June 30

The final day of the sixth month of 2012. This was an unusual Saturday in that I never left the house until it was time to go to work, since Jenny and her mom are going to the game on Sunday we'll do lunch then instead. It was another hot, uncomfortable day but heavy cloud cover kept the sun from beating down during the afternoon hours. At the ballpark in the evening as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats visited for the start of a four game series, game time temperature was a mere 89 degrees. For the second straight night the R-Phils rallied from three runs down to win 4-3. Sebastian Valle hit a two-run home run, Darin Ruf added a solo shot and infielder Cody Asche (another addition from Clearwater) picked up an RBI on a groundout. Trevor May struggled through five innings but earned the win, Jay Johnson (who has spent considerable time on the disabled list) and Lisaberto Bonilla pitched in relief. Before the game Justin Friend was promoted to the AAA club in Allentown, Bonilla could be in the running to become the club's new closer but time will tell. It was another fireworks night but it goes without saying that as soon as my work was done I was like a home run: gone, outta here, see ya. The series continues with a 6:35 start on Sunday, the popular Phillie Panatic will be in the house. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 28-29

It was much warmer on Thursday, the forecast was calling for ninety-degree days for most of the weekend. Jenny was in town for a morning appointment, I took her home from there and we did our usual lunch date. From there we went into Willow Street where she had an afternoon commitment, the access van took her home afterward. In the evening at the ballpark it was 89 degrees at 7:00 game time (compare that to 78 at noon on Wednesday). On this night the R-Phils lost to Richmond 5-2 as the Squirrels took an early 3-0 lead and were never headed. The only ribbie came on a Leandro Castro sacrifice fly, the other run scored on a Richmond error. Scheduled starting pitcher Jonathan Pettibone was a late scratch due to injury, Jordan Whatcott made the spot start and took the loss. On Friday the blast furnace was still open for business, it was 93 degrees at game time. The R-Phils got back on the winning side with a come-from-behind 4-3 win. Darin Ruf hit a two-run home run, Troy Hanzawa had a base hit and two RBI. Ryan Duke (newly promoted from Clearwater) won it in relief of Austin Hyatt, Colby Shreve worked two ininngs for the save. Both Thursday and Friday were fireworks nights, all the better for me to hit the road before the rush. As I made my way south on 222 on Friday night I saw lightning in the distance, shortly after I arrived home it opened up and poured. The homestand continues through Tuesday as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats visit. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 26-27

Tuesday got off to a rotten start, when I went to my car in the morning I discovered my left rear tire was flat. There is a small garage up the street from me, they found a puncture and patched it so I could drive to a local tire center. All four of my tires were wearing down and with the driving I do it made sense to start fresh so I had them all replaced, with it all it was after 2:00 before I finally got out of there. I went home and took the fastest shower in the history of mankind, from there I headed to Jenny's place. She and Helen were going to the ballgame, Jamie Burkholder joined us so I had a full car. After a 3-5 road trip the R-Phils got the homestand going on a bright note with a 10-2 win over Richmond. Leandro Castro had two doubles and four RBI, Troy Hanzawa hit a double and a triple and knocked in three runs, Brandon Tripp had an RBI hit and winning pitcher Mario Hollands helped himself with a run-scoring hit. Hollands joined the club from Clearwater during the road trip, this night was his first appearance in Baseballtown. The game ended shortly before 10:00, by the time everybody was home it was past 11:30. On Wednesday morning we were at it early, I was on the road by 8:30 for the 12:05 start at the ballpark. This was a special camp kids' game, we had 7600 in attendance and probably 6000 of them were youngsters. On this afternoon the ballclub made it two straight with a 7-4 verdict. Brandon Tripp hit a two-run homer, Leandro Castro had another two-RBI double and Darin Ruf had two ribbies on a sac fly and a bases-loaded walk. Julio Rodriguez pitched six innings for the win, Lisaberto Bonilla and Justin Friend worked in relief. This was our next-to-last afternoon date at home, from here on out they are all at night save for one Sunday in July. I was home by 4:00, the remainder of the day was spent in the quiet of home far from the din of the sports arena. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 22-25

Not much happening on Friday save for the morning run, later in the evening showers moved through the area. Had the usual Saturday morning lunch date with Jenny, in the afternoon Marty and I met up for the drive across the Susquehanna River as the York Revolution hosted the Lancaster Barnstormers in the second game of a weekend series. This was the 101st regular-season meeting between the clubs since the Revs started in '07, the BSers have been around since 2005. In 2011 the Revs won the Atlantic League title, they beat the BSers in the playoff semifinals. On this night in York the Revolution took a 52-49 lead in the all-time series with a 3-2 win, there was a fireworks show afterward but we were gone ASAP and PDQ. Sunday was a quiet day at home, I never left the house because there was no reason to. Monday was more of the same except for lunch at the mall, Jenny was in town on business so we got to see each other briefly over the noon hour. Sometimes it's good to take it easy and let the system regenerate especially when Tuesday marks the start of an eight-day homestand in Reading. It's our own version of "Wild Kingdom" as the Flying Squirrels from Richmond and the Fisher Cats from New Hampshire visit for four days each. Where's Marlin Perkins when you need him? Take care, thanks for reading.

June 19-21

I didn't sleep as well overnight Monday as I thought I might but Tuesday night made up for it. With the ballclub on the road until the 26th I spent three evenings at the rink as the spring league playoffs wrapped up. The West Division had ended on Monday, on Tuesday the East was completed and the Midwest wound down on Thursday. Temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday were in the 90s during the day, with just one game each night we elected to wait until 8:00 to play. By then the sun was behind the trees to the west and no factor in terms of visibility for the goaltenders. When our rink was built in 1979 it was positioned east-west and sometimes the sun angles can be brutal. The ballpark in Lancaster was similarly positioned when it opened in '05, the sun sets there in left field instead of behind first or third base. I always say if you sit on the first base side of that stadium you should bring sunglasses and stay alert. The BSers play in York on the weekend, I may get to one of those games since there is little else on the schedule. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 15-18

Friday evening: Jenny and Helen were along as the R-Phils opened a series with the Akron Aeros. The boys got the weekend started the right way with a 7-2 win. Sebastian Valle had a home run and two RBI, Leandro Castro hit a two-run double, Jiwan James hit a solo homer, Troy Hanzawa contributed an RBI single and Tim Kennelly picked up a ribbie on a sac fly. Trevor May won it with relief from Colby Shreve and Frank Gailey. The game was over shortly after 9:30, the ladies and I were gone ASAP as the other 9700 in the park stayed for fireworks. Saturday was a long (spell that L-O-N-G) day in Baseballtown, we started at 10:00 in the morning with the annual high-school All-Star game. For the first time in this game's history there was no winner, the score stood 7-7 after ten innings when curfew was reached (ten innings or 1:00, whichever came first). The Pioneer Athletic Conference and the Berks County Interscholastic Athletic Association will have to wait another year to resolve the issue. After some lunch and a brief rest we cranked it up once again as the Aeros and R-Phils hooked up for a doubleheader beginning at 5:30. In the opener Darin Ruf hit a solo shot in the second innings but Akron tied it in the fifth. In the seventh (the last regulation frame of a doubleheader game) Brandon Tripp hit a lead-off home run to give the ballclub a 2-1 walk-off win, Michael Cisco won it in relief of David Buchanan. The nightcap was your typical "wasn't the world just waiting for this" game as the boys lost 5-4 in nine innings. Jiwan James had a double and three RBI, Darin Ruf had a run-scoring groundout. Juan Morillo was the losing pitcher in relief of spot starter Jordan Whatcott. With it all we were done shortly after 11:00, thirteen hours after the high-school game had started. On Sunday the ladies were along again (Saturday would have been way too much for them) as the ballclub made it three-for-four with a 4-2 win. Miguel Abreu and new outfielder D'Arby Myers (up from FSL Clearwater) had RBI hits, Valle had a sacrifice fly, the fourth run scored when Abreu crossed the plate on the front end of a double steal. Julio Rodriguez struck out ten over seven innings for the win, Shreve and Gailey each worked an inning in relief. On Sunday evening the light was out by 10:00, in the morning I was on the road by 6:15 as we wrapped up the series with our annual 9:35 morning game. We've been doing this since 2002 and I maintain that only a sadist could enjoy it. The boys finished off the series with another walk-off victory as they took it 4-3. Darin Ruf had an RBI hit, infielder Jeremy Barnes had a sac fly RBI and another run scored on a error. In the tenth inning Troy Hanzawa doubled and scored the winner on Migual Abreu's hit as Justin Friend picked up the win in relief of Jonathan Pettibone. This game wrapped up the homestand but my day was only half-over, in the evening we had street hockey playoffs at the rink. One division's championship series ended, the other two continue on Tuesday but that's other story for another time. As for me I believe I'll sleep very well overnight. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 11-14

The new week got underway with an extra trip to Reading on Monday. The Berkshire Baseball Club plays a fundraiser doubleheader every season at the ballpark, I work it for them if I'm available (I missed it in 2011 because I was in Elmira that week). The first game was an age 14-and-under game between the Berkshire Red Sox and the Exeter Cardinals, the nightcap featured each organization's 16-and-under teams. We got started at 3:00 and were done by 7:45, for the record Berkshire won both games. Came back to town and went to the rink for what remained for Monday night's street hockey schedule, playoffs were scheduled to continue on Tuesday night but an all-day rain forced postponement until Wednesday. Jenny was in Willow Street on Wednesday morning, I took her home from there and we did lunch since we'll miss out on it this Saturday (I'll be at the ballpark most of the day). On Thursday we had our usual lunch date, in the evening we finished the week's schedule at the rink. All three divisions are into their finals, we could be done by the end of next week. The R-Phils return home on Friday for a busy weekend including a Saturday doubleheader and the annual 9:35 morning game on Monday. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 9-10

Had our usual Saturday lunch in Quarryville, in the afternoon Jenny and Helen were along for the ride north to Baseballtown as the R-Phils evened the series with Harrisburg on the strength of a 7-2 win. Troy Hanzawa had a two-run triple, Brandon Tripp and Sebastian Valle had RBI hits and winning pitcher David Buchanan helped himself with an run-scoring single. The highlight of the night came in the eighth inning when Jiwan James circled the bases on an inside-the-park home run, the first by a R-Phil since Derrick Mitchell did it in April of 2011. Over 7900 in the house for fireworks as there were three in my car headed home at the same time. On Sunday it was 88 degrees at the 1:35 game time, the ballclub won in walk-off fashion 5-4. Tim Kennelly hit a first-inning home run, Steve Lerud picked up an RBI on a bases-loaded walk and Troy Hanzawa had an RBI groundout but the boys trailed 4-3 before Brandon Tripp tied it with a homer in the seventh. In the ninth inning Kennelly ended it with a first-pitch home run as the crowd of better than 7400 roared its approval. Justin Friend pitched a scoreless inning for the win, Michael Cisco also worked in relief of Julio Rodriguez. The ballclub is shorthanded right now because of injuries, Kennelly has been batting in the lead-off position out of necessity. In these two games he was 7-for-8 with two home runs. The club's mark stands at 33-26 (17-14 at home), the next homestand begins on Friday the 15th. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 7-8

Thursday morning in Quarryville with Jenny, her mother joined us for lunch as is our usual Thursday custom. After that Jenny came back to town with me for a 2:00 eye doctor appointment, the access van would take her home later. At 3:00 Dick Myers joined me for the drive to Reading. There were spotty showers passing through (stop me if you've heard this before), the game was delayed at the outset by one hour. The R-Phils lost 7-1, the lone run coming on a Brandon Tripp home run. Austin Hyatt was the starting pitcher, he was recently assigned from AAA Lehigh Valley. Relief pitcher Colby Shreve took the loss, he was promoted from Class A Clearwater earlier in the week. The game wound down at 10:50 with fireworks to follow (all the better for Dick and I get out of there), we got back to town around 11:30. On Friday I had a haircut appointment at noon, in the evening the ballclub hosted Harrisburg. For a while this game resembled the Tuesday game with Altoona as H-burg carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning. From there the wheels came off as the R-Phils lost it 9-0. Trevor May took the loss despite striking out nine batters in 5 2/3 innings of work. It was another fireworks night but needless to say I was long gone before they ever lit the fuse. The series continues on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 5-6

Tuesday afternoon on the road north to Reading, the Altoona Curve were in town for the opener of a three-game series. For the first time in 2012 the R-Phils were shutout as the Curve took it 1-0, a second-inning run stood up as the only score in the game. Julio Rodriguez took the loss but deserved a better fate. There was some light rain during the middle innings but nothing severe, the game was over before 9:15. On Wednesday Jamie Burkholder was along for the second game of the series as the ballclub rebounded with a 7-2 win. Miguel Abreu had three hits including a home run and two RBI, Sebastian Valle had three ribbies and a home run, Brandon Tripp had an RBI double. Jonathan Pettibone worked seven strong innings for the win, Micheal Cisco finished it. It was Dog Night, a lot of Man's Best Friends were in attendance. The series wraps up on Thursday, the Harrisburg Senators come to town for the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 4

Saw in the morning newspaper where the nightcap of the BSers' doubleheader didn't end until ten minutes before midnight. I've been there and done that in Reading and if I don't do it again anytime soon I'll be quite satisfied. There were more spotty showers in the forecast for Monday but the day was largely dry, at 5:00 we went to the rink for the opening night of playoffs. We got started at 6:15, during the third period of the first game the rains came. We took a twenty-minutes recess before starting the next game, during the third period the rain returned. We decided to postpone the last two games since there was little reason to think it would get any better. The West teams will start fresh on Thursday, the East series will continue that night as well. The Midwest teams will be there on Tuesday but I will not be, the R-Phils open a six-day homestand (weather-permitting, of course). Take care, thanks for reading.

June 2-3

Made the usual Friday morning run on Saturday since Jenny and I had our lunch date a day earlier. In the evening I was at the ballpark on North Prince Street as the BSers hosted the Atlantic League's newest franchise. The Sugar Land Skeeters are based in suburban Houston, Texas and they are the Atlantic League's first experiment with expansion into other regions of the country. The BSers won the game 5-0, there was a fireworks show following but I was out of there ASAP. On Sunday Jenny and Helen came into town as the rainout from Friday was made up as a doubleheader. The plan was to stay for the first game and maybe part of the nightcap if it didn't get too late. The opener started at 5:00, in the fourth inning some dark clouds rolled in and it started to rain. By the fifth inning it was coming hard, the game went into a delay. The wind was blowing at a gale from the west, with the dampness factored in it was downright chilly. After about forty-five minutes the ladies were ready to leave and I really couldn't blame them so we hit the road. The game finally resumed after a delay of an hour and forty minutes, by then I was back in town already and headed home for a shower. Saw on the internet later in the evening where the game ended shortly before 9:00 (the BSers won 5-1) with the second game still to come. I've had nights like that in Reading so I can easily relate to what they were going through, I didn't envy anyone there at all. Street hockey playoffs start this week, the R-Phils are at home on Tuesday. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 31-June 1

The new internet connection has been working like a charm, no complaints from this corner at all. Thursday evening in Reading as the R-Phils lost to Binghamton 8-1. This one was over early as the B-Mets jumped on Jonathan Pettibone for eight runs in the first four innings and took it home from there. The lone R-Phils run came in the seventh on back-to-back doubles from Darin Ruf and Brandon Tripp. Over 8500 in attendance for a fireworks show which I saw briefly in my rear-view mirror as I headed west on route 12. The boys are on the road for the weekend, the next homestand starts on June 5. Stopped at the rink when I got into town, the last game of the night had just ended. The regular season is over now, playoffs start on June 4 as planned. On Friday morning I was with Jenny, she had asked if we could do lunch on this day instead of Saturday. Maintenance crews have been doing work on the different apartments in her building, she and Helen plan to use Saturday as a clean-up day. In the evening I had figured on going to the BSers game but strong storms moved through the area and forced a postponement, they'll play a doubleheader on Sunday. Take care, thanks for reading.