July 27-30

Saw some pictures on the Internet of the tornado damage in Elmira, reports are that the winds were in excess of 100 miles per hour. I guess it's a good thing we went to visit when we did, it's going to be a long recovery period in the Southern Tier. On Friday Jamie joined me once again since he was rained out of his chance to see New Britain on Thursday. This was the start of a long (I mean L-O-N-G) weekend in Baseballtown, the game on Friday started at 7:05 and wound down at 10:50. The R-Phils won it 10-9 as Cesar Hernandez hit a three-run homer, Tug Hulett went yard with a man on, Leandro Castro had a two-run single, Sebastian Valle had an RBI hit and Jiwan James picked up a ribbie on a sac fly. Austin Hyatt went five innings for the win with Colby Shreve, Tyler Knigge and Jay Johnson working in relief. Better than 9700 in the park for fireworks but as usual I was more interested in getting home before midnight. On Saturday morning I was with Jenny, after lunch she and her mother were along for the evening's doubleheader. The lengthy game on Friday was a mere warmup for this night, we got started at 5:35 and ended at 11:20. We had a 37-minute rain delay during the first game, the between-games intermission was thirty-six minutes. The R-Phils won both games by scores of 5-4 and 6-0, in the opener Darin Ruf had a homer and two RBI, Jiwan James had a run-scoring hit, Tug Hulett plated a run on a groundout and Troy Hanzawa had a sac fly. Trevor May was the winning pitcher, Frank Gailey picked up the save. In the nightcap (which didn't start until 9:10) Julio Rodriguez pitched six innings of shutout ball for the win as Leandro Castro hit a two-run homer, Cesar Hernandez had a two-run double, Troy Hanzawa had an RBI hit and Sebastian Valle had a sac fly RBI. Once again we had fireworks on the schedule but the ladies and I were gone ASAP, Jenny slept in the car on the way home. With it all I walked in my front door at 12:50 in the morning very glad for the fact that Sunday was not a day game. At the ballpark on Sunday it got very dark around 3:45, the grounds crew tarped the field just in time for a rain shower. Jenny and Helen had planned on coming on this night as well but "doubleheader burnout" prompted them to stay home. The rain moved on and the game got going right on time at 6:05, the ballclub completed the four-game sweep with an 8-3 verdict. D'Arby Myers hit his first home run as an R-Phil, Darin Ruf had two doubles and two RBI, Leandro Castro had a hit and two ribbies, Cesar Hernandez had a RBI double and Sebastian Valle had a run-scoring hit. Mario Hollands won it with Johnson, Knigge and Jordan Whatcott in relief. Another marathon contest as we finished at 9:20, the ballclub is back home on August 3rd. Monday was an off-day all the way around, with nothing on the schedule I enjoyed a rare evening at home. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 25-26

It was cooler on Wednesday, daytime highs in the 80s. Jenny and Helen joined me for a rare weeknight appearance at the ballpark, Jamie Burkholder was with us so we had a full car. After two straight losses on the homestand the R-Phils broke through on this night with a 6-1 win over Altoona. Cody Asche was the offensive star with two home runs and four RBI, winning pitcher Jonathan Pettibone had a run-scoring base hit (the second consecutive night an R-Phils pitcher helped himself with an RBI). On Thursday morning it was very dark with rain in the area, I met Jenny at an appointment she had in Willow Street and we had lunch. It cleared up in the afternoon as temperatures rose into the 90s, Jamie rode with me once again as the New Britain Rock Cats came to town. It was Reading Baseball Hall Of Fame Night, the class of 2012 was enshrined before the game in ceremonies that were curtailed thanks to Mother Nature. There were strong storms coming from the northwest, the wind picked up considerably as the grounds crew put the tarp down. As the rain started it appeared to be falling sideways thanks to the wind velocity, after a delay of close to one hour the game was called and rescheduled as a doubleheader on Saturday the 28th. The storm system touched much of the state and bordering areas as well, there were reports on the internet of a tornado touchdown in Elmira. I messaged my cousins to see what was up, Roxanne's daughter Krista called later in the evening and said that everyone in the family was OK but Elmira was under a state of emergency with a curfew in effect until Friday morning. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 23-24

Had lunch at the mall on Monday morning, in the afternoon it was back to Baseballtown for the start of a week-long homestand. The R-Phils have struggled mightily since the month began, the club's record in July is just 5-15. It got very dark around 5:00, the grounds crew got the tarp down just in time for the skies to open. It poured for about twenty minutes but once it ended there was no further issue, the game time temperature was 82 degrees as we started right on time at 7:05. This was game #101 for the R-Phils and unfortunately the results were familiar as the visiting Altoona Curve won it 7-1. Darin Ruf's second-inning home run was the lone bright spot for the R-Phils, Trevor May started and took the loss. Tuesday was a much more uncomfortable day, temperatures were in the 90s in the afternoon. At the ballpark it was down to 85 by game time as Altoona made it two straight with a 6-2 win. Once again the R-Phils' offense was largely silent, a Sebastian Valle home run and an RBI groundout by pitcher Mario Hollands accounted for the scoring. Hollands was the hard-luck loser, he deserved a better fate. The loss drops the ballclub's record to 51-51, the first time the club has been at .500 this season. The boys will try to right the ship in the series finale on Wednesday. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 21-22

Saturday morning: went to Quarryville for lunch with Jenny, it felt so good to hold her in my arms again. I last saw her briefly on Monday morning, she was in town on business as we were leaving for Elmira. She and her mother are slowly getting settled in their new unit but they still have a lot of boxes to go through. In the evening I was on North Prince Street as the Barnstormers hosted the Bridgeport Bluefish. This was the second game of the weekend series but after driving for better than four hours on Friday I elected to stay home and wind down. Saturday was a fireworks night in Lancaster but I was walking out the front gate as soon as the game ended, the Bluefish won it 3-1. On Sunday evening Jenny and Helen were along for the series finale as the BSers won 4-3. Sundays for them are always better than Saturdays because game time is an hour earlier and they don't do fireworks on Sundays. The R-Phils finished a road trip on Sunday, with exactly 100 games in the books the record stands at 51-49 (26-22 at home). The boys open a week-long homestand on Monday as the Altoona Curve comes to town. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 16-20

With the ballclub on the road for a week it was a perfect time to get away for some R&R in the Southern Tier of New York State. On Monday morning my mother and I embarked on the drive north to Elmira, whenever we are there we stay with my cousin Roxanne. For my mother it's a chance to catch up with my father's side of the family, for me it's that plus some baseball at Dunn Field. The Elmira Pioneers (of the Perfect Game Collegiate League) were at home on Monday evening, they lost to the Newark Pilots 4-3. On Tuesday the daytime highs were in the 90s, in the afternoon I made the 55-mile drive east to Binghamton since the Pioneers were on the road. The Binghamton Mets hosted the Trenton Thunder in Eastern League action, game-time temperature at 6:35 was 97 degrees. Trenton won the game 5-4, there were fireworks afterwards but needless to say I was headed west on route 17 before they ever started. There was no game anywhere on Wednesday, we had a cookout in the evening at Roxanne's house with most of the family in attendance. On Thursday I drove north to Ithaca (the home of Cornell University), in the evening the Pioneers were back at home, The Newark Pilots were the opponent once again, there was rain in the forecast which arrived in the early innings. It never amounted to any more than a light mist, with temperatures down into the 70s it brought some much-needed relief. The game itself was one for the books, the Pioneers led by five runs in the ninth before Newark rallied to tie it. In the bottom of the inning the Pioneers pushed across the winner for a wild 11-10 win. The rain came harder overnight but by Friday morning it was gone as we packed up and headed south for home. We drove through varying degrees of rain most of the way, we got back to town around 3:30. In the evening I elected to stay in and relax, with rain still in the area it was a good night for it. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 14-15

Saturday morning in Quarryville with Jenny, she and Helen have been busy the last few days. When they moved into their apartment complex some years ago they were given an upstairs unit because nothing was available at ground level. A downstairs apartment recently opened up, they were given the OK to start moving on Wednesday. On Thursday they were told they had to be out of the old unit by Sunday (talk about short notice). They are moving within the same building (from unit E to unit F) so it's hardly a long distance but it's still work no matter how you look at it. By Saturday morning most of the big stuff had been moved but there was still a lot to do, I helped with some of it before we had lunch. Later in the afternoon I headed back to Reading for game #3 with Bowie. The R-Phils' momentum from the win on Friday was short-lived as the Baysox took it 4-2. Troy Hanzawa had a run-scoring single and Darin Ruf had a sac fly RBI as Mario Hollands took the loss. Over 7800 in attendance for You-Know-What after the game ended but I was long gone before they lit the fuse. On Sunday we hit the road early for a 1:35 start, this was our final scheduled day game at home for the season. The ballclub's bats continued in the deep slumber as Bowie won 3-1, Cody Asche's RBI hit scored the R-Phils' lone run as Johnathan Pettibone started and took the loss. This day wrapped up a six-day homestand (the All-Star jazz made it feel much longer), the boys will hit the road until Monday the 23rd. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 12-13

Thursday afternoon: Jamie Burkholder joined me for the drive to Reading as the R-Phils hosted the Bowie Baysox (the Orioles' EL affiliate). After a 1-5 road trip the downbeat continued for the R-Phils as the Baysox took it 3-1. Sebastian Valle's eighth-inning home run was the only marker for the home team, Julio Rodriguez started and took the loss. Over 7000 in attendance for (more) postgame fireworks but it was moot to Jamie and me because we were in the car and gone. On Friday Jamie rode along again for game #2, the R-Phils got back in the win column with a tough 7-6 verdict. Cody Asche hit a two-run homer, Cesar Hernnandez and Darin Ruf had RBI hits, Brandon Tripp picked up two ribbies on sacrifice flies and Leandro Castro plated a run on a bases-loaded walk. Trevor May started but was not involved in the decision, Jay Johnson won it in relief as newcomer Tyler Knigge saved it. Knigge was recently added from FSL Clearwater, he had been the closer there. 7300+ in the house for (yet another) fireworks show, but of course Jamie and I were out pronto and never looked back. The series continues on Saturday and wraps up on Sunday with our final afternoon home date of the season. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 10-11

Tuesday evening in Baseballtown as the Reading Phillies hosted the Eastern League All-Star formalities for the first time since 1974. This night featured the now-requisite home run derby which was officially billed as a "hitting challenge". There are no printed words that can accurately describe what occurred at this event and I am not going to try to explain, it literally had to be seen to be believed (and even then you may have rubbed your eyes in utter bewilderment). The late Rod Serling of "Twilight Zone" fame would have been proud. By the time the night was over I was glad it was, I was thoroughly exhausted and had a headache. On Wednesday morning I had lunch with Jenny and Helen, they had attended the hitting challenge but elected to forgo the All-Star game since it was going to be on TV. I must admit I've never been a big fan of All-Star games, there are those who think they're a huge deal but to me it is much ado about nothing. Once you strip away the spectacle, the pageantry and the other assorted triviality all that remains is the game itself and it's usually a rather unimportant one at that. For the record the Eastern Division (the R-Phils' division) won the game defeating the Western Division 5-4. The R-Phils were represented by manager Dusty Wathan, coaches Bob Milacki and Frank Cacciatore, trainers Jonathan May and Justin Miloszewski, pitchers Lisalberto Bonilla, Julio Rodriguez and Jordan Whatcott, catcher Sebastian Valle, infielders Darin Ruf, Cesar Hernandez and Troy Hanzawa plus outfielder Leandro Castro. A crowd of better than 9400 stayed for fireworks after the game as I got into my car for a quiet drive home and a sense of relief that the whole thing was finally over. It's been thirty-eight years since the last one, if it doesn't happen again until 2050 I'm perfectly fine with it. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 8-9

According to the newspaper the Saturday high was 101 degrees, the evening thunderstorms helped to cool things down somewhat on Sunday (if you call the high 80s cooler). Jenny and Helen came into town for the ballgame on North Prince Street as the BSers finished their series with Long Island. Barnstormers mascot Cylo was celebrating his birthday, a number of his friends were in attendance as well. The game started at 6:05, the BSers won it 5-4 on a ninth-inning home run to complete a four-game sweep. Monday was a quiet day except for some big news from Reading as the Royals announced an exclusive affiliation agreement with the NHL Washington Capitals. The deal also includes the Caps' AHL club in Hershey which is something many in the Royals fanbase have wanted for a long time. It makes sense from a geographic standpoint as player movement between Hershey and Reading would involve a mere forty-mile drive on route 422 as opposed to a plane trip to Canada or New England. I'll admit I'm not a Washington fan but at the ECHL level that matters little since most of the club is under ECHL contract (in the past we've been associated with Los Angeles, Toronto and Boston). It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out when the new season starts in October. The R-Phils finished a road trip on Monday, the All-Star break is upon us but in Reading it's just beginning as we'll host the game for the first time since 1974. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 4-7

The hot, muggy weather continues in our area, the last few days have been horribly uncomfortable. On Wednesday the nation celebrated its birthday, I marked the occasion by staying inside in the AC. After supper I went over to the ballpark on North Prince Street as the Barnstormers hosted the Camden Riversharks. This was the first time I'd been there since that doubleheader/rain delay on June 3. The BSers recently clinched their first-half division title, they'll be in the Atlantic League playoffs in September. This was the last game of a three-game series, after two losses the Riversharks salvaged a 2-1 win. On Thursday Jenny and I had lunch together in Quarryville, in the evening Marty and I met up for the ballgame as the Long Island Ducks came to town for the weekend. Dick Myers was there as well, he arrived late because of a prior appointment. The BSers won 3-0 in a game that ended in less than two-and-a-half hours. On Friday the oven door was still open as the BSers beat the Ducks 13-1. One of the guys in the street hockey league was there, he told me his team had a suite upstairs for the evening and invited me to join them. As a fan I'm not necessarily the "luxury box" type of guy but I must admit that watching the game in the AC on a 95-degree night wasn't bad at all. On Saturday the prediction was for temperatures to hit triple digits, between the forecast and the fact that it was a fireworks night at the ballpark I decided that lunch with Jenny would be the high point of the day. There were some storms added to the forecast for the evening hours, as they rolled through around 8:30 or so I was just as glad I stayed home. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 2-3

As the calendar moved from Sunday to Monday the midpoint of the year came and went, in a non-leap year July 2 would be the hump day but not in 2012. Monday began as usual with lunch at the mall, in the afternoon I was back at the ballpark in Reading. As expected the roster moves made on Sunday were reversed as the guys loaned to Lehigh Valley were back in town and Kyle Simon was transferred to Clearwater. It was somewhat cooler at game time than it has been lately, a mere 84 degrees at 7:05. For the second consecutive night the R-Phils fell into a deep early hole and could not climb out as New Hampshire won it 6-3. Leandro Castro's three-run home run was the lone offensive highlight as Julio Rodriguez took the loss. Jenny was in town on Tuesday for business, we met and had lunch at the local sub shop. In the evening the homestand ended in ugly fashion as the wheels came off in a 14-2 defeat. The pattern continued as the Fisher Cats scored early and often, the only R-Phils runs scored on infield groundouts by Cesar Hernandez and Miguel Abreu. Jordan Whatcott made another spot start in place of the ailing Jonathan Pettibone and took the loss. The ballclub's mark stands at 46-37 (25-19 at home), they take to the road for six days leading into the All-Star break. Both Monday and Tuesday were fireworks nights, all the better for me to bid adieu. The ballclub in Lancaster is at home through Sunday, I haven't been there in a month. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 1

Headed south on Sunday morning and had lunch with Jenny and her mother. In the afternoon it was on to Baseballtown for game #2 with New Hampshire. This was our first Sunday night date at home, we got started at 6:35. In celebration of Canada Day (a nod to our neighbors to the north) we announced the game time temperature in Celsius, it was 33 degrees (that's 92 Fahrenheit). It was Mascot Mania night, in addition to the Phillie Phanatic (the evening's main attraction) Royals mascot Slapshot was among the many cavorting around in the pregame. This was a whirlwind day for the R-Phils roster as three pitchers (Jordan Whatcott, Ryan Duke and Frank Gailey) were promoted to AAA Lehigh Valley, LV had a day-night doubleheader scheduled and they needed the extra arms. In conjunction with those moves the Phillies organization assigned pitcher Kyle Simon to Reading. Simon had only joined the organization on Saturday via trade, he was ticketed for FSL Clearwater but on this night he was in uniform for the R-Phils. Such is life in the wonderful world of minor league sports. The ballclub fell behind early and lost 7-5 as Leandro Castro and Cesar Hernandez had RBI doubles, Brandon Tripp and Darin Ruf picked up ribbies on sac flys and Cody Asche had an RBI groudout. Mario Hollands pitched six innings and took the loss, Kyle Simon worked the final three in relief. There was no fireworks show after the game on this night but more pyrotechnics are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. Take care, thanks for reading.