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.