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.