December 31

2014 ended with temperatures remarkably mild for this time of year, so far we've only had one noteworthy snowfall (the Wednesday before Thanksgiving) and that fizzled as quickly as it arrived. After being buried early on last winter I certainly won't complain. Jenny, her mother and I did lunch on Wednesday morning, in the afternoon we made one final trip to Reading in the calendar year. The Royals hosted the Elmira Jackals for a second straight home date, this marked the first time in franchise history the club played a New Years Eve game at the Arena. The puck dropped at 5:30 and for two periods neither team could light the lamp. Early in the final period the Jackals were awarded a double-minor power play, they scored on both ends of it to go up 2-0. Two more goals followed in quick order and that would effectively end it as the Royals suffered their first shutout setback of the season 4-0, Martin Ouellette (back from the Phantoms) suffered the loss. The club's record stands at 17-10-2 (9-7-1 on home ice), after two road games on the weekend the 2015 portion of the home schedule begins on Wednesday the 7th. Thanks for reading, see you in the New Year.

December 30

Tuesday night basketball at McCaskey for the consolation and championship games of the holiday tournament, the early game featured the Red Tornado against Moyer Academy. Moyer was defeated soundly by York on Monday, on this night it was JPM's turn. We scored thirty-three points in the first quarter alone en route to a 101-40 decision, had this been a prizefight it would have stopped in the first round. We led at the half by thirty-seven, the mercy rule kicked in early in the third quarter. Five players hit double figures: La'Detrius Sibley had the big night with 24 points, Tyler Owens had 15, Randolph Speller 14, Kobe Gantz 13 and Ricky Cruz (one of two players on both JV and varsity) added 12. One can't take too much from a game like this but it's still a win, JPM's record improves to 6-3 overall. The championship game came down to the last possession, Capitol Christian beat York 74-73. The tournament's All-Star selections were announced afterward, Kobe Gantz was the lone JPM representative. The PIAA does not count games against out-of-state competition in its rankings for district playoff seeding, if the district tournament started tomorrow we would officially be considered 5-2 instead of 6-3. Had we played York either night that game would have counted in the district rankings but as far as Pennsylvania is concerned the entire tournament never existed since all four games featured out-of-state teams (just one of those weird, wacky things about high school sports). JPM is back on the floor in the new year on Friday the 2nd, league play continues with a trip to Penn Manor. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 29

Monday morning lunch as usual at the mall, after that I saw Jenny briefly since she was in town on business. In the evening we were at McCaskey for the first night of our annual holiday tournament. In the opener York defeated the Moyer Academic Institute (from Wilmington, Delaware), in the nightcap JPM lost to Capitol Christian Academy (Landover, Maryland) 78-63. Capitol Christian is a very strong program and posed an excellent challenge, the loss in and of itself is not all that distressing but after the game the coaches were not especially happy with our club's effort. Kobe Gantz led JPM with 15, Tyler Owens had 12 and Elijah Brown added 11 but on the whole it was not a good night for the Red Tornado. It has been several years since we failed to qualify for the tournament title game, the boys meet Moyer in the consolation game on Tuesday at 6:00. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 24-28

Wednesday morning: had lunch with Jenny and her mother since everything would be closed on Thursday. I gave Jenny the option of opening her gift on the 24th or waiting until she would be in town again on Saturday, she elected to open it early (it was a music CD she has wanted for some time). The actual holiday itself was the usual zero it always is, my feelings on the subject are well-known and there's no need to go over it again. The fact that Jenny is a part of my life is the only reason it even registers on my radar. On Friday the world returned somewhat to normal, Jenny was in town on business and I saw her over the lunch hour. A friend of hers is in the hospital and is not doing well, she asked me to take her there for a brief visit. Saturday was a hockey night in Reading as the Royals returned home from a 4-1 road trip. The trip ended on Friday with a noteworthy win in Elmira, it was the 500th regular-season victory in the franchise's fourteen-year history. During the trip the club lost both Connor Knapp and Martin Ouellette on recall to the AHL thanks to injuries in both Philadelphia and Allentown. Colorado College product Joe Howe was acquired as goaltending insurance, on this night he earned the win as the Royals defeated Elmira in the back end of the home-and-home set. Rookie defenseman Jordan Heywood (from Merrimack College) scored his first pro goal to give the Royals a 1-0 lead in the first period but the Jackals scored twice in the second to take the lead at 2-1. Late in the period Pat Mullane evened the score, midway through the third Olivier Labelle found the net to give the Royals the lead. Moments later Heywood struck again to make it 4-2, a late Jackals score made it close but the Royals held on for the 4-3 win. The victory is the club's fifth in a row and eighth in the last nine games, the overall record stands at 17-9-2. The 2014 portion of the schedule wraps up with a New Years Eve game at the Arena, Elmira is the opponent for a special 5:30 start. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 22-23

Little of note on Monday, on Tuesday night McCaskey was the venue for the week's lone basketball game. Warwick was the opposition for another divisional matchup. In the JV game the Red Tornado prevailed to stay unbeaten in league play, the varsity game was a JPM victory as well but it was closer than the final score might indicate. Warwick is historically a P.I.T.A. team to play against, no matter the records it's never an easy assignment. A three-point lead after one quarter expanded to nine at the half, in the third quarter JPM pulled away and took it 76-58. For the first time this season Coach Powell had the entire roster in uniform, they all played as five hit double figures: La'Detrius Sibley led with 17, Tyler Owens 14, Randolph Speller 13, Kyaire Bynum 12 and Kobe Gantz had 10. The record improves to 4-1 in league play, 5-2 overall. The next action for JPM is the annual holiday tournament, this year it's a Monday/Tuesday format on the 29th and 30th. Every year it seems that I miss part of it because the Royals but that will not be the case this time around, both nights are good for me. York High is in once again (they have been a constant almost from the tournament's inception), the other two schools will be new entries. From what I'm told one is from Maryland and the other from Delaware so the tourney will have a new look. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 18-21

Jenny had a Thursday morning appointment at the health campus, we had lunch afterward at her place. On Friday we convened at McCaskey for the second road game of the week, this was the never-enjoyable trek north into Lebanon County for the game at Cedar Crest. Over the years CC has never been a easy place to play, we've had our successes there but you never feel entirely comfortable. Crest is the defending league champion, they beat us three times in '13-14 including a playoff game for the division title. The JPM JV won their game, in the varsity contest it was CC just about all the way. We had a early 2-0 lead but Cedar Crest scored the next nine and never looked back as they took a 57-48 decision. Kobe Gantz led with 24 points but nobody else checked into double figures. When one man scores half the points it's never a good sign, after the game in the locker room the coaching staff reinforced that point. The loss drops JPM's mark to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in league play, the boys play next on the 23rd at home against Warwick. The rest of the weekend was quiet save for Saturday lunch with Jenny. The Royals are in the midst of a five-game road swing, they have won three straight after the trip-opening loss in Wheeling. The next game at the Arena is on Saturday the 27th against Elmira. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 16-17

Tuesday is usually a game night in the LL League but with three games this week it was a night off, I spent it at home with a hockey game on TV. On Wednesday we boarded the bus at McCaskey for the third of our six crossover games with Section II. The venues for these games are supposed to alternate yearly but this night was our second consecutive trip (and the third in four years) to Ephrata. The JV game turned uncompetitive quickly, JPM was ahead by almost thirty by halftime en route to a 67-21 win. The varsity game was almost a carbon copy, we opened up a big lead early and took it easily 88-47. Randolph Speller had the big night with 22, Kobe Gantz added 18, Elijah Brown continued his hot hand with 13 and Tyler Owens rounded out the double-figures club with 10. With both games entering into the mercy rule the night was over much sooner than usual, we were back at McCaskey just as Ephrata's girls team was leaving. The week wraps up on Friday with the game at Cedar Crest and nobody on our side needs to be reminded of what happened against them in the '13-14 season. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 15

Monday morning at the mall for lunch, in the evening it was a basketball night at McCaskey. The club played twice in my absence over the weekend and won both, a league crossover in Elizabethtown on Friday and a non-league game versus Reading HS on Saturday. This night was the second home game of the season but the first for me, Garden Spot was the opponent. Every two years the league realigns by enrollment, GS is back in Section II after a four-year hiatus (Cocalico moved down to section III as the other half of the swap). The night started with the 6:00 JV game, JPM was victorious to improve their mark to 2-2, 2-0 within the league. The varsity game was decided early on, the Red Tornado led by eighteen at the quarter and thirty-five at halftime. The forty-point mercy rule kicked in during the third quarter, the final score was 95-43. Four players hit double figures for JPM: Elijah Brown 22, Tyler Owens 15, Randolph Speller 12 and Brandon Allen 10. Brown and Allen are newcomers to the varsity: Elijah played JV each of the last two seasons, Brandon was on the JV squad two years ago and did not play in '13-14. The club's record moves to 3-1 (2-0 league), the week's gauntlet continues with a Wednesday crossover in Ephrata and a Friday divisional game at Cedar Crest. Going there is never a pleasant trip but at least we're getting it out of the way early, we also play in Lebanon in January so there are two trips to Lebanon County to deal with. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 11-14

Jenny and I had our lunch date on Wednesday since she had been in town for an appointment, for that reason Thursday was a quiet day save for the morning errand run. On Friday she and her mother were along for another hockey weekend in downtown Reading. The Wheeling Nailers were at the Arena for what was actually a three-in-three, two games on our ice plus a Sunday rematch in Wheeling. In the Friday opener Brandon Alderson's first-period score gave the Royals a 1-0 lead, goals from Pat Mullane, Olivier Labelle and Zach Davies in the middle frame upped the advantage to 4-0. The Nailers broke the shutout bid early in the third but Alderson's second goal of the night made it 5-1 Royals. By all rights the game should have been decided at that point but the resilient Nailers battled back to within one in the closing moments. Martin Ouellette and company held the fort for the 5-4 win setting the stage for the Saturday return date. This night was the annual holiday "Ugly Sweater" game, the 2013 edition was hugely popular so the organization brought it back for a second go-around. There was a special puck-drop before the game, a young man who suffered a spinal stroke earlier in the year was escorted onto the ice by Ryan Cruthers to a standing ovation. His name is Derrick Redcay, his story has become very well-known in the Berks County area and Cruthers has been active in fundraising efforts for the medical costs. On this night Wheeling would get the early 1-0 lead, Andrew Johnston replied midway through the second to tie the game at 1-1. In the third period Ryan Cruthers (somewhat appropriately) netted the tie-breaker as the Royals won 2-1, Martin Ouellette was once again the Royals' goalie of record. The club-record ten-game homestand ends with the Royals posting a 6-3-1 mark. On Sunday the boys played their first road game since November 21, the game in Wheeling was supposed to start at 5:00 but it didn't work out that way. There were ice issues at the arena, the game didn't begin until almost 7:30. The Royals' bid for the three-game sweep was thwarted as the Nailers won on their ice 3-2. The Royals overall record stands at 12-9-2, the next home game is on December 27. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 8-10

Monday evening: Don and I met at a local sports/entertainment complex. It's always been a goal of his to move our street hockey league indoors, this meeting was to discuss that possibility with a representative of the complex's management. Nothing is decided but the meeting went well so there is reason to be encouraged, we'll learn more over the winter months. On Tuesday we boarded the bus for the first game of my 27th year as scorekeeper/PA announcer for McCaskey basketball, the annual non-league game with Chester (Coach Powell's alma mater) started the season. Every time we visit Chester Coach Powell is warmly welcomed, this time was somewhat more poignant given his health situation. Over the years we have struggled against Chester which is no embarrassment since they are one of the top programs in the state. The Red Tornado roster features five returnees, six players promoted from the '13-14 junior varsity and one player back from a season's absence (every year we always seem have at least one player who didn't play the year before). On this night in Chester JPM trailed by six at the half, in the second half Chester pulled away for the 74-48 verdict. Kobe Gantz led JPM with 25 but he was the only man in double figures, Randolph Speller had eight, Tyler Owens had seven and La'Detrius Sibley and Kyaire Bynum had four points each (interesting to note that seven of the twelve players on the roster were also members of the football team). The boys play on Friday and Saturday but I will miss both because of the Royals, my next game is at home on the 15th. On Wednesday evening the JPM girls played at home, I took advantage of a rare opportunity to see them play. The girls had started their season with a road win on Tuesday, on this night they lost to Exeter (from suburban Reading) 54-50. One of the middle school coaches does the PA at their games, in addition the faculty member who will substitute for me when I'm absent from home games was there. He had contacted me for advice and told me he never did PA work before, we spoke before the game about what he can expect. Take care, thanks for reading

December 5-7

Quiet Friday evening at home in anticipation of a busy Saturday and Sunday. The South Carolina Stingrays came to town for a back-to-back set, these two games comprised their only regular-season visit. The opener on Saturday night was a definite case of deja vu as the Stingrays carried a 3-0 lead into the second period (the third consecutive home game in which the Royals trailed by three early on). Adam Hughesman's goal got the Royals back into it but another SC score reestablished the three-goal deficit. Midway through the third period Willie Coetzee made it 4-2 but that would be the final score, Connor Knapp was the Royals' goalie of record. On Sunday afternoon it was our annual Teddy Bear Toss game, always a popular attraction. The fans had to wait a long time to throw their stuffed animals, the game remained scoreless through two periods. Early in the third David Marshall scored the "teddy bear" goal to give the Royals the lead, moments later Adam Hughesman lit the lamp to extend the lead to two. That was all Martin Ouellette would need, the 2-0 victory was his first shutout as a professional and the club's first of the season. The Royals' record stands at 10-8-2, the ten-game homestand wraps up with the Wheeling Nailers for a double-dip on the 12th and 13th. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 1-4

The final month of 2014 began with a Monday morning visit to the health campus, my mother had an eye appointment and I was her driver. On Tuesday evening at McCaskey the basketball team had another scrimmage, this was a three-way with Wilson and Octorara (from Berks and Chester Counties respectively). Nine ten-minute running-time periods were played in rotation, each team played six and sat out three. Coach Powell was not there at the start, he had a doctor's appointment regarding his surgery and the recovery. The fact that he is actively coaching under the circumstances is remarkable, it just shows that you can't keep a good man down. Not much going on Wednesday, on Thursday we did our usual lunch date in Quarryville. In the evening I headed north to Reading, the Royals hosted the Toledo Walleye. This was the second and last of our Thursday home dates, Jenny and her mother were absent from both because of early Friday wake-up calls. The game started at 7:30 and for the Royals it started poorly, Toledo scored three goals in the first twelve minutes. Adam Hughesman put the Royals on the board in the second period but the Walleye responded with two of their own to make it 5-1. Mike Marcou lit the lamp in the period's final seconds to bring the Royals within three, early in the third Ryan Cruthers' goal shaved the deficit to two. The Royals made it 5-4 midway through the frame when Ian Watters found the back of the net but the comeback ended there, a Toledo empty-netter in the final minute brought the final to 6-4 in favor of the Walleye. Martin Ouellette (back from the Phantoms) got the start in goal and took the loss. The Walleye return for a double-dip in March, the current home stretch continues on the weekend with the South Carolina Stingrays as the opponent. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 29-30

Stopped over at McCaskey on Saturday morning, the basketball team was having a scrimmage with Susquehanna Township (from the Harrisburg area). It started at 10:00 but I was not there for either the start or the finish, I dropped in for about twenty minutes or so before continuing on to Jenny's place for lunch. In the evening we were back in downtown Reading for game #2 with Greenville. There are nights when everything goes your way and other nights where everything goes wrong, this game was most definitely the latter. The visiting Road Warriors skated to a 3-0 lead early in the second period, a score by recent Phantoms assignee Brandon Alderson put the Royals on the board. From there it fell apart in rapid fashion, four unanswered Greenville goals made it 7-1 at the second intermission. The Warriors added another in the third period, scores from Pat Mullane and Adam Comrie brought the Royals to within five but that would be it as Greenville left town with the 8-3 verdict. Connor Knapp played the first two periods and suffered the loss, backup Peter Dundovich (still subbing for Martin Ouellette) worked the third period. The boys hit the midpoint of the ten-game homestand at 9-6-2 (5-4-1 at home), the Toledo Walleye visit on December 4 followed by South Carolina on the 6th and 7th. Nothing of note on Sunday outside of football on TV and a session with the stationary bike, now that the weather is turning the bike is an alternative to walking outdoors. Take care, thanks for reading

November 27-28

Thursday was Turkey Day (if you will), for me that meant little but a quiet day at home with football wall-to-wall (games on TV at 12:30, 4:30 and 8:30). Made an errand run on Friday morning and passed by the mall, the parking lots were as crowded as you might expect. In the afternoon I went to Jenny's place, she and her mother were along for the evening's game at the Arena. The Royals hosted Greenville in the opener of a two-game set and came away with a 5-2 win. Kevin Walrod lit the lamp in the first period, Olivier Labelle's goal early in the second made it 2-0. The Road Warriors cut into the deficit but scores from David Marshall and newcomer Willie Coetzee gave the Royals a 4-1 advantage (Coetzee started the season with a team in Austria and returned to North America earlier in the week). Greenville would put one more on the board in the third period but a goal by Sean Wiles capped the scoring as Connor Knapp picked up the win in net. The Royals had an emergency backup goalie in uniform, Martin Ouellette was recalled to the Phantoms after the game on Wednesday. He is expected to be in the AHL through the weekend at least, time will tell. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 24-26

Sometimes things happen that are so bizarre it's best not to even try to figure it out. When we were at the rink for the street hockey league's championships we were subjected to three nights of brutal cold and wind. On Monday temperatures reached into the 60s but the midweek forecast was calling for SNOW. The early part of the week was uneventful in terms of activity, on Tuesday evening after supper I went over to McCaskey. Winter sports season practices began on the 17th, on this night the basketball team was there from 5:30 to 7:30 (practice time alternates weekly, the girls team had been there from 3:30 to 5:30). Coach Powell underwent surgery earlier in the fall, the operation was centered around the neck and throat area. The healing process is ongoing and he's nowhere near 100% but he was there because coaching and the team are what he lives for, he's been at it at McCaskey for a long time. The club has scrimmages scheduled for Saturday the 29th and Tuesday December 2nd, the first game is on the 9th against Chester. Late on Tuesday night precipitation moved into the area as the winter storm warning remained in effect, the snow started falling in earnest on Wednesday morning. Jenny and I talked it over and we decided it best that I not try to travel south to her place (the rural areas around Quarryville are always worse for driving in this kind of weather). She was disappointed to miss the game (so was I) but the thing is I would hate to see her injured in an accident. I HAD to travel because I was working, as a fan she doesn't have to take that risk (besides, we were playing Elmira and they are an opponent she'll see often enough). I left a half-hour earlier than usual but the drive north on 222 was remarkably calm, outside of one traffic backup for a fender-bender there was little issue. The turnout at the Arena was acceptable all things considered, we got underway at 7:30 (the normal Wednesday/Thursday/Friday game time for this season). The Royals took a 1-0 lead thanks to Adam Comrie but the Jackals rallied to lead by one in the second period. David Marshall tied it at 2-2, Comrie's second goal of the night gave the Royals a one-goal lead. Elmira would tie the score 3-3 in the early going of the third period, that score would stand through the end of overtime. In the shootout the Jackals outscored the Royals three-to-one to claim the 4-3 win. Martin Ouellette was the Royals' goalie of record. The drive home was of no consequence, the snow had stopped earlier in the evening and the highway was clear. The Royals are now three games into a ten-game homestand, they don't play on the road again until mid-December. The Greenville Road Warriors come to town for a two-game set on Friday the 28th. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 22-23

Saturday night hockey in downtown Reading as the Royals returned home from a four-game road swing. The day actually began with a 1:30 afternoon game featuring the club teams from the United States Naval and Military Academies. It was part of a day-long salute to veterans, Army defeated Navy 8-2. The Royals went 3-0-1 on their road trip, on this night a new ECHL franchise made its first appearance at the Arena. Indianapolis, Indiana has a long history in pro hockey (all-time great Wayne Gretzky began his professional career there in 1978) but the city has been without a franchise since 2004. The new club is officially known as the "Indy" Fuel, they were visiting for a weekend doubleheader. In the Saturday opener the Fuel broke a scoreless game open with a three-goal second period. The Royals got on the board early in the third on a score by Maxim Lamarche, moments later Pat Mullane cut the deficit to two. With six minutes left Adam Comrie lit the lamp to make it 3-3, three minutes later Olivier Labelle gave the Royals the lead. From there Connor Knapp and company held the fort as the Royals took it 4-3. In the rematch on Sunday the Royals struck quickly, goals by Cam Reid and Andrew Johnston (Flyers property recently added from the AHL Phantoms) made it 2-0 in the game's first three minutes. Indy got one back before the first period ended but the one-goal advantage held up for the duration as Martin Ouellette backstopped the Royals' 2-1 victory. The back-to-back wins improve the club's mark to 8-5-1 (4-3 at home), the boys stay home for a date with Elmira on Wednesday the 26th. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 17-21

Monday morning: dark and gloomy with rain all around, it finally moved on in the late afternoon but with temperatures in the 40s we decided to forgo the evening's street hockey schedule. Had it been a regular season night we may have tried it but in playoffs we tend to employ a different logic. On Tuesday it turned blustery and much colder, one of the guys actually called to ask if we would postpone games under those conditions. I told him that rain may stop us but cold will not so plan accordingly. Both division's finals began on Tuesday and ended on Thursday in three-game straight sweeps, AMW won the East title over 551 West and JBE Auto Transport defeated American Bar&Grill for the West championship. Despite the brevity of each series the individual games were very competitive, the largest margin of victory in any game was just two goals. With the weather turning as it did I doubt anyone is heartbroken that the season is over, at least we got out before the first snowfall. There have been years when we've been there in December trying to get it done but the league was larger back then. On Friday morning I stopped by and cleaned up some things for the winter, the evening was spent in the quiet of home. The Royals are at home on Saturday and Sunday. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 10-16

Street hockey playoffs began on Monday evening, the top four finishers in each division qualified for a best-of-three series. Saw the heart doctor on Tuesday morning. he said everything is looking and sounding good. Unless I should have any recurrence he won't need to see me again for a calendar year (won't complain about that at all). Each playoff series played its second game on Tuesday evening, three of the four ended in two-game sweeps. In the East AMW beat Yorgo's, in the West JBE Auto Transport eliminated the Misfits and American Bar&Grill defeated Brendee's. The only matchup requiring a deciding game was between 915 Cafe and 551 West, that took place on Wednesday night with 551 West emerging victorious. We had planned on starting the West finals on Thursday since both of their semifinals ended on Tuesday but the weather had other ideas. It was very raw and rainy in the morning and conditions never got any better, the decision to postpone was easily made. There was no question it was the right call, by the scheduled 7:00 game time it was sleeting. The precipitation moved out overnight into Friday but the weekend was quiet, a Saturday lunch visit with Jenny was the extent of activity. The Royals spent the weekend in Kalamazoo and Toledo, they played three games and won them all (although two of them needed a shootout). The boys return home on the 22nd for the start of a ten-game homestand. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 7-9

Friday night hockey at the Arena as the Royals hosted the Fort Wayne Komets for a weekend doubleheader. This was the first meeting between these clubs since the playoffs back in April and no Royals fan needs to be reminded of what happened then. Each team underwent its fair share of roster turnover during the off-season but this weekend's results from a Royals standpoint were hauntingly familiar. In the Friday opener the Ks scored first but goals from Cam Reid and Mike Marcou gave the Royals a 2-1 lead after one period. In the second the Komets would score twice, another goal early in the third put the Royals back by two. Sean Wiles found the net in the closing minutes but that would be the extent of the comeback, Connor Knapp was the Royals goalie of record in the 4-3 loss. In game #2 on Saturday the Royals jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead on scores by Adam Hughesman and David Marshall. After Fort Wayne tied it early in the second Ryan Cruthers put the Royals back to top but the pesky Ks replied quickly to knot the score at 3-3. A late second-period tally from Pat Mullane and an early third-period marker by Marshall gave the Royals a 5-3 advantage, the Komets got one back but Adam Comrie's goal with seven minutes left made it 6-4 Royals. Unfortunately the roller coaster ride was far from over, the game boomeranged quickly as the Komets scored three goals within four minutes and escaped with a 7-6 verdict, Martin Ouellette suffered the loss in net. This was Fort Wayne's lone regular-season visit to Reading, many Royals fans are undoubtedly happy about that. The Royals' record drops to 3-5-0 in the early going, the boys play four straight on the road before returning to the Arena on November 22. Not much going on Sunday, I stopped by the rink in the afternoon and did some cleanup work for the start of playoffs on Monday. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 1-6

A quiet weekend with the Royals out of town, the Saturday lunch date with Jenny was the lone highlight. On Monday we started the final week of the street hockey league's regular season. With all postponements accounted for and no weather issues in the forecast we figured to get things finished right on schedule. The East games on Monday featured 551 West over Union Station and Yorgo's over 915 Cafe via shootout, in the West the Misfits beat Old School and JBE Auto Transport defeated McCleary's. There was some light rain falling right before 6:15 game time but it didn't amount to anything significant (this was happening despite a forecast that called for ZERO percent chance of precipitation). Tuesday's East contests saw 551 West victorious over AMW, Union Station beat Yorgo's. The West games featured Brendee's over the Misfits and American Bar&Grill over JBE Auto Transport. On Wednesday the regular season ended on the very night it was scheduled to, in the East AMW beat 915 Cafe. The West side wrapped up with American Bar&Grill over Brendee's and McCleary's over Old School via shootout. Rain was expected late Wednesday night into Thursday, it arrived as predicted and hung around most of the day (good thing there were no games at the rink). Playoffs semifinals begin on Monday the 10th, the best two-of-three series continue on Tuesday the 11th. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 31

Week #10 of high-school football arrived on October 31, they say strange things happen on Halloween and this day was a beautiful example. The McCaskey HS Athletic Hall-Of-Fame was instituted in the late 1980s, back in June I learned that I had been selected for induction in 2014. The ceremonies were held in the school library in late afternoon prior to the game versus Conestoga Valley. Athletic director Jon Mitchell was the emcee, I had asked him to allow me to be the first inductee to come forward. This was for three basic reasons: (1) I didn't plan to speak for very long at all because public speaking makes me very uneasy (on the mic in the arena is one thing, front-and-center before an audience is something else altogether), (2) I wanted the focus to be more on the other inductees because they were ATHLETES, something I could never claim to be and (3) in case things ran long I could exit gracefully in order to head over to the stadium and prepare for the game (there were some who felt I should take the night off entirely but there was no need for that in my mind). Luckily the ceremonies were not terribly overlong, I was in the stadium by 5:50 for the 7:00 kickoff (a little later than my normal arrival time but it all worked out). At halftime the new inductees were formally introduced to the crowd, I handled it myself as I would in any other year. I touched briefly on the fact that I was one of the group, from there it was all about spotlighting them. My fellow inductees (with sport and graduation year) include Earl "Skip" Sites (basketball and baseball, class of 1964), Pat Hoffman Meiser (basketball, 1965), Brooke Walls (track and field, 1989), Sherry Lee Williams (track and field, 1990) and Joel Holler (football, basketball and track, 2003). A very distinguished group and I am truly honored to be included. In the game itself Conestoga Valley (a member of LL section I for the first time in many years) made its first appearance at McCaskey Stadium since 1988. The Red Tornado scored first on a La'Detrius Sibley TD pass to Kobe Gantz but CV responded with twenty-one unanswered points. Another TD catch by Gantz made it 21-14 but two more CV touchdowns extended the advantage to 34-14 at the half (CV missed an extra point on the one TD, it would prove to be the difference). In the third quarter Randolph Speller ran for a score to draw JPM within thirteen but another CV touchdown made it 41-21 and with eight minutes left it appeared the matter was decided. From there all hell broke loose, a Sibley TD run and another scoring catch by Gantz brought JPM within six. With twenty seconds left in regulation time Sibley found Speller in the end zone for the tying touchdown, Max Chalfont's extra point (he was six-for-six in that department) gave the Red Tornado an incredible 42-41 victory. The team's final mark is 4-6, a nice rebound from the 0-10 record in 2013. After the game I congratulated head coach Rob Monzon on the victory and he congratulated me on the HOF honor. A good night all the way around and one that will be remembered for some time. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 30

Thursday morning lunch with Jenny and Helen in Quarryville, in the evening I was at the Arena as the Royals hosted the Wheeling Nailers. All of our Wednesday, Thursday and Friday home games are at 7:30 this season, between the later start and an early wake-up call on Friday Jenny and her mother were absent. This was the first of six visits to Reading for the Nailers and a rare stand-alone home date for the Royals, we only have ten such dates this season. The Royals wore special Halloween-themed sweaters with orange and black the prominent colors, appropriate considering the new affiliation. Newcomer Adam Hughesman (third-year pro from Winnipeg, Manitoba) gave the Royals a 1-0 lead just thirty-four seconds into the game. That one goal stood up until early in the third, scores by David Marshall and Olivier Labelle extended the lead to 3-0. Connor Knapp lost his shutout bid in the final moments but the club held on to win 3-1 and improve to 3-2-0 in the early going. The teams meet again in Wheeling over the weekend, the Royals are back home on November 7 and 8 for a "doubleheader" against Fort Wayne. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 27-29

Monday morning at the mall (where else?) for lunch, in the evening week #7 of the street hockey league commenced at the rink. Derek was there to referee the first two games, later in the evening Kathy was there as well. It's the first I've seen them since the accident, Derek is doing very well all things considered. His injuries were largely internal around the mouth and throat area, his voice is still somewhat raspy but on the whole things are as good as could be expected. With all the crossovers completed the night featured two games from each division. In the East division 551 West beat Yorgo's and 915 Cafe defeated AMW, the West games American Bar&Grill won over McCleary's and Brendee's prevailed via shootout over Old School. Derek worked two games with Devyn, Ron and Jonny refereed the other two. Kathy helped out with running the clock since Wally was absent, he went into the hospital over the weekend with a foot injury. Tuesday night featured an East game and three Westies, Yorgo's beat Union Station in the East game. In the West Old School defeated American Bar&Grill, JBE Auto Transport won over Brendee's and the Misfits beat McCleary's. On Wednesday we had our usual three-game schedule. AMW beat 551 West and 915 Cafe defeated Union Station in the East, in the West JBE Auto Transport beat the Misfits. The usual suspects rotated through as referees, I ended up running the clock most of the time since Wally is out. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 25-26

Opening Weekend at the Santander Arena for the fourteenth season of Royals hockey, the Elmira Jackals were the opponent for back-to-back games. The teams played in Elmira on Friday, the Royals prevailed 6-5 via overtime shootout. Jenny and her mother couldn't make it on Saturday because of a family baby shower, my mother and her friend Norma used the tickets instead. In recognition of the new association with the Flyers/Phantoms the club wore orange sweaters trimmed in purple and white, they were sold online at the end of the weekend. In the Saturday opener the Royals took a 1-0 lead on an Olivier Labelle first-period score. The second period was one for the rookies and the newcomers, goals by Cam Reid (third-year pro from St. Cloud State), Brock Higgs (rookie from R.P.I.) and Pat Mullane (two-year pro from Boston College) upped the advantage to 4-0. The Jackals broke through early in the third but Quinnipiac University product Zach Davies lit the lamp for the night's final goal in a 5-1 Royals win, Connor Knapp was the goalie of record for the Royals. On Sunday Jenny and Helen were along as the clubs reconvened for a 5:00 start, the Royals fell behind 2-0 in the game's first eight minutes. It stayed that way until the midpoint of the third period, newcomer Mike Marcou (from UMass-Amherst) found the net to put the Royals on the board. The comeback went uncompleted as an Elmira empty-netter in the final minute sealed an 3-1 Jackals win, Phantoms property Martin Ouellette (rookie from the University of Maine) took the loss in net for the Royals. This weekend was the first of several back-to-backs at home for the Royals, twenty-six of our thirty-six home dates are on occasions when we play at home either the day before or after (and just about all of the "doubleheaders" are with the same opponent). The boys next play on home ice on the 30th versus Wheeling. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 24

Friday night football in the suburbs at Rossmere Stadium, the LCHS Crusaders played their final regular-season home game hosting Elizabethtown. The Crusaders needed a win to keep postseason hopes alive, on this night they were victorious 25-14. Before the game we honored the senior players and cheerleaders as is traditional at the season's final home game. Nassir Weaver scored from four yards out to give LCHS a 7-0 first-quarter lead, an E-town penalty in the end zone and the resulting safety extended the lead to 9-0. In the second quarter Weaver found paydirt twice, at the half the Crusaders led 23-0. E-town got on the board in the third quarter but LCHS scored another safety when an E-town punt was blocked in the end zone (safeties are rare enough as it is, two in one game is practically unheard of). E-town added one final TD in the fourth quarter but LCHS held on for the victory and stayed alive in the chase for a district playoff berth. The club's record stands at 4-5, if they qualify it would be as a lower seed so odds are this was the last game at Rossmere for 2014. The regular season ends on the 31st, I'll be at McCaskey for the Athletic Hall-of-Fame ceremonies and the game versus Conestoga Valley. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 20-23

Did my usual Monday lunch at the mall, in the evening we were back at the rink for week #6 of dek hockey. They say it's better to be lucky than good, this week was an excellent example of what that statement really means. There was rain in the forecast for just about every day this week but we got every game played as scheduled. On Monday we had the usual four games, two in each division: AMW defeated Union Station and Yorgo's beat 915 Cafe in East action, in the West games Brendee's won over the Misfits and American Bar&Grill defeated JBE Auto Transport. We had some light rain as I was heading home after the games, by the time I was out of the shower the streets were wet. Tuesday was virtually a rerun of Monday, on this night the rain stayed away until the third period of the night's last game. It was not heavy enough to affect play but just enough to be a nuisance. The East games featured 551 West over Union Station and AMW over Yorgo's, in the West American Bar&Grill beat the Misfits and McCleary's prevailed over Old School via overtime shootout. The rain came harder overnight and continued into Wednesday, for a time it looked like the evening's schedule could be in doubt. Jenny and I did our weekday lunch a day early, there was no special reason other than she wanted to and it was fine with me. In late afternoon the forecast indicated a window of opportunity for the evening, the three scheduled games went on without issue. The lone East game saw 915 Cafe over 551 West, in the West Brendee's defeated McCleary's and JBE Auto Transport downed Old School. On Thursday there were two makeup games (including the lone remaining crossover contest) but I was absent. The new videoboard at the Santander Arena is up and operational, there was a meeting of the off-ice officials for educational purposes. I had asked to be informed of the meeting since I usually turn on the scoreclock when I arrive on a game night, I wanted to familiarize myself with the new setup. It's nothing I haven't seen before, it's just that we never had it in our building until now. It's definitely a change but one that was long overdue, the public will see it for the first time at the home opener on the 25th. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 17-19

Week #8 of high school football season at Rossmere Stadium for the second of my three games at Lancaster Catholic. In recent years the Crusader football program has enjoyed remarkable success but 2014 has been a struggle. On this night Lampeter-Strasburg was the opponent, LS and LCHS were division-mates for many years in  LL Section III and are now reunited in Section II. In 2013 the Crusaders beat LS in a district playoff game but on this night it was a different story. LCHS scored first on a Bryan Downey touchdown pass to Nassir Weaver but LS replied quickly to tie the game at 7-7. In the second quarter Downey ran 53 yards for a score, at halftime it was 14-7 Crusaders. In the second half it all came apart, four consecutive LS touchdowns put the game out of reach. LCHS put one last TD on the board thanks to a Darius Goudy interception return but it meant little as LS won it 35-21. The loss drops the Crusaders' mark to 3-5, they play their final home game on the 24th against Elizabethtown. Jenny and I did our usual Saturday lunch, on Sunday I went to the rink in the afternoon and did some cleanup work for the new week. We hadn't had games since Tuesday and it's that time of year, sometimes things can be beyond beLEAF. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 13-16

Monday morning at the mall for lunch, in the evening we were back at Reservoir Park for week #5 of street hockey. In the lone divisional game the Misfits beat Old School, in the crossovers it was union Station over McCleary's, 915 Cafe over Brendee's and Yorgo's over JBE Auto Transport. On Tuesday we played three games, in the West Old School defeated McCleary's and in crossover play 915 Cafe beat American Bar&Grill and JBE Auto Transport beat Union Station. There were four games scheduled, the game involving Derek's team was postponed by mutual agreement. That was our first postponement of the season, on Wednesday that number grew to four. Rain moved into the area overnight and stayed through the evening, the three games scheduled were called off. As it happened I was going to be absent anyway, on this night the Royals were hosting the annual meet and greet at the Arena. Jenny and I did our weekday lunch a day early for this reason, the M&G started at 6:00. We were there until about 7:00 or so, just long enough for Jenny to make the rounds and get all the autographs and photos she wanted. The Arena is getting a new center-ice scoreboard, the original from 2001 is being retired. The existing end-zone videoboard will remain but the new scoreboard will have videoboards as well, it will become the chief source for in-game replays and features. It's expected to be up and operating for the home opener on the 25th. Thursday was a quiet day save for the morning errand run, the street hockey postponements were rescheduled for October 23 and 30. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 11-12

Saturday morning with Jenny and her mother for lunch, in early afternoon I had a phone message from Don. His son Derek was injured in an accident on Friday evening and was in the hospital. Sad news under any circumstances but especially so on this day because he and his fiance Kathy were supposed to be married at 4:00 Saturday afternoon. Jenny and I were actually invited but we had to regrettably decline because Saturday night was a hockey night in downtown Reading. The Royals are beginning their fourteenth season in the ECHL, on this night at the Arena the Elmira Jackals were the opponent in the back end of a home-and-home exhibition series. Every new season brings new players to the roster, we have seven players on assignment from the new Flyers/Phantoms affiliation. Returnees from '13-14 include Kevin Walrod, Sean Wiles, Ryan Cruthers, Ian Watters, Brett Flemming, Bryant Molle and David Marshall. Popular former Royals Adam Comrie and Olivier Labelle are back with the club as well, Comrie played in the AHL in '14 and Labelle has returned after spending two seasons in Europe. The Royals won 4-1 in Elmira on Friday, on this night they finished the sweep with another victory by the same score. The Jackals took the lead early on but in the closing seconds of the first period Wiles tipped in Molle's shot from the point to tie the game at 1-1. In the middle stanza Wiles struck again to make it 2-1, moments later Labelle found the net to extend the advantage to two. Midway through the third newcomer Justin Daniels added the final goal (Daniels is a hell of a story, he underwent heart surgery in the summer of 2013 and is just now resuming his pro career). Phantoms property Connor Knapp was the winning goaltender, he played in the NHL briefly in the '14 season. The Royals begin the regular season in Wheeling on October 18, the home opener is against Elmira on the 25th. The ECHL schedule is as geographically-driven as usual, the Nailers and the Jackals are our most frequent opponents. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 9-10

Thursday morning lunch in Quarryville with Jenny and her mother was the extent of the day's activities. On Friday it was dark and overcast all day, in the late afternoon rain moved through the area. It was still raining when I went over to McCaskey for the football game but the rain stopped about an hour before kickoff. Although we still have one home date remaining this night was Senior recognition night, the last home date will be Homecoming (don't ask, it's a long story). The Red Tornado hosted Warwick on this night and fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter. A Max Chalfont field goal put JPM on the board, a TD run from Nick Perez made it 10-7 McCaskey at the half. The lead would be extended in the third on a La'Detrius Sibley touchdown run, JPM put it away in the fourth when Greg Nunez returned an interception for a score, Sibley's second TD of the night finished the scoring as the Red Tornado won handily 31-17. The club improves to 3-4 overall, 2-2 in league play. Weeks #8 and #9 are on the road (I will spend those Fridays at Lancaster Catholic), the final home game is on the 31st. Take care, thanks for reading

October 6-8

The new week began as it usually does with Monday morning lunch at the mall, in the evening we started week #4 of street hockey. On this night we had four games, all of the crossover variety. AMW defeated Brendee's, Yorgo's downed McCleary's, the Misfits beat Union Station and 915 Cafe won over Old School. On Tuesday afternoon I was at McCaskey, the varsity soccer team was playing its final home game of the season in the football stadium. The head coach plays in the hockey league, he had asked me to handle the announcing for the annual Senior recognition ceremonies (we had a similar plan in 2013 that was ruined by the weather). I was done there after 5:30 and headed straight for the rink where Ron already had things opened up and ready to go. We had four more games on this night, all within divisional alignment. In the East it was Union Station over Yorgo's and 915 Cafe over 551 West via overtime shootout, the West games featured American Bar&Grill over the Misfits and JBE Auto Transport over Old School. The week wrapped up on Wednesday with a West game and two crossovers. Brendee's beat McCleary's in the West game, in the crossovers 551 West defeated American Bar&Grill and AMW beat JBE Auto Transport. We have reached the season's midpoint right where it should be (no rainouts, no suspensions, no nonsense), one gets the feeling that we're going to pay for this eventually but so far so good. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 1-5

October began on a Wednesday which meant we were finishing the week's street hockey schedule. One West game and two crossovers were on the docket: JBE Auto Transport beat McCleary's, Union Station defeated American Bar&Grill and Yorgo's beat Old School. Derek and Devyn refereed, Wally ran the clock. The morning errand run was all that happened on Thursday, Jenny had asked if we could do lunch on Friday instead. Friday evening was a big night for sports in Lancaster with football at McCaskey versus Penn Manor and the Barnstormers at home versus Sugar Land in the Atlantic League championship series. I usually walk to JPM for football games but on this night I drove over because (a) there was rain forecast for later in the evening and (b) I intended to go to the ballpark afterwards if the ballgame was still going. The football game was uncompetitive in the first half, PM led 24-0 at the break and extended the lead to 31-0 in the third quarter. The Red Tornado got on the board on a Randolph Speller 75-yard catch-and-run, a Kyaire Bynum 44-yard TD reception and a 5-yard scoring carry from La'Detrius Sibley but it wasn't enough as PM held on for the 31-19 win. JPM's mark drops to 2-4, they stay home to face Warwick on the 10th. It started to mist during the latter part of the football game, it was still raining lightly when the game ended. I got to my car, turned on the ballgame and heard they were in the eighth inning so I headed across town. The Barnstormers had won the first two games of the series in Sugar Land, a win on this night would clinch the league title. Marty and Dick were there, Marty had been calling me at McCaskey all evening with updates. The Stormers trailed 4-0 in the sixth before rallying to tie it 4-4 in the seventh, the Skeeters scored in the top of the eighth to go ahead 5-4. Just as I was arriving the Barnstormers knotted the game at 5-5, I parked and went inside for the duration. The scene was remarkably surreal: with the rain falling the seating bowl was virtually empty, most of the crowd was standing on the concourse trying to stay dry. The 5-5 tie remained intact through the ninth inning and through two innings of extra play. In the twelfth the Skeeters put two on the board for a 7-5 lead and the prospect on a game #4 on Saturday night became a distinct possibility. In the bottom half the Barnstormers showed their mettle, with two men on base Greg Golson doubled off the high wall in right field to tie the game at 7-7. Relief pitcher Evan Englebrook retired Sugar Land in order in the top of the thirteenth, in the bottom half Sweet Victory was finally achieved. Gabe Jacobo came to bat with one out and deposited the first pitch he saw over the right-center field fence for the game-winning home run and a stunning 8-7 Barnstormers victory. The Atlantic League championship is the second in the franchise's ten-year history and the first since 2006. The game ended at 11:43, with it all I walked into the house after midnight. Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother was all that went on the rest of the weekend, nothing else happened because nothing else needed to. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 29-30

Monday morning at the mall for lunch as usual, in the evening we started week #3 of the street hockey season at Reservoir Park. In the East division AMW beat 915 Cafe, in the West it was American Bar&Grill over McCleary's and JBE Auto Transport over Brendee's. The lone crossover saw 551 West over the Misfits. On Tuesday we were back for another four-game slate, one East game and three crossovers. Union Station defeated 915 Cafe, Yorgo's downed the Misfits, 551 West beat Brendee's and AMW won over Old School. Ron refereed with Derek, Devyn and Jonny rotating in as scheduled, Wally ran the clock both nights. The Atlantic League's championship series started on Tuesday night in Sugar Land, the Barnstormers took the opener 10-6 and with it a one-to-none series lead. The first game in Lancaster (game #3 of the series) is on Friday the 3rd. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 26-28

High school football season reached its midpoint on Friday evening at McCaskey as the Red Tornado hosted Hempfield in the first of three straight at home. Over the years JPM has been a program that has struggled to find consistency, on this night it all came together at once in a surprisingly one-sided win. The Red Tornado scored first on a 59-yard TD run by La'Detrius Sibley, in the second quarter Sibley scored again from a yard out to increase the lead to 14-0. Kobe Gantz's TD reception late in the half gave JPM a 21-0 advantage at the break. The third quarter was scoreless, Hempfield finally broke through in the fourth to get within fourteen but an 86-yard catch-and-run from Sibley to Kyaire Bynum salted away an entertaining 27-7 victory. A major factor in the win was the strong defensive effort, that has been one of the weak areas in recent seasons. The club's record improves to 2-3 overall (1-1 within the division), the boys host Penn Manor on October 3. On Saturday I was with Jenny and her mother for our usual weekend lunch, in the evening Marty and I went west to York for playoff baseball. The Revolution hosted Sugar Land in game #4 of their semifinal series, the Revs held a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-five and were looking to clinch a berth in the finals. On this night the Revs and Skeeters battled through nine innings of scoreless ball, in the tenth Sugar Land put a run on the board and squared the series with a tough 1-0 win. Sunday was spent at home with football on TV and keeping tabs on the Atlantic League playoffs. Both semifinals were heading to fifth-and-deciding games, in York the Revs lost 5-3 to Sugar Land while in Somerset the Barnstormers eliminated the Patriots to advance to the championship series. The Stormers' victory was especially impressive, they were down two games to one in the series and trailed 3-0 in the eighth inning of game #4. A pinch-hit grand slam home run by Yusuke Kajimoto gave the Barnstormers an improbable 4-3 victory, in the decider Chris Schwinden pitched a complete game in a dominating 9-1 win. The best-of-five championship series begins on the 30th with the first two games in Sugar Land, the series moves east on Friday the 3rd. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 24-25

The street hockey week ended on Wednesday night with three games, in crossover action Yorgo's defeated Brendee's and 915 Cafe beat McCleary's. The night's last game was an all-West affair, JBE Auto Transport won over the Misfits. Don and Derek refereed, Devyn ran the clock. Two weeks in the books and so far so good: no postponements, no suspensions, no nonsense (enjoy it while it lasts). On Thursday we did our usual lunch in Quarryville, in the evening I was at the ballpark on North Prince Street. The Barnstormers hosted the Somerset Patriots in game #2 of the best-of-five league semifinals. The Stormers had won the opener on Wednesday, on this night they got off to a strong start with three runs in the first inning. A two-run single by Cole Garner plated Greg Golson and Blake Gailen, Garner would score the third run on a Wilson Batista RBI hit. The Patriots put a run on the board in the sixth but a Golson solo home run in the bottom half restored the three-run advantage. From there it was all Somerset, two run in the seventh and one in the eighth forced extra innings. In the eleventh the Pats took the lead and held on for a 5-4 win, Jason Urquidez was the pitcher of record for the Stormers. The series moves to northern New Jersey for the duration and is now essentially a best-of-three. The other semifinal features Sugar Land versus York, that series is also 1-1 with three games in York scheduled for the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 22-23

Monday morning: came out for the day to discover my right front tire under-inflated. The gang at the neighborhood garage examined it and found an embedded screw causing a slow leak. They put a temporary patch on it so I could get it to the tire dealership for a replacement. While they worked on it I walked to the mall for lunch (the heart doctor wants me to walk and it wasn't all that far so why not?). In the evening we were back at Reservoir Park for the start of week #2. We had three crossovers and one West game, in the crossovers 551 West beat McCleary's, Union Station downed Old School and AMW defeated the Misfits. The West game saw JBE Auto Transport over American Bar&Grill. On Tuesday the week continued with another four-game night, in the lone crossover 551 West won over Old School. The East matchups featured 915 Cafe over Yorgo's and AMW over Union Station, in the night's West game American Bar&Grill defeated Brendee's. Ron refereed both night with Derek, Devyn and Jonny rotating through around their team's playing schedules, Wally handled the clock. We wrap up the week with three games on Wednesday. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 20-21

Saturday morning lunch with the ladies in Quarryville, in the evening we were back at the ballpark. The Barnstormers were hosting Camden in the season's final weekend, the Stormers had won the opener on Friday and clinched a playoff spot in the process. The first round opponent would be determined by the rest of the weekend's results. Before the game on Saturday Jenny got her photo opportunity with Blake Gailen, Greg Golson and Ross Peeples, we posted them later in the evening for her online friends. On this night the Barnstormers improved their standing with a decisive 12-3 victory. Gailen gave the club a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the first inning, Olmo Rosario's RBI double in the third made it 2-0. The Riversharks would score single runs in the fourth, fifth and and seventh innings but the game was never really competitive, the Stormers scored two runs in each of their last five at-bats. A Gabe Jacobo RBI double and a Lance Zawadzki sac fly accounted for the fourth-inning runs, Gailen's second home run (a two-run shot) in the fifth made it 6-2. Zawadzki went yard with a man on in the sixth, in the seventh the club added two more on on RBI hits by Golson and Zawadzki. The scoring was capped in the eighth inning, one run thanks to a Cole Garner RBI double and the other on a Camden error. Starting pitcher Nick McCully (late of the Chicago White Sox organization) made his Lancaster debut and went seven innings for the win. On Sunday I stayed in and relaxed with pro football on TV, in the late afternoon we lost electrical power. Apparently there was a fire in an industrial park about a mile away, the power was back on about an hour later. The Barnstomers wrapped up the regular season across town with another win over Camden, they meet the Somerset Patriots in the opening round of playoffs. The series begins in Lancaster on Wednesday the 24th. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 19

Week #4 of high school football season arrived with me making my first of three appearances at Rossmere Stadium. Lancaster Catholic was playing the second of three straight at home, I missed the September 12 game and will miss the 26th as well because of McCaskey commitments. For many years LCHS played in Section III of the LL League, in 2012 the program moved to Section I. Every two years the league is realigned by enrollment, the Crusaders now find themselves in Section II. LCHS went 1-2 in their non-league schedule, on this night divisional play got underway. Garden Spot (from New Holland) was the opposition, they came in undefeated and showed why they were. The Crusaders scored first on a Jordan Scott TD pass to wideout Ricky Poillon (the extra point was blocked) but GS responded quickly and took a 14-6 lead to the locker room at halftime. In the third quarter Garden Spot extended the lead to 21-6, LCHS got back into it on a Nassir Weaver TD run to make it 21-12 (a two-point conversion attempt failed). That was as close as the Crusaders would come, GS added two more touchdowns to put it out of reach. A late Crusader TD pass from Scott to Jared Kramp ended the scoring, a successful two-point try brought the final score to 35-12. LCHS drops to 1-3 overall, I am there next on October 17. Saw on the internet where McCaskey lost their game as well, they are at home for three straight beginning on the 26th. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 17-18

Wednesday morning: had my car at the service center, the battery needed to be replaced. Jenny was in town for a dental appointment, I took her home and we did lunch. Jenny's mother had a birthday on Monday, Helen turned 77. After lunch we went over to the fairgrounds in Quarryville, the annual Solanco Fair was underway. We walked around for awhile and looked at the displays, I took the opportunity to stock up on free pens and pencils (the pens for the street hockey league, the pencils for high school basketball season at McCaskey). In the evening we finished up week #1 of the street hockey season with three games, in the East it was 551 West over Union Station, in the West Brendee's beat Old School and in the crossover game 915 Cafe defeated the Misfits. Don and Derek refereed, Devyn ran the clock. Eleven down, seventy-seven to go. Thursday was a quiet day with little going on but the weekend will be busier. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 15-16

Monday morning lunch at the mall, in the evening we were at Reservoir Park for opening night of the Fall dek hockey season. We have eleven teams in the league, five in the East division and six in the West. It's the exact same setup we had in the spring, with minor modifications the schedule format is the same as well. Each team plays sixteen games, one each against opponents from the other division and the remainder within its own. We play four games on Mondays and Tuesdays, three on Wednesdays and use Thursdays for makeup games as needed. On this night we played the first of eighty-eight games on the schedule, all four were of the crossover variety. Yorgo's defeated American Bar&Grill, Union Station beat Brendee's, AMW won over McCleary's Pub and 551 West beat JBE Auto Transport. It's not entirely surprising that the East teams won all four games, the East is generally considered to be the stronger division. Ron refereed the entire night, the first two with Derek and the last two with Jonny Gerber. Devyn and Wally split the night on the clock. On Tuesday my mother had morning appointments at the health campus, in the afternoon I had a followup with my (new) heart doctor. He gave a listen to everything from the front and the back and said it all sounds and looks good. They don't need to see me again for eight weeks so all is in order thus far. In the evening we were back at the the rink, the three teams that hadn't played on Monday made their season debuts. In the East division AMW beat Yorgo's, the West games featured American Bar&Grill over Old School and the Misfits over McCleary's Pub and the lone crossover game saw 915 Cafe over JBE Auto Transport. Ron worked two games with Devyn and two with Jonny, Wally ran the clock. Two nights in the books and and on both ocassions we were done and home before 10:00, I'll take that anytime. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 13-14

It rained overnight into Saturday morning and temperatures turned much cooler than it had been lately. The summer of 2014 overall was much more comfortable than 2013 when it seemed like every other day was in the 90s. One of Jenny's nephews was getting married in Quarryville in the afternoon, Helen was invited but Jenny was somehow excluded (shades of New Jersey back in April, I didn't get it then and I still don't). After lunch she came back to the city with me, at 5:45 we headed to the ballpark where the Barnstormers were hosting the Sugar Land Skeeters in game #2 of a weekend series. The Stormers had won the opener on Friday, on this night they drew first blood on a third-inning RBI double by Olmo Rosario. The Skeeters tied the game in the fourth but the Barnstormers took it right back in their half, run-scoring hits from Lance Zawadzki and Yusuke Kajimoto made it 3-1 for the home team. A two-run seventh extended the lead to 5-1, one scored on an error and the other on a Gabe Jacobo sac fly. By that time it was almost 9:30, Jenny was getting tired and the dampness in the night air was no fun so we decided to hit the road. What we missed was a six-run rally by Sugar Land in the eighth inning as the visitors took a stunning 6-5 lead. The Barnstormers tied it in the ninth and the game would ultimately be decided in fourteen innings when the Skeeters prevailed 9-7. Saw on the internet in the morning where the game ended a few minutes after midnight, a mere five hours after it started. The series concluded on Sunday afternoon (in my usual absence), Sugar Land won that one to take series two games to one. The Barnstormers are still alive for a playoff spot with six games to go (three at Long Island, three at home versus Camden), the final week of the season will tell the story. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 12

Friday night football at JP McCaskey as the Red Tornado hosted Reading High. Anytime JPM plays a Berks County opponent I invariably run into people I know, this night was no exception. This was the final non-league game on the schedule, the Red Tornado entered at 1-1 having ended a horrendous losing streak with a win in York in week #2 (I would have been at that game but my arteries had other ideas). Earlier in the week I had contacted Jon Mitchell about my situation, when I arrived they had my PA setup on the first floor of the press box. I had always worked from the second floor previously but in order to get there one must climb a ladder that is bolted to the wall, it is literally a ninety-degree ten-foot climb straight up the wall. At the current time I'm sure no doctor would consider my doing that a good idea. The new setup worked well although it felt a little strange being on the ground floor instead of up top. JPM struggled from the start on this night, at halftime RHS led 20-0. La'Detrius Sibley rushed for a TD early in the third to break the shutout but Reading responded by scoring twenty unanswered points. The Red Tornado added scores on a Kamaal Gantz run and a Brandon Allen pass reception but it was nowhere near enough, the final score was 47-20. Divisional play begins for JPM on the road on the 19th, the club returns home on the 26th for a three-game homestand. As is my wont during football season I walked to and from the game instead of driving (it's not that far and the traffic after the game is never good), when I arrived home I felt perfectly fine. I've had absolutely no adverse reactions to my procedure thus far, I have a follow-up on Tuesday the 16th but so far so good. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 10-11

Wednesday night at the ballpark as the Barnstormers/Camden series continued. The Stormers got on the board first, back-to-back home runs by Blake Gailen and Cole Garner in the third inning made it 2-0 for the home team. The Riversharks knotted the game quickly in the fourth but Yusuke Kajimoto's two-run shot in the bottom half restored the Barnstormers' advantage. Gabe Jacobo's two-run double in the seventh gave the club a 6-2 lead, a Sharks run in the ninth brought the final score to 6-3. Dan Osterbrock won it with support from Ian Kadish, Ross Peeples, Scott Patterson and Jason Urquidez. On Thursday Jenny and I had our usual lunch date in Quarryville, in the evening the Sharks and Stormers met again in game #3. In celebration of the club's tenth season the Barnstormers instituted a Wall Of Honor, on this night manager Butch Hobson (a former big-leaguer in the 70s and 80s) became the twelfth and final inductee for 2014. Butch has been the Stormers' manager since 2011, he joins pitchers Ross Peeples ('05-current), Denny Harriger ('06) and Dwayne Pollok ('12-13), catcher Lance Burkhart ("05-08), infielders Lloyd Turner ('08-10), Aaron Herr ('09-11) and Tommy Everidge ('11-12), outfielders Blake Gailen ('12-current), Quincy Foster ('05-07) and Justin Heilman ('05-08) plus inaugural Barnstormers manager Tom Herr (a Lancaster native, former big-leaguer and father of Aaron). In the game itself the Stormers scored single run in the four of their eight at-bats and made them stand up for a 4-2 win. The scores came courtesy of an Olmo Rosario RBI double in the third. a Camden error in the fourth, a Gabe Jacobo RBI hit in the seventh and a Juan Apodaca sac fly in the eighth. Derrick Loop made the spot start and went three innings, Cody Eppley was the winning pitcher. The ballclub hosts Sugar Land over the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 8-9

Monday morning lunch at the mall, in the evening Don and I firmed up the format for the street hockey season. We have eleven teams in two divisions, five in one and six in the other. It's the exact same setup we had in the spring although we have two new teams replacing two that dropped out, several of the returning teams have new names as well. The schedule will follow the same pattern as was used in the spring, each team plays one game against non-divisional opponents and the remainder within its division. The season starts on Monday the 15th. On Tuesday the Barnstormers were back at home for the opener for a series against the Camden Riversharks. The Sharks only prior visit in 2014 was in June, six of their ten games in Lancaster are in the month of September. On this night the Stormers took a 1-0 lead in the third on a Cole Garner RBI triple. The Sharks tied it in the fifth, in the bottom half Garner came through again with an RBI hit to make it 2-1 Stormers. A Blake Gailen sac fly in the sixth upped the advantage to 3-1 but in the eighth Camden ralllied for three runs and held on for the 4-3 victory, Pete Andrelczyk took the loss in relief of starter Chris Schwinden. The series continues with single games on Wednesday and Thursday. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 4-7

Thursday morning in Quarryville with Jenny and her mother for lunch, in the evening we were back at the ballpark. After the events of Tuesday and Wednesday I guess it was only fitting that the series would conclude in as mundane a fashion as possible. Somerset put three runs on the board in the third inning and that would be all they needed. The Barnstormers scored in the fourth and sixth on solo home runs by Cole Garner and Blake Gailen but the Patriots left town with a 3-2 win, Chris Schwinden took the hard-luck loss. After the game I showered at home and settled in for the night.....and that's when the real fun started. Earlier in the week I noticed some discomfort in the area of my left shoulder/armpit area, I figured it might just be a sore muscle or something like that. The pain continued through the week but it was come-and-go, late on Thursday night it moved into the chest and got very uncomfortable. It didn't take an expert to know something was wrong so I went to the local ER. It was around 1:30 in the morning when I got there, they ran some tests and by 4:30 they had me scheduled for a procedure to clean out a badly clogged artery. That was done at 8:00 Friday morning, the doctor said it all went well and there was no damage to my heart. Over the next twenty-four hours I had no adverse effects so I was discharged at noon on Saturday. This was only the second time in my life I spent a night in the hospital, the other time was for tonsils and adenoids removal when I was nine years old. The doctor I saw in the ER said I had a "silent" heart attack, the doctor who did the procedure said it wasn't a heart attack but it came close and the discharging doctor said it definitely was a heart attack (so who's right?). I was born in 1957 so I know I'm no kid anymore, this just means I'm going to make some adjustments and avoid any undue physical exertion. On Sunday I felt more than well enough to drive, I went to see Jenny and have lunch with her. The rest of the day was spent at home relaxing and as it stands right now everything is fine. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 1-3

The ninth month of 2014 began with the Labor Day holiday, true to form there was little happening outside of morning lunch at the mall. On Tuesday the Barnstormers returned home for a series against Somerset, the Patriots were coming in fresh from the weekend in York. The Stormers roster received more fortification on the road trip with the return of infielder Olmo Rosario, he played in Lancaster in 2013 and spent this summer in the Mexican League. This night featured a doubleheader thanks to an August rainout, the plan was to start at 6:00 and play two seven-inning games. There were storms in the forecast all day but of course nothing happened until close to game time. At 5:00 it began to rain, it stopped briefly but a second storm system moved through shortly after the first ended. As a result the opener did not start until 7:50, the Stormers took a quick 1-0 lead in the first when Blake Gailen singled and scored on an RBI double by Rosario. Keith Castillo's RBI single in the second made it 2-0 before the Patriots got on the board in the third. A four-run fifth put it away for the Barmstormers, Gailen went yard with a man on base and Brett Carroll added a two-run shot to make the final 6-1. Shunsuke Watanabe got the start and worked five innings for the win. The game ended shortly before 10:00, I decided to call it a night (the nice thing about being a spectator is I have that option). The second game started at 10:30, required extra innings and didn't end until 1:30 in the morning (I had many a night like that when I was in the industry, I didn't envy anyone there when I read about it the next morning). The only good thing is the Stormers won it and completed the doubleheader sweep, on Wednesday evening we were back for a single game at 7:00. There are occasions when things happen that simply defy logic, this game was a prime example. The Patriots came out swinging and built a 6-0 lead in the third. Andrew Clark's RBI hit put the Stormers on the board but Somerset responded emphatically, in the fifth it was 12-1 Patriots. Juan Apodaca'a three-run homer in the sixth inning made it 12-4, when the Stormers came to bat in the seventh all hell broke loose. Gailen started it with a solo home run, two batters later Brett Carroll's RBI double make it 12-6. A two-run double by Greg Golson (back in the lineup from a extended stay on the disabled list) brought the Stormers back to within four, an RBI hit by Apodaca made it 12-9. With two men on base Gailen batted again and delivered his second home run of the inning to cap an incredible eight-run rally and knot the game at 12-12. The score stayed tied through the remainder of regulation play, in the twelfth inning Olmo Rosario's two-run walkoff homer gave the Barmstormers an epic 14-12 victory. Cody Eppley (the last of six pitchers used by Butch Hobson) picked up the win. The series wraps up with another single game on Thursday, one can only wonder what may happen as an encore. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 29-31

Nothing special on the schedule on Friday, on Saturday morning I met Marty at his place and from there we made our way northwest to the state's capital city. In the olden days of the Central Penn Football League McCaskey and Harrisburg played each other on a yearly basis, on this day the schools met for the first time since 1993. The Red Tornado was looking for its first win since the eighth week of the 2012 season but it was not to be as Harrisburg won handily 46-21. JPM trailed 6-0 in the second quarter but tied it on a La'Detrius Sibley touchdown pass to Brandon Allen, Max Chalfont's extra point made it 7-6 McCaskey. From there it went south in a hurry as H-Burg scored forty unanswered points, JPM scored two late TDs on receptions by Kyaire Bynum and Randolph Speller but it was not enough to prevent the club's fourteenth consecutive loss. McCaskey plays in York on September 5, the home opener is on the 12th. When we got back to Marty's place I headed to Quarryville, since Jenny and I couldn't do our usual Saturday lunch we did Saturday supper instead. On Sunday I was in York for the final late-afternoon Sunday game of the season, the Revolution hosted the Somerset Patriots. This was my thirteenth visit to Santander Stadium in 2014  and the ninth on Sundays, the Patriots were the last team in the league I had not yet seen in York. This was one of those crazy, last-shot-wins games as the Revs took it 12-11. It was 4-0 York in the third but the Pats fought back to within 6-5 in the sixth. The Revs went up 10-5 but a four-run eighth got Somerset back in the game, in the ninth a last-ditch Patriot rally fell just short. Offensive stars for the Revs included Eric Patterson (three hits, a home run and three RBI), Johan Limonta (two doubles and three ribbees), Chad Tracy (a home run and two RBI) and Justin Greene (three hits and an RBI). York manager Mark Mason used five pitchers, Beau Vaughan saved it for winning pitcher Scott Gorgen. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 26-28

Tuesday night baseball on North Prince Street as the Barnstormers returned home for a series with the Bridgeport Bluefish. This was actually the fifth straight game between the clubs, the Stormers won four in Connecticut over the weekend. Many of the foreign leagues are ending at this time of year, the Barnstormers roster has been bolstered with the return of Blake Gailen and Wilson Batista from Mexico (Gailen was with Tijuana, Batista with Oaxaca) and pitcher Derrick Loop from a stint in Japan. On this night all three appeared as the Stormers made it five in a row over the 'Fish with an 8-7 win. Brett Carroll's three-run homer in the first gave the home team the early advantage, after the Bluefish got on the board in the second Carroll's third-inning RBI double upped the lead to 4-1. Bridgeport fought back with one in the fourth and four in the fifth to go ahead 6-4 but the Stormers replied quickly in their half. RBI hits by Yusuke Kajimoto, Gabe Jacobo and Blake Gailen put the club back in the lead, a solo homer from Lance Zawadzki in the sixth made it 8-6 Stormers. The Bluefish got one back in the eighth but that would be it, in the ninth Jason Urquidez closed it out for winning pitcher Cory Wade. On Wednesday night the Barnstormers again took an early lead on Cole Garner's first-inning two-run homer but the Bluefish tied it in the fourth. A Gabe Jacobo sac fly put the Stormers back ahead, run-scoring hits by Garner and Andrew Clark upped the lead to 5-2 in the seventh. The Bluefish refused to go quietly, a two-run Bridgeport eighth made it a one-run game. In the ninth Urquidez earned a save for a second consecutive night, Shunsuke Watanabe started and went six for the win as the Barnstormers prevailed 5-4. Jenny and I did lunch as usual on Thursday morning, in the evening we had our Fall street hockey organizational meeting at the rink. There were about eight or nine teams represented but there are always a few stragglers who never attend the meeting and wait until the last minute to get in. We'll know more as we get closer to opening night which is tentatively set for September 15. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 21-25

High school fall sports season is underway, on Thursday evening I was at Rossmere Stadium. Over the last four years McCaskey and Lancaster Catholic were regular-season football opponents (first as a non-league game then as division-mates), league realignment has separated them in 2014 so on this night they met in a scrimmage. It felt strange standing on the sideline in a stadium where I'm usually in the press box on the PA but a scrimmage is much less formal than an actual game. Both teams play the first two weeks of the regular season on the road, I'll be at McCaskey on September 12 and back at LCHS for their debut as a member of LL Section Two on the 19th. The weekend was thoroughly underwhelming, outside of Saturday lunch with Jenny in Quarryville it was about as big a zero as you could imagine. Monday lunch at the mall was the extent of that day as well but the middle part of the week should be busier, the Barnstormers return home for three days leading into the holiday weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 17-20

Sunday afternoon baseball in York as "that team from across the river" (as the Revs once referred to the Barnstormers) hosted Bridgeport in the finale of a weekend series. This was the Revolution's eighth late-afternoon start at home, I have been to all of them. On this day the Revs finished a three-game sweep with a 5-1 victory. The Bluefish got on the board in the first inning, Bryant Nelson's second-inning solo home run drew York even. A four-run Revs fourth inning broke the game open. Wilson Valdez's bases-loaded triple scored three runs, Valdez would score the final run on an Eric Patterson RBI double. Jorge Martinez was the winning pitcher with relief support from Ian Durham and Edward Paredes. On Monday my mother had a morning eye appointment, things are coming along but there is still a ways to go. On Tuesday night Marty and I made another trip west, the Barnstormers were in York for the teams' final regular season series. The Stormers won the opener on Monday, on this night the Revs evened the series. York took a first-inning lead on Bryant Nelson's RBI hit, the Barnstormers tied it in the sixth on a RBI single by Brett Carroll. In the bottom of the eighth Sean Smith tripled and scored on a Justin Greene single, the Stormers could not reply in the ninth as the Revs earned a tough 2-1 win. Beau Vaughan won it in relief of Logan Williamson, ex- MLBer Mark Hendrickson picked up the save. Chris Schwinden took the hard-luck loss for the Barnstormers. Jenny had a foot doctor appointment scheduled for Wednesday morning, we did our weekday lunch a day earlier than usual as a result. As I spent the evening at home the Stormers-Revs series finished in York, the Revolution won the game to finish the season series with a 13-7 advantage. Every year the clubs play for the Community Cup, this marks the second consecutive season York has won it and the fourth time overall (the Barnstormers won it in '07, '09, '11 and '12). Take care, thanks for reading

August 15-16

Friday night baseball on North Prince Street as the Barnstormers hosted Southern Maryland in the first game of the Blue Crabs' final regular season visit. The Stormers' offensive struggles were magnified on this night as they could manage just three base hits. Cole Garner hit a solo home run in the first inning and Ben Francisco went yard with the bases empty in the ninth but in-between it was all Crabs as they won it 7-2, Cory Wade was the losing pitcher. Saturday was a red-letter day on the calendar, it's was Jenny's birthday. I was with her for morning lunch, in the afternoon she and her mother came back to town for the evening's ballgame. My mother gave Jenny a pack of ice cream bars and I got her a music CD she had wanted (modest gifts but then again Jenny has modest tastes). At the ballpark it was another frustrating night for the homeboys as the Stormers suffered a fourth consecutive loss on the homestand. It started well enough with an Andrew Clark two-run homer in the first, Gabe Jacobo's RBI hit in the third made it 3-0. The Blue Crabs got on the board in the fourth and tied it in the fifth but Brett Carroll's double in the home fifth gave the Barnstormers a 4-3 lead. SM tied the game in the eighth and took a 5-4 lead in the ninth, in the bottom of the ninth the Stormers loaded the bases with one out but could only manage the tying run on Carroll's RBI groundout. In extra innings the Blue Crabs pushed across two runs and won the game 7-5, Ross Peeples was the pitcher of record. Both Friday and Saturday featured postgame fireworks shows but needless to say we never saw them, Jenny is no more a fan of them than I am (if you've seen one you've seen them all). Take care, thanks for reading.

August 11-14

Had my car at the service center on Monday morning for the annual inspection, it didn't take long since the emissions had been checked when I had the oil change done in June. That plus lunch at the mall was the extent of the day's activities. The weather turned nasty on Tuesday, rain arrived overnight and stayed around all day. The Barnstormers were supposed to open a series with the Somerset Patriots but shortly before 5:00 it was announced that the game was postponed. Incredibly this was the first home rainout for the Stormers, since the Patriots return in September the makeup doubleheader will be during that series. On Wednesday the rain was gone but the temperatures were much cooler, in the evening we were at the ballpark for game #1 of the truncated series. The Stormers went 4-3 on their recent road trip, on this night the ballgame stayed scoreless until the sixth inning when the Patriots took a 1-0 lead. Gabe Jacobo's RBI double in the bottom half tied the game but Somerset went back ahead with one in the seventh, two more in the ninth salted away a 4-1 Pats victory. Dan Osterbrock worked into the seventh inning and took the loss but deserved a better fate. Recently the Barnstormers have struggled to score runs, on Thursday night that was on display as the club suffered a maddening defeat. Ben Francisco's two-run double in the fourth inning broke a scoreless tie, that 2-0 advantage lasted until the ninth when Somerset plated three runs (the last one on a throwing error) and escaped with a 3-2 win. Chris Schwinden pitched seven shutout innings but in the ninth Jason Urquidez was victimized and took the loss. The homestand continues on the weekend as the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs visit. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 5-10

The middle part of the week was quiet save for an eye appointment for my mother on Tuesday (in the late afternoon at 4:00) and a Thursday morning lunch visit with Jenny and her mother in Quarryville. On Friday Marty and I made a trip across the river, the York Revolution hosted the Sugar Land Skeeters in the finale of a three-game series. The Skeeters took an early 1-0 lead in the first but the Revs replied quickly on RBI doubles by Eric Patterson and Travis Garcia. The home team added single runs in the third on an double-play groundout, the fifth on another Patterson RBI double and the sixth on a Justin Greene base hit. Chad Tracy's two-run homer in the seventh ended the scoring as the Revs won it 7-1, Logan Williamson worked eight innings for the victory. On Saturday Jenny and I had our usual weekend lunch, on Sunday Marty and I returned to York County for another "Santander Sunday". The Long Island Ducks were the opponent in the middle game of a three-game set. This was one of the Atlantic League's oddball weekends for scheduling, each new series started on Saturday instead of Friday. The Ducks took a quick 4-0 lead in the first inning, it stayed that way until the fifth when the Revs tied it on an Alberto Espinosa sac fly. In the seventh a two-run single by Travis Garcia gave York the lead, Chad Tracy followed with a two-run homer to clinch a 5-2 victory. Alain Quijano (the hero of the Revs' first-half playoff clincher) was the winning pitcher with support from Ian Durham and Rommie Lewis. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 1-4

Friday morning: the first day of the new month, I was with Jenny and Helen for lunch. We were doing our weekend date a day early because the ladies wanted to utilize Saturday for getting caught up on things around the house. On Saturday the Barnstormers returned home from a brief road swing for a three-game series, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were the opposition. This was the Stormers' ninth Saturday home date and the first one Jenny and her mother missed, it's not really a big thing because the Crabs are back in on the next Saturday home date as well. On this night on North Prince Street the fans were treated to a roller-coaster ride disguised as a baseball game. The Barnstormers took a 2-0 lead in the second on a Lance Zawadzki RBI double and a solo home run by Juan Apodaca, the Crabs replied with two of their own in the third to tie it. Brett Carroll's run-scoring double gave the Stormers a 3-2 lead in their half of the third but SM put three more on the board and led by two into the bottom of the fifth. Back-to-back RBI hits from Gabe Jacobo and Ben Francisco knotted the game at 5-5, in the seventh the Crabs took the lead back at 6-5. In their half of the seventh the Stormers seemingly broke it open, RBI hits from Francisco and Carroll, a Blue Crabs error and a bases-loaded hit batsman gave the home team a 9-6 lead. In the eighth the game boomeranged in a big way as the Crabs put up a six-spot and held on for a wacky 12-9 victory, Pete Andrelczyk took the loss in relief of Starter Dan Osterbrock. Sunday was the typical stay-in-and-do-nothing day, the game at the ballpark started at 1:00 but I (of course) was not there. On Monday I did my usual lunch at the mall, in the evening I was back at the ballpark for the series' rubber game (the Barnstormers had won on Sunday afternoon). On this night Southern Maryland ended the suspense early with a 5-0 second-inning lead. The Barnstormers got on the board in the fourth on an Andrew Clark two-run homer but that would be it as the Crabs took it 5-2, Cory Wade started for the Stormers and suffered the loss. The ballclub takes to the road for seven days, the next home date is Tuesday the 12th. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 27-31

The Sunday weather forecast was not encouraging, with nothing special going on I never left the house. In the early evening some strong storms rolled through but by late evening they were all gone. Had lunch at the mall on Monday morning, in the evening Marty joined me for the ballgame on North Prince Street. This was game #2 of a three-gamer as the Stormers hosted York, the Revolution took the opener on Sunday afternoon before the rains came. There was more rain in the forecast on this night, it arrived shortly after 6:00 and delayed the 7:00 start until 8:30. At that point Marty and I made a pact: five innings or 10:00, whichever came first. The Revs took a 1-0 lead in the third on an RBI hit by Eric Patterson, in the fifth they added three more on another Patterson single, a Chad Tracy sac fly and a crucial Barnstormer error. It was past 10:00 by then so we headed for the exit, the game finally ended past 11:30 with the Revs victorious 5-2. Obviously there are times when weather will keep us from a game but the Barnstormers are often an exception simply because there is no travel involved. On Tuesday night the series concluded under perfect weather conditions. The Revs again took a early lead on Chad Tracy's first-inning RBI double, the Stormers tied it in their half on a bases-loaded walk to Ben Francisco. It stayed that way until the home seventh, a two-run single by Yusuke Kajimoto gave the Barnstormers a 3-1 lead. York would get one back in the ninth on an Eric Patterson RBI hit but it ended there as the Stormers salvaged the finale 3-2. Pete Andrelczyk won it in relief of Chris Schwinden, Jason Urquidez saved it. Logan Williamson started for York and suffered the loss. Wednesday and Thursday were quiet except for lunch with Jenny, the Barnstormers come back home on Saturday the 2nd. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 24-26

Thursday lunch with Jenny and her mother, in the evening I was at the ballpark as the Barnstormers opened a series with the Bridgeport Bluefish. This was the ballclub's first home date in eleven days, the four-day All-Star break was followed by a six-day road swing. On this night the offensive highlights were few and far between, the Stormers managed only six base hits in a 4-0 loss. Losing pitcher Chris Schwinden worked seven innings and certainly deserved a better fate. On Friday night in game #2 the Bluefish ran out to a 7-0 lead in the second inning, the Barnstormers scored the next five on a wild pitch, a two-run double by former Philadelphia Phillie Ben Francisco and a Juan Apodaca two-run home run. In the fifth Bridgeport added a run to make it 8-5 but a Brett Carroll two-run bomb brought the Stormers back to within one. In the home seventh the game was finally evened, a sac fly by Francisco scored Gabe Jacobo with the tying run. In the ninth the Bluefish retook the lead but it didn't hold, Apodaca's RBI single sent the game into extras. The Stormers finally prevailed in the eleventh, Francisco's fourth hit of the night scored Jacobo from second base for the 9-8 win. Manager Butch Hobson used six pitchers, Jason Urquidez picked up the win. On Saturday Jenny and Helen were along for game #3, a game that held little if any suspense. The Barnstormers took the early lead on a Lance Zawadzki home run, a two-run Brett Carroll homer in the fourth made it 3-0. The ballclub struck for two more in the fifth on an Andrew Clark sac fly and an RBI double from infielder Jaime Pedroza (a 2012 Barnstormer recently added from the Chicago White Sox organization). Bridgeport got back into the game with a three-run sixth inning but the Stormers got one back on a double-play grounder, a five-run seventh inning put the game away. An RBI hit by Clark, a Dayton Buller two-run single and a two-run double from Cole Garner put the icing on an 11-3 victory, starting pitcher Joe Gardner (a new addition from the Chicago Cubs' system) worked into the sixth inning for the win. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 19-23

Saturday was a notable day for my mother, she turned 80 years of age (and there are many who would say she doesn't look it). In the afternoon Dick came into my place, from there we made our way southeast to Wilmington. We had planned a visit there back in June but the weather forecast ruined it. On this night the Wilmington Blue Rocks hosted the Lynchburg Hillcats in Carolina League action. Before the game there was a POW/MIA salute, part of it was the unveiling of a stadium seat which will remain symbolically unoccupied in memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. In the game itself the Rocks fell behind early, a late comeback fell short as the Hillcats won 6-4. On Sunday Jenny and I had our weekend lunch a day later than usual, on Monday I had my usual midday meal at the mall. In the evening I was at the ballpark for the youth tournament championship game. Whenever a championship is contested the fervent hope is that it will be competitive, nobody enjoys a one-sided blowout (except the team that is winning). On this night the fans in attendance were treated to a memorable game. The first three innings were scoreless, the fourth and fifth innings were mirror-image. Hempfield scored three in the fourth and one in the fifth, Strasburg/Willow Street put one on the board in the fourth and tied it with three of their own in the fifth. In extra innings Hempfield loaded the bases with one out but a SWS double play ended the threat. In their at-bat SWS got a runner to second with two out, a bloop single into shallow right field scored the winning run as SWS won it 5-4. Not much going on Tuesday or Wednesday save for another eye appointment for my mother (Tuesday) and a dental checkup for me (Wednesday), the Barnstormers are at home over the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 14-18

The Atlantic League is in its All-Star break, the game was played on Wednesday night in Sugar Land, Texas. The Barnstormers were represented by Cole Garner, Lance Zawadzki, Chris Schwinden plus manager Butch Hobson and coach Stan Cliburn, the York Revs sent Johan Limonta, Eric Patterson, Wilson Valdez and Rommie Lewis to the festivities. With no pro games anywhere the youngsters took center stage at the ballpark on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Every summer the local newspaper sponsors a youth tournament, it's a big event that started in the 1940s. The midget division (for ages 15-and-16) quarterfinal matchups on Wednesday featured Strasburg/Willow Street over Lancaster (McCaskey players current and future) and Garden Spot over Lititz. The other side of the bracket played on Thursday, Hempfield defeated Saint Leo and Ephrata beat Elizabethtown. The winners paired off in the Friday semifinals, SWS eliminated Garden Spot and Hempfield ousted Ephrata. The first game on all three nights started at 5:15, the crowd tends to be mostly friends and family members but there is no lack of enthusiasm. Hempfield and SWS meet for the championship on Monday the 21st, game time on North Prince Street for the single game is at 7:00. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 12-13

Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother, in the evening we were at the ballpark for game #3 with Long Island. This was the Stormers' seventh Saturday home date, Jenny and Helen have been to all of them since the club no longer plays Sunday games at night. Another good crowd was on hand for fireworks after the game, they all witnessed some late-game fireworks from the ballclub as well. The visiting Ducks led 4-0 in the fourth before Andrew Clark's solo home run got the Barnstormers on the board. It stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth when Clark went yard again to make it 4-2. After Gabe Jacobo reached on a base hit Brett Carroll followed with a two-run shot to tie the game. In extra innings the home team would emerge victorious, Cole Garner scoring the winning run on Jacobo's game-ending hit. Brandon Mann was the starting pitcher but he was not involved in the decision, Pete Parise was the winner in relief. On Sunday Marty and I went west across the river for another "Santander Sunday" in York, the Revolution hosted the Bridgeport Bluefish in the usual 5:00 start. The Revs have been somewhat cold since winning the division first-half title, they came into this game having lost four straight. That streak ended on this day as York defeated the Bluefish 3-1. Each club scored a run in the first inning, the Revs' coming on a Chad Tracy RBI hit. In the seventh Tracy went yard with a man on to provide the margin of victory. Starting pitcher Jorge Martinez won it, Rommie Lewis picked up the save. The next Sunday home date in York is not until August 10, that's probably the next time I'll be there. Saw where the Barnstormers won their game as well to complete the series sweep over Long Island, their next home date is on July 24. Take care, thanks for reading.