stranglehold is not necessarily unbreakable) but going to Elmira up 2-0 is the best scenario anyone could have asked for. We'll see what happens on the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 1-3

Sunday afternoon: the ladies and I were in Hershey for our final AHL game of the season, the visiting Binghamton Senators won in overtime shootout 6-5. Spoke with Don Tankesley on Monday and firmed up the street hockey league schedule format, we'll have fourteen teams in three divisions. The East and West Divisions each have four teams and will play an interlocking schedule, the Midwest will have six teams. Tuesday was a big day for pro sports in Reading as the Royals opened their playoff series with Elmira and the Reading Phillies hosted Lehigh Valley in an exhibition game at the ballpark on Centre Avenue. LV is the Philadelphia Phillies' AAA affiliate, they began operations in Allentown in 2008 and this exhibition game is an annual occurrence. No less than thirteen former R-Phils are on the LV roster (such is the progressive nature of minor league baseball), the R-Phils' roster features eleven returnees from 2010. In many ways this game is largely meaningless, it's just one final opportunity for the players to get some work done before the season starts for real (case in point: three pitchers listed on the Reading roster pitched for LV in this game and one player appeared as a pinch-hitter on two separate occasions). For the record the R-Phils won 7-6, the season starts at home on April 5 against Portland. When I got to the car I put the Royals game on radio and heard they were up 3-1 with two minutes to go, an empty-net score cemented a 4-1 win. Game #2 is on Wednesday night at the Sovereign Center and I'll be available to work, I just hope my return isn't a jinx after a great win on Tuesday. Take care, thanks for reading.