December 30-31

Friday night at Santander Arena for the final home date of the calendar year, the Wheeling Nailers were the opposition for the second of three regular-season visits. This was the first of five Friday home dates billed as "Flyer Fridays" featuring the Royals wearing Flyers-themed sweaters and a Flyers alumnus signing autographs, on this night it was Doug Crossman (a Flyer from 1983 to 1988 and a participant in the Alumni game we hosted back in February). The Royals goaltending situation is still in flux, with Martin Ouellette still in the AHL and Mark Dekanich on the disabled list the club acquired Austin Lotz on loan from the Arizona Coyotes organization. Lotz is a first-year pro who most recently played with Medicine Hat of the WHL. On this night he made his Reading debut and picked up the win and the game's #3 star. Justin Crandall scored late in the first period, the Nailers replied midway through the second to tie it 1-1. In the late going of the period Robbie Czarnik put the Royals back up but the pesky Nailers struck back midway through the third to square matters once again. Three minutes after the tying goal Chris McCarthy gave the Royals the lead for good, Crandall's insurance marker in the final minutes put away the 4-2 win. The Royals finish 2016 with a home ice mark of 9-4-0,the club's next home date is on January 6. On Saturday I was with Jenny for our usual lunch date, from there the calendar year expired quietly at home. New Years Eve is no big thing to me, unless you go out and get blasted (and I don't do that anymore although I had my moments in my younger years) it is a largely meaningless thing. The Royals were on the road for a 5:30 holiday game in Glens Falls and won it 5-2, the overall record entering 2017 stands at 18-11-2. Thanks for reading, see you in the New Year.

December 28-29

Wednesday morning lunch with Jenny and her mother, in late afternoon we were on the road north to downtown Reading. The Elmira Jackals were making the second of their five regular-season appearances and the first since the home opener back in October. On this night the result was never really in doubt, the Royals took command and never surrendered control for a minute. Olivier Labelle's score late in the first period gave the Royals a 1-0 lead, in the second period Ryan Penny and Florian Iberer lit the lamp forty-five seconds apart to up the advantage to three. In the final period Robbie Czarnik removed any doubt with two goals (one early, one late) putting the lid on a resounding 5-0 victory. Drew Fielding got the start in net and recorded the club's first shutout of the season, he was named the game's #1 star for his effort (Czarnik was #2, Justin Crandall was #3). The Royals improve to 16-11-2, 8-4 at the Arena. The club wraps up the 2016 portion of the home schedule on Friday the 30th against Wheeling. There was some rain in the area on Thursday morning, by all accounts the heaviest had fallen overnight (I must admit that never hurts me, it could rain every night between 2:00 and 5:00 and I'd probably never know it happened). The morning errand run was the extent of Thursday's activities but there were three college football bowls plus an evening hockey game on TV. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 26-27

The world slowly began to return to normal on Monday, I was at the mall for lunch and things were livelier than usual largely because of schools being out on holiday break. On Tuesday Jenny was in town on business, we were together over the lunch hour. In the evening I was at McCaskey for the opening round of our annual holiday tournament. York High was entered (as they are every year), the other squads were Largo from Upper Marlboro, MD and Delaware Valley Charter from Philadelphia. It seems like every few years something happens to screw things up (be it a team mistaking what nights the games are scheduled for or a team dropping out at the last minute), this occasion was unfortunately one of those. Del-Val was unable to commit to playing in the second round on Wednesday, as a result the opening night schedule was reshuffled. York was originally matched against Largo and JPM versus Del-Val but we swapped opponents. On Wednesday York and Largo meet in the lone game of the night, since Del-Val can only play on Tuesday JPM (as the host team) will sit it out on Wednesday as well. In the opener on Tuesday Del-Val defeated York, in the nightcap the Red Tornado won over Largo 66-56. We knew little about Largo coming in but they are a good club and the game was competitive just about all the way through. We were up by four at the quarter, at the half the score was tied. The game was still dead even entering the final quarter before we were able to pull away down the stretch. Ricky Cruz had the big night with 27 points including 11 in the decisive fourth quarter, Jathan Gonzalez was the only other player in double figures with 12. The win improves the club's mark to 2-3, the boys next play in the new year on January 2. Funny how it worked out that the York-Largo game on Wednesday is what the consolation game would have been anyway, the prospective championship game ends up being canceled completely. If I were available I would work the York-Largo game but I am absent for hockey in Reading so at least from a McCaskey standpoint I'm not missing anything. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 23-25

Friday night hockey at Santander Arena as the Adirondack Thunder visited from upstate New York for the first of six appearances in Reading. On this night the Royals ended their losing skid in emphatic fashion leaving no questions unanswered. Chris McCarthy broke the ice late in the first period but the Thunder replied quickly, at the horn it was 1-1. In the second period Justin Crandall scored twice, Tyrell Goulbourne's marker early in the third put the Royals up 4-1. ADK made it close with a late score but in the final minute Crandall hit the empty net to finish off his hat-trick and a 5-2 Royals win. It is the first hatty by a Royal at home since Cam Reid turned the trick against Wheeling in March of 2016 and nobody realized it at the time because it occurred thanks to a scoring change after the game, the last one before that was Sean Wiles in January of 2014 (the fans actually got the pleasure of throwing their hats to the ice on that occasion). Drew Fielding got the start in net for the Royals and picked up the win improving the club's record to 15-11-2, 7-4 at home. On this night veteran Frederic Cassivi served as emergency backup goaltender, he is a longtime friend and former teammate of Royals coach Larry Courville. Freddy retired in 2010 from a successful AHL career but has helped the Royals out when called upon, he appeared in a game for the Royals in 2013 (at the age of 37) and played in the Flyers Alumni game at the Arena in February of '16. On Saturday I was with Jenny and her mother for lunch and we exchanged gifts for the "holiday" (quotation marks intended because it's nothing special anymore and hasn't been for ages). Sunday was The Big Day itself but for me it was the big steaming pile of nothing it always is. My feelings on the subject are well-documented and I wish it could be different but it just isn't in me anymore. If Jenny wasn't in my life it would be a million times worse, I always make sure she isn't disappointed but that's the extent of my concern. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 21-22

Wednesday morning lunch in Quarryville, in the afternoon we made our way north to the Arena in Reading. The Royals' eight-game winning streak ended with an 0-2 road trip over the weekend, on this night the club hosted the Manchester Monarchs in the third of their seven regular-season visits. Manchester scored early in the first and again in the second to go up 2-0, midway through the period Matt Wilkins lit the lamp to pull the Royals within one. The Monarchs retook a two-goal advantage late in the period, in the late going of the third Florian Iberer's goal made it 3-2 but a Manchester empty-netter in the closing seconds put the lid on the 4-2 decision. The loss is a third straight for the Royals and drops the club's mark to 14-11-2, 6-4 at the Arena. The most disturbing news of the night may involve goaltender Mark Dekanich who left the game due to injury in the second period. With Martin Ouellette on recall to the AHL Phantoms the Royals recently added second-year pro Drew Fielding (from the University Of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota) to the roster, he finished the game and acquitted himself well. Should Dekanich miss any significant time Fielding may be counted on to carry the load, time will tell. The Royals stay at home to host the Adirondack Thunder on Friday the 23rd. Saw on the Internet where the McCaskey boys earned their first win with a 64-27 blowout of Penn Manor in Millersville, hopefully this signals a turnaround of the team's fortunes. On Thursday night I was at JPM in a non-working capacity, the girls basketball team was playing a rare home game on an off-night for the boys. Wilson HS was the opponent, anytime we play a Berks County school I invariably see someone I know and this night was no different. A member of the Royals management team lives in the Wilson school district, his daughter is a senior on the basketball team and one of their top players. He was there with his wife (who I have also known for many years) and their other daughter, we were kidding about how he saw me at hockey in Reading on Wednesday, basketball in Lancaster on Thursday and hockey upcoming on Friday (we just can't get away from one another). It was a good night for the McCaskey girls with both the JV and varsity squads recording victories. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 19-20

Monday morning lunch at the mall (as usual), in the evening it was a basketball night at McCaskey. The Red Tornado hosted Lebanon in the second game of the league season and the third overall. The JV squad stayed unbeaten with a 64-53 win, the varsity dropped to 0-3 with a 68-58 loss. In the varsity game Lebanon led by ten at the half, after the break JPM made a few runs but never seriously threatened. William Joseph led with 14 points and Ricky Cruz added 12 but individual numbers don't mean a lot when you don't win. It's been a while since a McCaskey team started 0-3, in a way it's a surprise but in other ways it isn't. We graduated two thousand-point scorers from the '15-16 club and that's a lot of offense that needs to be replaced, this team hasn't found it yet but the potential exists and it just needs time to come together. The boys are back on floor at Penn Manor on Wednesday the 21st, I am absent for hockey in Reading. On Tuesday Jenny was in town on business, we got together over the lunch hour and ran a few errands. After school dismissed I went over to basketball practice and gave Coach Powell the scorebooks since I'm absent on Wednesday. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 17-18

Snow was in the forecast for Saturday, it arrived during the overnight hours as rain before it changed over. There were early reports of traffic accidents in the morning, by the time I was up and about the precipitation was all but out of the area. Walking to the car was a minor adventure, there was ice under the snow which is actually safer than the other way around. I made my usual Saturday trip to Quarryville for lunch with Jenny, the driving was not a big problem since I stuck to the main roads and away from my favorite shortcuts. In late afternoon we reconvened at McCaskey for the bus trip to Chester. Coach Powell is a Chester alum, we have played them every year since he became head coach in 1993. They are one of the best programs in the state and you can count our victories over them on one hand but we play them because they are a quality opponent. The night began with the JV game, JPM won to go 2-0 (they had also won at Cedar Crest on Friday). The varsity game was another story altogether, Chester ran out to an eighteen-point lead at halftime and coasted to an 82-47 win. Jathan Gonzalez led the Red Tornado with 15, he was the only JPM player in double figures. A loss to Chester is no surprise, playing them serves as a test to find out where you stand in comparison. Year in and year out our non-league schedule is one of the toughest around, remaining on the slate in '16-17 are games against Harrisburg, Reading High, Central Dauphin East and Williamsport plus that makeup game against Coatesville and there isn't a soft touch in the group. The club's record stands at 0-2 overall, league play continues on Monday the 19th at home. The LL league realigned during the off-season, instead of four divisions of six teams each the new setup is three divisions of eight. It's actually a return to the old system which had been abandoned in 2004, we play our seven division opponents twice each with no crossover games of any kind. Our division is exactly as it was in '15-16 with the addition of Lebanon and Conestoga Valley, Lebanon is the opponent for the home game on the 19th. Temperatures on Sunday reached in the 50s, most of the snow and ice from Saturday disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 12-16

Learned on Monday morning that the postponed game in Coatesville was rescheduled for February 4, it will be a Saturday afternoon as originally planned. The early part of the week was quiet except for Wednesday lunch with Jenny. On Thursday after supper I went over to basketball practice to get the scorebooks from Coach Powell so I could get them prepared for the (new) season opener on Friday. The program has twenty-three players on the roster, twelve on the varsity and thirteen on the JV squad (two players are going both ways). The varsity features five returnees, four who played JV in '15-16 and three others who are new to the organization. On Friday we boarded the bus for the ride north on route 72, the destination was Cedar Crest HS in Cornwall. It was unusual for the first game of the season to be a league game but it was of course not scheduled that way. In recent years CC has been one of the league's top programs and we have certainly had our moments with them both good and bad. Every season we seem to lose at least one game within the league that simply should not happen, maybe on this night we got this year's dog out of the way early. We lost 72-66 in overtime, after the game the coaches chalked it up to bad shots and poor decisions. The effort was there but the end results were not. Nine players got into the scoring column for JPM: Ricky Cruz led with 17, Greg Nunez had 10, Isiah Speller (younger brother of Randolph) and William Joseph had nine apiece, Jathan Gonzalez added eight, Gary Smith (from the '16 JV team) had six, newcomer Tallian Lehr added three and Juanya Gonzalez and R.J. Godwin (another member of the '16 JV) had two points each. The boys get back on the horse on Saturday with a non-league game in Chester (another place that is never easy to play in), the first game at home is on Monday the 19th. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 9-11

Friday night hockey at the Arena as the Indy Fuel visited from the state capital of Indiana for the first time since April of 2015. Longtime broadcaster Terry Ficorelli is the Fuel's radio voice, I had the pleasure of meeting him a few years ago when he was working elsewhere in the ECHL. I became familiar with him from his work in Baltimore when the AHL had a club there in the 1980s, his play-by-play style is very colorful and instantly recognizable. The Royals won both games on their most recent road trip, they came into this weekend riding a six-game winning streak. The Friday game was the opener of a two-game set, on this night the Fuel took early leads of 1-0 and 2-1 and were caught both times. Ryan Penny's score drew the Royals even at 1-1, Chris McCarthy's marker squared matters at 2-2 and from there it was all Royals with an exclamation point added. Just thirty-five seconds after McCarthy's goal Florian Iberer lit the lamp to give the Royals the lead, fifty-seven seconds later Derik Johnson scored the club's third goal in 1:32 of play to make 4-2 at the first intermission. The second period was scoreless until the final second, newcomer Matt Willows (second-year pro from the University Of New Hampshire) beat the buzzer to put the Royals up by three. Third period goals by Tyrell Goulbourne and Mike Pereira plus McCarthy's second of the night put the lid on an 8-2 win, the eight-goal salvo marking the first time the Royals scored that many in a game since October of 2015. Saturday night at the Arena was the annual Teddy Bear Toss for the benefit of Toys For Tots, Jenny had three bags of stuffed animals to donate to the cause. The game on this night played out very differently than the Friday encounter, Indy once again scored first but Chris McCarthy's "teddy bear" goal tied the game 1-1 midway through the first period. The deadlock remained until midway through the second period when Michael Boivin found the net to give the Royals their first lead. The game was still 2-1 into the final moments, with the Indy net empty Steven Swavely scored the clincher to salt away the tough 3-1 verdict. Mark Dekanich was the winning goaltender both nights as the Royals extend the winning streak to eight games and run the record to 14-8-2, 6-3 at home. The club plays the next three on the road before finishing the month with four straight on home ice, the first of those is on Wednesday the 21st. McCaskey's basketball opener in Coatesville on Saturday was postponed due to a water main break near the high school, JPM won't start their season until Friday the 16th on the road at Cedar Crest (never a fun assignment). Take care, thanks for reading.

December 1-8

The first week of December had little to recommend it, we're at that time of year where autumn activities are over and winter events haven't started yet. Outside of lunch dates with Jenny on Saturday and Wednesday the only day with any noteworthy doings was Tuesday. In the morning I had an appointment with my heart doctor, he pronounced everything good and said he won't need to see me for another year. The initial incident was in September of 2014 and I've had absolutely no recurrences of any kind since then, let's keep it that way. In the afternoon it began to rain, later in the day it was coming down hard. After supper I went over to McCaskey, the boys were scheduled to host Wilson in the final preseason scrimmage. When I arrived I noticed the bleachers on the west side of the gym were not open for seating and the reason was readily apparent: the gym roof was leaking from the hard rain. The actual playing court itself was OK but the area where the bleachers would have been was affected, the custodial staff had a plastic covering laid down in a effort to protect it. Using the bleachers on the other side of the gym was not an option, they would have covered the auxiliary court where the JV scrimmage was happening so most of the spectators had no choice but to stand. Folding chairs were set up for the teams and a select few (like me) were able to procure one as well but for most of the audience it was like watching a game at the neighborhood schoolyard. JPM starts its season with a game in Coatesville on Saturday the 10th, I'll be absent because of hockey. The first three games are all on the road, the first home game is on Monday the 19th. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 28-30

The new week began with a morning visit to McCaskey, school was closed but the basketball team had a 10:00 scrimmage against Susquehanna Township (from suburban Harrisburg). It was already underway when I arrived and I left before it ended because I had other stops on the agenda. I went to the health campus for some blood work and to the mall from there for lunch. Rain moved into the area late Monday night, Tuesday was a wet day and Wednesday wasn't much better. My mother had a followup appointment with her eye doctor on Tuesday, on Wednesday I had my usual lunch visit in Quarryville. In the evening the Royals finished the month with a game at the Arena, the Wheeling Nailers were the opponent. Another ex-Royal was in attendance, this time it was Riley Armstrong (who played the first half of the '15-16 season in Reading before announcing his retirement) as an assistant coach with the Nailers. Jenny and Helen had other commitments on their calendar and couldn't make the game, my mother and her friend Norma used the tickets in their absence. The Royals began in the ECHL in 2001-2002, only seven cities in the league at that time are still active. Some have had breaks in their lineage but Wheeling has played straight through, the Nailers are celebrating their 25th anniversary season in West Virginia. On this night at the Arena Olivier Labelle cashed in on an power play to give the Royals a 1-0 lead just over a minute after play started. Wheeling tied the score late in the period and went up 2-1 early in the second, as time was winding down the Royals' Tyrell Goulbourne (on assignment from the Phantoms) was involved in an altercation and was decisively victorious. Tyrell is a second-year pro who has developed a reputation as someone not to be trifled with, he had seventy-five penalty minutes in the AHL in '15-16. After the fight the momentum shifted, the third period was reminiscent of the Sunday game against Cincinnati. Five minutes in Nick Luukko found the net to tie it 2-2, four minutes after that Ian Watters tipped in a point shot by Luukko to put the Royals ahead. Three minutes later Matt Wilkins bagged an insurance goal, from there Mark Dekanich closed the door on a 4-2 Royals win. The club has won four straight to improve the record to 10-8-2, 4-3 at home. The boys play two on the road over the weekend, we're back home on Friday the 9th. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 26-27

Saturday night at the Arena as the Royals hosted the Cincinnati Cyclones in the first of a two-game series. The teams have been infrequent opponents in recent years (this was the 'Clones first visit to Reading since November of 2013) but there is a history built largely on playoff meetings. The Royals lost to Cincinnati in the 2008 and 2010 postseasons but were victorious in 2011 and in 2013 on the road to the Kelly Cup. Former Royal Patrick Wellar (a key member of the championship club) was in the building for this series as a Cyclones assistant coach. The Royals finally had a chance to get some quality practice time at home during the week, it paid off with the win in Elmira on Friday and two huge home-ice victories over the Cyclones to wrap up the weekend. In the opener on Saturday the Royals started strong, goals by Olivier Labelle and Matt Wilkins made it 2-0 in the first ten minutes. Cincinnati replied with one in the first and one in the second to tie the score, early in the third Justin Crandall lit the lamp to put the Royals back up 3-2. With three minutes left Labelle took a penalty for roughing but the Royals were able to kill it. As he left the penalty box Labelle outraced a Cyclone defender to the puck and hit the empty net to salt away a tough 4-2 decision, Mark Dekanich got the start in goal and recorded the win. On Sunday the club struggled out of the gate as the Cyclones went ahead 2-0 early in the second period. Late in the period the Royals were awarded a power play, Kevin Sundher's goal with three seconds left on the clock made it 2-1 at the intermission. That goal lit a fire under the team for the third period, they scored three goals in the first six minutes. Nick Luukko's goal tied the score, fifty-seven seconds later Matt Wilkins gave the Royals the lead. Justin Crandall made it 4-2 a minute and-a-half later, the three scores coming in a 2:22 stretch of play. Late in the period Mike Pelech added an insurance marker, the final score was 5-2 for winning goaltender Martin Ouellette. The weekend sweep improves the record to 9-8-2, 3-3 at home. The boys stay home for a date with Wheeling on Wednesday the 30th. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 21-25

The cold and vicious wind velocity was still out in force on Monday, in the evening we were at the rink for the start (and end) of the season's tenth week. The Misfits defeated the Riot to claim the West Division championship three games to one. As the players were arriving in the pregame several of them commented on the cold and wind, I told them that on nights like this we find out who the hearty people are. One player called it the very definition of insanity and to be truthful it would have been hard to argue the point, I believe everyone was just as glad to have the series ended because a potential game #5 on Tuesday would have been played under similar conditions. The season began on September 19 and ended sixty-three days and seventy-six games later. The middle part of the week was quiet save for Wednesday lunch with Jenny, Thursday was a holiday that felt a lot like a Sunday with three different pro football games on TV. On Friday the Royals finished a four-game road trip with a come-from-behind win in Elmira. The early-season schedule has been brutal (thirteen of seventeen on the road) but things are going to start evening out, the club plays its next three at home with Cincinnati coming in for a two-gamer over the weekend and Wheeling in town on the 30th. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 14-20

Monday night at the rink as we began week #9 of the fall street hockey season. The evening featured the start of one series and the end of another, the Steamers won the East Division championship with a fourth-game victory over the UniLords. Team names may change from season to season depending on sponsorship deals (or sometimes due to personal egos or agendas) but most of the teams in our league have a basic nucleus that stays together for a good period of time. This marks the first time since the fall of 2011 that the UniLords (by any name) failed to win their division's championship so for most of the Steamers this is a victory that was a long time coming. The West Division began its final on Monday, the Misfits won the first two games but the Riot stayed alive with a Thursday night victory, game #4 is on Monday the 21st. The rest of the week was otherwise relatively quiet except for seeing Jenny for lunch on Wednesday and Friday, we did Friday instead of Saturday because she was in town for a medical appointment. The most noteworthy part of the weekend was a stunning change in the weather. On Saturday morning I stopped in at McCaskey where the boys' basketball team was working out, the winter practice season actually began on Friday. I gave Coach Powell a list of the dates I will miss because of hockey, as it stands there are seven of them including the opener on December 10. The morning was very warm but in late afternoon it got very dark, the winds picked up and it rained for about an hour. On Sunday temperatures were in the 40s and the winds continued from the northwest with gusts over forty miles per hour, I was more than happy to be inside since there was absolutely no reason to be anywhere else. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 12-13

The Royals completed their season-long eight-game road trip with a Friday night loss in Wheeling, the final mark was 4-3-1 which is about as good as anyone might have expected. On this weekend the boys FINALLY returned home for the first time since October 21. Saturday's activities at the Arena began at 2:00 with the third annual Veterans Appreciation Day Army/Navy game featuring the club teams from West Point and Annapolis. A crew of college officials worked the game, one of them spelled his name in syllabic form so I could accurately pronounce it. The name was "No-see-kay Own-yah-mo-bim" and I have no idea what the correct spelling may have been, in my business it doesn't much matter. Navy won 5-1, since losing the 2014 inaugural game it is their second consecutive victory in the series. At 7:00 the Royals hosted the Manchester Monarchs and suffered a frustrating 6-4 loss. Goals from Mike Pereira and Ryan Penny had the club ahead in the second period but the Mons potted three straight to go up 4-2. In the third period Union College product Matt Wilkins brought the Royals back within one, Manchester answered back just twenty seconds later to make it 5-3. In the final minute Kevin Sundher (five-year pro from Surrey, BC) lit the lamp but a Monarch empty-netter in the dying seconds ended the game, Martin Ouellette was the Royals' goalie of record. On Sunday the Atlanta Gladiators visited for the first time since March of 2014 (when the franchise was still known as "Gwinnett" in honor of the Georgia county it calls home). As maddening as Saturday's game had been it proved to be a mere warmup for what happened on this day. The Glads took a quick 2-0 lead in the first before newcomer Florian Iberer (SEVENTEEN-YEAR veteran from Graz, Austria) got the Royals on the board. The teams would trade the next four goals with Robbie Czarnik and Mike Pereira scoring for the Royals, another Atlanta score late in the second period gave the Glads a 5-3 lead entering the final period. In the third period former Manchester Monarch Michael Boivin brought the club back within one, Steven Swavely tied the score and moments later Nick Luukko found the net to give the Royals a 6-5 lead. The Gladiators did not go away, they tied it up at 6-6 with 1:07 to go and overtime seemed likely but there was still one round left in the chamber. In the final seconds Atlanta got a break in the Royals zone and scored with THREE-TENTHS OF A SECOND left on the clock. Mark Dekanich took the hard-luck 7-6 loss but deserved a better fate. The club's record drops to 6-6-1 with the next four games back on the road. The team returns home on the 26th, by then the boys will have played thirteen of seventeen on the road (better than one-third of the thirty-six away games on the schedule completed by that point). It all evens out by April but obviously that's a long way off. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 7-11

Street hockey playoffs began on Monday and continued on Tuesday and Thursday, by week's end the Steamers led the UniLords two games to one in the best-of-five East Division championship and both of the best-of-three West semifinals had been completed. The Misfits eliminated the Owls in two straight games, the Riot prevailed over the Blues in a series that went the distance. Playoffs continue on Monday the 14th with the Riot-Misfits series starting fresh and the Steamers with a chance to clinch their series. The major events of the week happened away from the rink and they were not entirely pleasant. My mother had an appointment on Tuesday morning, on the way home she was involved in an automobile accident. She was uninjured (except for some soreness later in the week) but the vehicles were not, there was significant damage to both hers and the other party's. We called the service center we use and described the damage, they recommended a body shop they do business with. My mother's car was towed there, later in the week the proprietor called and said their was damage to the chassis underneath and it would be cost-prohibitive to repair it.. He recommended a used car dealer he has been doing business with for years so we'll see what happens going forward. My mother is 82 and she gets around remarkably well for her age but there is the possibility she could lose her licence temporarily or perhaps altogether, it all depends how the state chooses to handle it. On Friday we went to the shop to clean out her car and sign over the title so they can dispose of it, for the next little while I am going to be her wheels. As they say on TV: stay tuned. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 4-6

Friday afternoon in the school library at McCaskey for the annual Athletic Hall-Of-Fame inductions, I attended largely because a classmate of mine from 1974 was one of the honorees. Denise Gobrecht was a three-sport athlete, she participated in field hockey, basketball and track-and-field. We were not in a lot of school classes together but we knew each other because of our involvement in athletics. She attended college at Lock Haven and later coached in the city school district. When I saw her at the ceremony I congratulated her, we embraced and I told her "classmates in '74, fellow Hall-Of-Famers now" (I was honored with induction into the Hall in 2014 but I generally don't make a big deal of it). Four others were inducted in addition to Denise, two of them posthumously. Jack Cassebaum was head football coach at McCaskey from 1969 to 1971, he passed on in 2015. LeRoy Duke wrestled at JPM in the 1940s and coached the sport for many years, he died in 2011. Also honored were Joe Ganse (class of 1971) who played football under "Coach Cass" and Edward "Champ" Hall (class of 1983), a former football and track star who has made his mark as a businessman in the Lancaster area. The HOF activities were still going when I had to take my leave to get prepared for the game at the stadium. The Red Tornado hosted Warwick in the season's final game and came out on the wrong end of a 17-0 decision. The club finishes 4-6 under first-year head coach Eric Spenser but the record at home was a disappointing 1-4. It takes any new coach time to put in a new system and the club improved as the season progressed, hopefully better times are ahead. Saw on the Internet where Lancaster Catholic finished their year at 7-3, in 2017 it will be a new start at LCHS with the opening of the rebuilt Rossmere Stadium. On Saturday we did our usual lunch date in Quarryville, Sunday marked the end of the street hockey league's regular season. Four games rained out on October 27 were on the docket, since it was a Sunday we started at 5:00 instead of the usual 6:15 weeknight start. As the night began three of the games had significance but the result of the first game resolved everything and rendered the rest of the night meaningless. For the record the Owls beat the Riot, the Misfits defeated the Pub Dawgs, the Steamers won over the Kings and the Blues downed the Hammerheads. Playoffs start on Monday the 7th with the East Division finals (Steamers vs UniLords) and the West semifinals (Owls-Misfits and Blues-Riot). Take care, thanks for reading.

October 31-November 3

The tenth month of 2016 ended with a quiet Monday save for a morning visit to the health campus. My mother had a hearing test for which my presence was required, part of the process included what the doctor called "familiar-voice" recognition. We had no hockey at the rink in the evening because of it being trick-or-treat night in the city, we realized a long time ago that it's better to stay home on October 31 and let the troublemakers find another target. On Tuesday we started the new month with four games at the rink, winners on this night included the Misfits over the Blues, the Kings over the Pub Dawgs, the Steamers over the Riot and the UniLords over the Owls. On Wednesday morning Jenny and her mother were in Willow Street for medical appointments, I met them when they were done and we went to the shopping plaza before lunch. Thursday night at the rink featured four more games to close out week #7. On this night the Hammerheads beat the Kings, the Unilords defeated the Pub Dawgs, the Steamers outlasted the Owls and the Blues prevailed over the Riot via overtime shootout. The season was supposed to end on November 3 but there are four makeup games on Sunday the 6th, we plan to start playoffs on the 7th if the weather cooperates. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 24-30

The weather around here has been ridiculously unpredictable, the week began with cooler temperatures but on the weekend it was in the 70s and 80s. Had my usual Monday morning lunch at the mall, in the evening we were at the rink for the start of street hockey week #6. Three games on the schedule with the Misfits winning over the Kings, the UniLords over the Blues and the Riot over the Hammerheads. On Tuesday we had the final three-game night of the regular season, all of the remaining dates have makeup games plugged in at 8:45. On this night the Misfits defeated the Hammerheads, the Owls beat the Pub Dawgs and the UniLords downed the Steamers. On Wednesday Jenny and I had our traditional midweek lunch date, on Thursday rain moved into the area and stayed for most of the day. The night's schedule at the rink was washed out and reset for November 6th. The weekend proper was quiet except for Saturday lunch with Jenny and a Sunday AHL hockey game in Hershey. Marty has a connection for free tickets there, he had called earlier in the week and asked me if I wanted to go to this game since the Phantoms were the opponent and I had nothing else going on. I saw my first live pro game at the old arena in Hershey in 1968, from '73 to about 2001 I was a virtual regular there but things changed with the advent of the Royals. Hershey opened a new arena in 2002 and I still got to several games a year but in recent seasons I cut back severely, this was my first time there since January of 2014 and it didn't take me long to be reminded of why I haven't missed it in the least. The current building has none of the charm and atmosphere the "Old Barn" had and a hockey night in Hershey just isn't the same anymore. When I was younger the games at the old arena were major events, nowadays the experience is lukewarm at best (I guess you could say I've "been there, done that"). The game was tied 2-2 in the second period, the Phantoms goals courtesy of rookie Nicolas Aube-Kubel and veteran Colin McDonald. Late in the period Hershey broke the tie on a power-play and made it stand up for a 3-2 win, third-year pro Anthony Stolarz was the Phantoms goalie of record. There's a possibility that I might go back for another game or two (depending on when Marty can get tickets) but only if it fits into my schedule, Hershey is a place I simply don't go out of my way for anymore. I get the Royals home schedule taken care of and we make it to a Phantoms home game in Allentown each season, anything beyond that is gravy. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 21-23

The warmer weather was still with us on Friday morning, in the afternoon dark clouds began to form in advance of an anticipated cool front. Jenny and her mother were along for the late-afternoon drive north to Reading, about halfway through the trip the skies opened up and we drove through a downpour. When we arrived at the Arena it was noticeably cooler, it had not yet rained in Reading but it did shortly after we were inside. The Royals won in Wheeling on Thursday, on this night the Manchester Monarchs were making the first of their seven regular-season visits. The organization celebrated Oktoberfest and German Heritage Night with a beer mug giveaway featuring former Royals Philipp Grubauer, Patrik Hersley, Charlie Kronschnabel, and Daniel Steiner. The game itself was just about all Manchester, the Mons led 2-0 in the the third period before Steven Swavely lit the lamp to get the Royals on the board. The momentum died quickly as the Monarchs replied with three more and won it going away 5-1, Mark Dekanich made his third straight home start (exhibition game included) in goal and took the loss. The club's mark stands at 2-1-0 in the early going as they prepare to embark on an eight-game road trip, the first game on the swing is on the 26th. According to research it is the longest stretch away from home in club history, the next home game is not until November 12. On Saturday the temperatures were only in the 60s, being outdoors was like being in a wind tunnel. Jenny and I had lunch together, on the way back into town I stopped by the rink. The winds on Friday had been strong from the southeast but they had shifted to out of the northwest with the cooler weather. There were a good number of leaves on the rink surface but the northwest wind had them in pockets in the corners, on Sunday after the early football games were over I went to the rink and cleaned them up. I'm sure there will be work to do on Monday as well but at least the weekend portion is done, winds are supposed to continue from the west/northwest so we'll take Monday as it comes. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 17-20

The weather forecast for the week called for abnormally high temperatures (the proverbial Indian Summer) and that is exactly what we got. Daytime highs in the 80s on Tuesday and Wednesday broke the records for those dates, the old marks for October 18 and 19 around here had stood since 1963. On Monday we were at the rink for the start of week #5, we had four games on the docket including a makeup from September 29. The Riot defeated the Kings, the UniLords beat the Misfits, the Blues outlasted the Pub Dawgs and the Owls won via overtime shootout over the Hammerheads. Tuesday night featured the standard three-game card, winners on this night included the Misfits over the Owls, the Riot over the Pub Dawgs and the Steamers over the Blues. On Wednesday morning Jenny had an appointment in town, the access van brought her in from Quarryville. I provided the return trip and we had our usual midweek lunch. On Thursday it was somewhat cooler (if temperatures in the 70s can be considered cooler), in the evening we finished the week's schedule with another four-game night. Two of the games were rematches from earlier in the week thanks to the makeups, the Pub Dawgs over the Blues and the Misfits over the Owls. In the other games the UniLords defeated the Kings and the Steamers beat the Hammerheads. With five weeks in the books we are right where we should be, all postponements are made up and every team has played ten games with four remaining. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 15-16

Saturday night at the Arena in downtown Reading for Opening Night of the 2016-17 ECHL season, "Hometown Hockey" is the Royals' marketing slogan for the new year. The Elmira Jackals were the opponent making the first of their five regular-season visits. The Royals' opening-night roster features thirteen players who appeared for the club in '15-16, in addition popular former Royal Olivier Labelle is back with the team after spending a season playing in France. The Royals came out strong in the opening period scoring three times in the first ten minutes. Perhaps it was only appropriate for Labelle to score the season's first goal, just over a minute later Reading native Steven Swavely lit the lamp to make it 2-0 (Swavely is a first-year pro on assignment from the AHL Phantoms, he played as a collegian at the University Of Maine). Two minutes after Swavely's score veteran newcomer Kris Newbury (fourteen-year pro with seventy-six NHL games to his credit) extended the advantage to three but the Jackals got one back, another Elmira score early in the second made it 3-2. Late in the period Chris McCarthy (third year pro, Phantoms assignee from the University Of Vermont) gave the Royals some wiggle room, in the final period Labelle bagged his second goal of the night to up the lead to three. A final score by Ryan Penny (second-year pro from Fall River, Nova Scotia) rounded out a 6-2 win on a night that could not have gone much better, Mark Dekanich was the winner in net. The night's Three Stars were all Royals, Penny at #3, Newbury #2 and Labelle #1. The boys play in Wheeling on Thursday the 20th, the next home game is the 21st against Manchester. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 13-14

Thursday night at the rink as we wrapped up week #4 of the street hockey season. Earlier in the week I found out that October 31 is "trick-or-treat" night in the city, the last few years it's been on the Friday closest to the 31st. On that basis I grudgingly scheduled games for the 31st when the schedule was formulated but this news changes everything, there is no way we are playing games on T-or-T night because experience has taught us otherwise. The teams involved are all aware of the situation, we'll have some four-game nights to work the games in and stay on schedule. Thursday night featured three games, two of them were resolved via overtime shootout. The Riot defeated the Misfits and the Blues outlasted the Owls, in regulation play the Steamers beat the Pub Dawgs. Friday night was a football night in Lancaster, both Lancaster Catholic and McCaskey were playing at home. I was of course at McCaskey (seniority taking precedence) but a small part of me was at LCHS because the game there was the final game scheduled at Rossmere Stadium. It is being torn down and completely rebuilt on the same site, the playing field will be reoriented north-south instead of east-west. I did not attend LCHS but I've being doing their games when I'm available since 1996 and I must admit I feel an affection for the place and I'll miss it. I'm looking forward to seeing the progress of the new stadium's construction, I've seen pictures of what it will look like and it is impressive. The Crusaders sent the old ballpark out with a 45-0 win, across town at McCaskey the game I worked was eminently forgettable. The Red Tornado started the year 2-1 but had lost three straight, on this night the streak reached four with a lackluster 23-8 loss to Hempfield. The only score for JPM came in the third quarter when a McCaskey ball-carrier fumbled at the goal-line, offensive lineman Geraldo Medina covered the ball in the end zone for the TD. New quarterback Ante Robinson rushed for the two-point conversion. JPM plays the next two on the road, the last home game is on November 4 against Warwick. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 10-12

Hit the mall for lunch on Monday morning, after that I stopped by the rink and did some cleanup work for the evening's games. It was a head-start for Don since he would be running things in my absence. On this night the Royals hosted their annual "meet and greet" for season ticket holders at the Arena, an event Jenny and Helen always enjoy attending. In past years the players would be seated at tables around the concourse but this year the layout was different. The arena had hosted a concert on Sunday night and the floor covering the ice was still down, the tables were set up on the floor and the fans were directed to ice level. The ice was uncovered at one end and fans were invited to take shots at the goal so the entire night had a very different feel. Twenty-one players were there and Jenny got everyone's autograph plus photos with her personal favorites. As she made her way around I walked along at a respectable distance, I was actually approached by a few good folks who asked me for my autograph. It doesn't happen often but I never stiff anybody who asks. A fan once came to the penalty bench before a game and tapped on the glass to get my attention. He then knelt down with his back to me and took a selfie with me in the background. In the photo it was not apparent that there was a pane of glass between us, it looked for all the world that we had actually posed together. The M&G started at 6:00 and wound down at 8:00, by the time I was back in town the night at Reservoir Park was over. On Tuesday I was back in the house for the three games scheduled, winners on this night were the Kings over the Owls, the Hammerheads over the Pub Dawgs and the UniLords over the Riot. Wednesday featured morning lunch with Jenny, the rest of the day was quiet since there were no games at the rink. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 7-9

Friday night on Penn Street in downtown Reading, the Santander Arena was the site for preseason hockey. The Royals are beginning their sixteenth season in the ECHL and it's hard to believe for two reasons: (1) that it's actually been that long already, and (2) I was there when it all began back in 2001. Obviously there is work involved in what I do but it's always better when you're in an environment where it's actually FUN to be there and the job is not made into a chore. On this night the Elmira Jackals were the opponent, the Royals have a fair number of returnees in camp but as is usually the case in preseason most of the players in uniform were those "on the bubble". Head coach Larry Courville observed the action from the suite level, assistant coach Kirk MacDonald (a member of the 2013 Kelly Cup squad) ran the game at the bench. The Royals lost 3-1, the lone score coming courtesy of rookie Zach Hall (from Belleville, Ontario). Veteran goaltender Mark Dekanich (signed in the off-season as a free agent by the Flyers organization) got the start and took the loss. On Saturday morning I was out and at it early, there was a soccer doubleheader going on at McCaskey. Jon Mitchell had asked me if I could work this, it was the girls team's Senior Day and they were playing in the stadium. That's one of the great things about my vocation: one night I'm working a pro event with several thousand in attendance, the next morning it's a high school game in front of several DOZEN. The JV game kicked off at 9:00, the senior ceremonies preceded the varsity game at 11:00. McCaskey's girls soccer program has struggled this season, on this day both games ended in shutout losses. In the evening the Royals played the back end of the exhibition home-and-home in Elmira. The boys lost that game as well but the results of preseason games are meaningless, it's all about evaluating the talent and figuring out who makes the cut. The Royals begin the regular season at home on Saturday the 15th against Elmira, the first of five times the Jackals visit during the regular year. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 1-6

The damp weather conditions lingered through the rest of the weekend, the only noteworthy activity was Saturday lunch with Jenny. On Monday morning I was at the dentist for a routine checkup (a wonderful way to start a new week), in the evening we were at the rink. On this night the Kings beat the Riot, the Owls defeated the Hammerheads and the Blues outlasted the Steamers. Tuesday night featured four games, the three regularly-scheduled plus one of the makeups from September 29. Winners were the Pub Dawgs over the Owls, the Blues over the Kings, the UniLords over the Misfits and the Steamers over the Hammerheads. Jenny and I had our usual midweek lunch date on Wednesday, on Thursday we completed week #3 at the rink. The Misfits defeated the Hammerheads, the Riot vanquished the Pub Dawgs and the Steamers beat the UniLords. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 26-30

The weather turned noticeably cooler over the weekend, on Monday evening at the rink we started week #2 of street hockey season. Winners on this night were the Riot over the Hammerheads, the UniLords over the Kings and the Misfits over the Blues. On Tuesday Jenny was not in town, she asked if we could do our midweek lunch a day early. At the rink in the evening the Kings beat the Pub Dawgs, the UniLords defeated the Owls and the Steamers knocked off the Riot. Rain moved into our area on Wednesday afternoon and stayed around into the evening hours, had there been games scheduled at the rink they would have been postponed. The dreary conditions hung around into Thursday, we had some heavy rain in the morning and afternoon. There was more in the evening forecast, at 5:00 Don and I talked it over and we postponed the night's schedule. It turned out to be the right move, by 7:00 the rain was coming down steadily. We play three games a night starting at 6:15, the makeup games were plugged into the time slot after the 8:00 games on October 4, 17 and 20. On Friday morning I was up north in Berks County for the first time in many months. The Reading newspaper had done a series of stories over the summer highlighting the top baseball players in the city's history, I had been a part of the selection committee. On this day the author of the stories invited the group to lunch, we met at a cafe in the northern suburbs. We had only been all together one other time (that was at a meeting in February when the idea was conceived), the voting process was all done by e-mail. Most of us have known one another for a long time but for me it was special because my association with pro ball in Reading has been over since 2012 and I don't see these people as often anymore. I appreciated being asked to be a part of the committee because having your opinions wanted and respected is a good feeling that doesn't always happen (especially where they should know better but ego and arrogance prevent it). After the gathering broke up I made a trip to the newly-opened Royals ticket center which ironically is only about a mile from the cafe we ate at. The hockey club begins its sixteenth season with an exhibition game at the Arena on October 7, they established this satellite location for ticket sales over the summer. I dropped in to pick up the ticket packages for Jenny and her mother so we'll be all set for the home opener on the 15th. I finally arrived home around 4:00 or so, with the weather still damp and misty I elected to stay in for the evening and relax (no football games to work since both JPM and LCHS were away). Take care, thanks for reading.

September 23-25

Friday night football in Lancaster, the Red Tornado opened league play at home against Conestoga Valley. Quite a few familiar faces in the house on this night, two of CV's assistant coaches used to play in the league at Reservoir Park and another is a Berks County native who recognized me and gave me the old "aren't you the PA guy in Reading?" bit. At halftime a member of our event staff told me that a fan said to her "your PA guy sounds like Verne Lundquist" (the longtime network broadcaster best known for college football). I would never put myself on that level but it's certainly a nice compliment, at least he didn't say I sounded like crap (or another word somewhat stronger in more ways than one). CV scored the game's first touchdown but JPM responded on a Jathan Gonzalez scramble to tie matters at 7-7. The Red Tornado fell behind by fourteen in the second quarter, just before halftime Greg Nunez (in at defensive end) picked off a CV pass attempt and took it home to make it 21-14. The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, JPM's came courtesy of an R.J. Godwin scoring rush but in the final stanza the game fell apart. CV extended the lead to nine on a safety, two added touchdowns put the lid on a 43-21 decision. JPM drops to 2-2 overall, the next home game is on October 14. The rest of the weekend had little going of note, I had planned on going to York on Saturday night but the Sugar Land Skeeters had other ideas. The Skeeters eliminated the York Revolution in the first round of Atlantic League playoffs, the clincher was in York on Friday. The Revs finished the regular year at 74-66, here in Lancaster the Barnstormers checked in at 67-73. I was at thirty-seven of the Stormers' sixty-six home dates (that grows to forty if you count two exhibition games and the All-Star Game) and for good measure I made it to York thirteen times (impressive in itself since they did away with the Sunday 5:00 games which were always good for me). The end of baseball season is a sure sign of autumn, ice hockey season is just around the corner. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 19-22

I had gone to the rink after supper on Sunday to do some prelim work for the start of the new season, it was by design because rain was in the forecast for overnight/early morning on Monday. There were leaves on the rink surface, I ran the Billy-Goat around to get rid of them. When the rain arrived overnight the surface of the rink was bare and that makes a big difference. The weather cleared in early afternoon, the opening night of our 75th championship season went on without issue. The first season at Reservoir Park was in the fall of 1979, we've played every spring and autumn since then. We have nine teams in the league for the new season, down two from the spring. One team disbanded for lack of players and another broke up because their captain wanted to move them to our so-called "upper" division and half the roster told him they wouldn't play if he did (I was always told that playing stronger competition makes you better but maybe that's just me). As it is we are playing a fourteen-game full crossover schedule format, every team gets two games against six opponents and one game with the remaining two. We play three games each on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The opening night lineup featured the UniLords over the Blues, the Riot over the Owls and the Steamers over the Misfits. On Tuesday the three teams that hadn't played on Monday made their season debuts. The Owls defeated the Kings, the Hammerheads beat the Pub Dawgs and the UniLords won over the Riot. Wednesday lunch with Jenny in Quarryville was the highlight of that day, on Thursday we wrapped up the week at the rink. The Misfits beat the Pub Dawgs, the Hammerheads prevailed over the Blues and the Steamers knocked off the Kings. The regular season runs through November 3. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 16-18

Friday night at McCaskey for week #3 of football season, the Red Tornado hosting Reading High in the last of the three non-league games. It goes without saying that I always run into familiar faces when RHS and JPM get together, this night was no exception. The Red Tornado went up 7-0 in the opening quarter on an R.J. Godwin TD run but RHS responded with two touchdowns of their own, at halftime JPM trailed 13-7. In the second half the momentum turned suddenly and stunningly thanks largely to a renewed defensive effort, RHS received the kickoff and fumbled on their first play from scrimmage. Defensive back Richard Scarborough scooped up the loose ball and returned it for the six-pointer, Nick Allen's PAT put JPM ahead 14-13. QB Jathan Gonzalez found tight end Greg Nunez for another score, on RHS's next possession an ill-advised pass from the end zone was intercepted and cashed in for six by D-back Anthony DeLeon. Early in the final quarter Gonzalez rushed for a touchdown, on the next series he connected with wideout Isaiah Speller for another score. The thirty-four unanswered points ended the competitive portion of the game, RHS added a late cosmetic TD to bring the final score to 41-19. JPM improves to 2-1, the league schedule opens on the 23rd at home against Conestoga Valley. The rest of the weekend was quiet except for Saturday lunch with Jenny but business is about to pick up with the start of street hockey season on the horizon. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 14-15

Wednesday morning in Quarryville with Jenny and her mother, we celebrated Helen's birthday a day early (she turned 79 on Thursday). The annual Solanco Fair was underway, after lunch we went over to the fairgrounds and walked through the exhibit tents. After supper I was back at the ballpark for the last ballgame in Lancaster in 2016, the Barnstormers and Revolution meeting for the twentieth and final time. The Stormers were officially eliminated from playoff contention when Sugar Land won their game on Tuesday, before this game the ballclub announced its end-of-season awards. Pete Andrelczyk won the community service award for the third straight year and closer Cory Burns was voted by the fans as the team MVP. The Revs went up 1-0 in the first on an Andres Perez base hit, the Stormers tied it in the bottom half on a Trayvon Robinson RBI triple. The visitors took the lead again in the third on a Perez sac fly, in the bottom of the fifth the home team went ahead for good on a two-run double from Dean Wilson. The Stormers' lead grew to 4-2 in the sixth on Robinson's RBI double, in the ninth Isaias Tejeda's run-scoring double drew the Revs to within one but the Stormers held on for the 4-3 win. The starting pitchers were of record, Joey Maher on the plus side and Ty'Relle Harris on the minus with Cory Burns earning the save. The Barnstormers wrap up the home schedule at 32-38, they finish the season with a weekend series in Bridgeport. The Revolution finishes at home over the weekend, in the playoffs they meet Sugar Land in a rematch of the 2014 semifinal round. A possible game #4 is on the 24th in York, I plan to be there if it works out. On Thursday Don and I firmed up the plan for the fall street hockey season, we start at Reservoir Park on Monday the 19th. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 13

Saw on the Internet where the Barnstormers won the nightcap on Monday by a score of 11-6, the game wasn't over until almost 11:30. I empathize with the good folks working at the ballpark in situations like that because I lived that life for 35 years (truth be known, I'd probably still be living it had it not been poisoned by ego and arrogance). On Tuesday the Revs and Stormers met in game #3, on this night the Barnstormers' offensive awakening continued with two runs in the first inning on a Trayvon Robinson home run and a Sean Halton RBI double. In the third Josh Bell went yard with two men on, Halton followed with a solo shot to put the Stormers up 6-0. The Revs got back into the ballgame in the fourth, a Michael Rockett RBI hit and a two-run double by Bryan Pounds made it 6-3. The Stormers added two in the sixth on a sac fly by Robinson and an RBI hit by Bell to extend the lead to five. Jared Mitchell's solo home run in the seventh brought the Revs within four, in the ninth ex-Stormer Travis Witherspoon's two-run home run made it 8-6 which would prove to be the final score. Cory Burns saved it for winning pitcher Joe Gardner, James Simmons took the loss for the Revs. The win puts the Stormers up 10-9 in the season series with one game left, that insures that the Community Cup stays east of the river in 2016. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 12

Monday morning lunch at the mall as is per usual, in the evening I was back at the ballpark. The Barnstormers' final home series began on this night with the York Revolution visiting from west of the river. Every season the teams play for the Community Cup, the Stormers won the season series in 2015 but entering Monday the 2016 series stood 8-8 with four games remaining. The last time the Revs were in town the final game was rained out, on this evening the makeup doubleheader got underway at 6:00. In the opener the respective starting pitchers were the story. Ex-Phillies property Frank Gailey worked seven scoreless innings for the Revs with one-time Dodger property Luis Gonzalez matching it for the Barnstormers. R.J. Hively took over on the mound in the visiting eighth (the first extra inning in a doubleheader game), with two out Michael Rockett singled and Bryan Pounds followed with a RBI double to put the Revs up 1-0. In the bottom half ex-Stormer Nate Reed entered and closed out the Revs' win for Gailey, Hively was the Stormers' pitcher of record. The game ended around 8:15 or so, the nightcap got started at 8:50. I hung around for about two innings and elected to call it a night. The clubs hook up for single games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 10-11

The morning newspaper had a story about the incident at the game in York on Friday night. Apparently an argument broke out between two spectators on the home side of the stadium, security staff escorted the participants from the venue and the dispute was renewed in the parking lot. It escalated to the point where firearms became involved, the police were called in and the entire area was placed on lockdown. The game itself was stopped at that point, JPM was up 26-6 with eight minutes to go so the game was declared official (talk about a hell of a way to win a game). By all accounts the incident involved nobody from McCaskey or the city of Lancaster, they just happened to be the opponent present when it took place. All I can say is I'm singularly happy I was elsewhere. I was with Jenny in Quarryville on Saturday morning, after lunch she and her mother came back to town for the evening's ballgame on North Prince Street. Since this was their last game for the season we sat in the main grandstand instead of on the hill, a friend had given me some vouchers for the seats. The Bridgeport Bluefish were the opponent, they had won the opening game of the series on Friday. On this night the Fish took a 1-0 lead in the second, the Barnstormers replied in the bottom half on a Sean Halton two-run home run. Bridgeport responded in kind with a two-spot of their own in the third, K.C. Hobson's solo homer in the home half tied the score at 3-3. The Bluefish took a one-run lead in the fourth, that advantage held up until the Stormers batted in the eighth. Josh Bell started the inning with a single, Halton followed with an RBI double to tie the score. Halton tried to stretch his hit into a triple but was out at third for the first out of the inning. Mike Jacobs was the next batter, his solo home run to right field gave the Barnstormers a 5-4 lead. In the ninth Cory Burns shut the Fish down to save the win for Pete Andrelczyk, Connor Root had started but worked only into the fourth inning on a warm and humid evening. The series wrapped up on Sunday but I was typically absent, with temperatures in the 80s and pro football opening its season on TV there was no incentive to go outside. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 9

The unusually warm weather was out in force on Friday, in the evening I was at the sauna bath known as the press box at Rossmere Stadium. When the high school football schedule was released I noted three occasions when Lancaster Catholic played at home on the same night as McCaskey. In August the Royals announced an exhibition game on another night when LCHS is at home so on this night I was making both my season debut and exit at Rossmere Stadium. The Crusaders hosted Waynesboro in a non-league game, Waynesboro is about 75 miles west-southwest of Lancaster and only about two miles north of the Mason-Dixon Line. I remember going there for a basketball game with JPM back in 1993 and it was a brutally long trip, we never went back and nobody ever complained about it. The intense heat was allowed for by the officiating crew, on several changes of possession the teams were permitted extra time to re-hydrate on the sidelines. I had a wet towel around my neck for some comfort but it didn't help much, I spent as much time wiping my face as I did calling the game. When I work football I watch the game through my binoculars but this night was difficult because the heat was causing both the binoculars and the lenses of my eyeglasses to fog up, I managed to muddle through but it wasn't easy. Waynesboro scored an early TD but the Crusaders evened it on a touchdown pass from QB Brian Downey to wideout Andrew Miklos. In the second quarter Waynesboro went up 14-7 but just before halftime Downy found tight end Ricky Poillon in the end zone to tie the score. In the third quarter LCHS put ten points on the board, a field goal by Connor Engle was followed by another Downey/Mikos TD connection. Waynesboro scored a late touchdown but the Crusaders held on for the 24-21 win to even their record at 1-1. The extra breaks for water contributed to the game running later than usual, we started at 7:00 and weren't done until almost 10:00. When I arrived home I took the mother of all showers and sat down in the AC to relax. Saw on the Internet where McCaskey won their game in York, apparently there was an incident outside the stadium that caused the game to be called early. There weren't a lot of details available but maybe we'll know more in the morning. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 6-8

Temperatures were higher than normal during the middle part of the week, on Thursday they reached into the 90s. The Barnstormers returned home on Tuesday for a three-game series with the New Britain Bees. The ballclub's postseason hopes took a major hit as they scored just six runs in the three games and suffered three losses. In the Tuesday opener The Stormers went up 1-0 in the first, Trayvon Robinson reached on an error and scored on a sac fly by Josh Bell. New Britain replied with single runs in the second and third, a two-run sixth extended the lead to three. In the home seventh Kevin Ahrens doubled and scored on Dean Wilson's RBI groundout to make it 4-2 (Wilson is a recent addition, in 2015 he played for Evansville in the Frontier League). That would prove to be the final score, Justin Jackson was the pitcher of record. On Wednesday in game #2 the Bees scored in the first but the Stormers pulled even in their half, Caleb Gindl walked and scored on a fielder's choice. That would be the lone run for the club in a 3-1 loss, Tanner Peters (just back from a stint on the DL) took the loss in relief. Thursday's game was decided early on, New Britain scored four in the second and were never headed in a 14-3 win. The Stormers scored single runs in the third on a Yusuke Kajimoto home run, in the eighth on a K.C. Hobson single/Sean Halton sac fly and in the ninth on a Chase Patterson double/Caleb Gindl groundout. Patterson is a catcher/outfielder formerly of the Miami Marlins system, he has been seldom-used most of the season but has earned more time down the stretch. Joe Gardner (a Stormer in '14 and '15, recently returned) started and took the loss. The Bridgeport Bluefish come to town for the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 5

I've always considered Labor Day Monday to be the end of summer largely because when I was a kid the first day of school was always the very next day. I had lunch at the mall as usual for a Monday, in the afternoon I made the drive west for one final regular season game in York. The Revolution hosted Southern Maryland for a special 5:00 holiday start, this game was over almost from the proverbial word Go. The Blue Crabs scored two in the first and added one in the second, a seven-run salvo (including four home runs) in the third made it 10-0 for the visitors. Josh Wilson hit a solo shot in the sixth to get the Revs on the board but that was the lone score for York in an 11-1 loss, Tony Pena started on the mound and took the loss. The Revs play at home on the season's final weekend but in all likelihood this was my last time there until playoffs. A possible game #4 of the first round is on Saturday the 24th, I'd like to make that if it works out. Take care, thanks for reading

September 1-4

The ninth month of 2016 began on a Thursday, the Barnstormers hosted Long Island in the final game of their series but I was not there. We had our organizational meeting for the fall street hockey season at the rink. We had about seven or eight teams represented but not all were there, the target date to start is Monday the 19th. On Friday Jenny was in town (no migraines on this day), we had lunch together at the plaza. In the evening I was at McCaskey for the opening weekend of high school football and my 29th year behind the mic on the PA. Former head coach Jack Neal was in attendance, he was the head man at JPM from 1986 to 1997. I asked him if he wanted to hear something that would us all feel old and noted that it was my 29th year, he agreed that time marches on and there's nothing any of us can do to stop it. State College HS was the opponent, they are from a town in the central part of the state perhaps much better known for college football. SC was a state-ranked team and JPM is starting over with a new head coach so nobody seemed to be expecting a competitive game. SC led 14-0 at the half but in the third quarter JPM took advantage of a turnover and a short field to get on the board. Returning QB Jathan Gonzalez rushed for a TD, kicker Nick Allen's PAT made it 14-7. Another SC touchdown and a field goal put the visitors ahead by seventeen, on the game's final play Gonzalez ran for his second score to bring the final to 24 13 (the PAT was not attempted because no time remained on the clock). New coach Eric Spencer is a former head coach at the high school level and has collegiate experience as an assistant, he is returning to the sidelines after several years away for family reasons. He takes over for Rob Monzon who stepped down at the end of 2015 for family considerations of his own. Anyone who knows anything about football knows that it takes time to institute a new system, how this season plays out is anybody's guess. The next home game is on the 16th against Reading High. The rest of the weekend was quiet except for Saturday lunch with Jenny. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 31

Saw on the internet where the Barnstormers won the nightcap on Tuesday, it ended shortly after 10:30. Anytime a doubleheader is completed in less than five hours is rare, this was just a touch over four-and-a-half which is almost unheard of (and I can speak from experience, I lived that life for thirty-five years). Spent Wednesday morning in Quarryville with Jenny, in the afternoon a brief rain shower passed through the area. I went over to the ballpark at 6:00, the tarp was still on the field in anticipation of another system approaching from the west. By 7:30 the rain was finally gone, the tarp was rolled up and the game started around 8:15. Justin Jackson got the call on the mound and pitched five perfect innings, in the sixth Long Island touched him for two hits and a run to go up 1-0. In the seventh Blake Gailen hit a solo home run to tie the score, K.C. Hobson's RBI hit put the Barnstormers ahead 2-1. That was the final score as Jackson picked up the win allowing just three hits over seven innings, Pete Andrelczyk worked a spotless eighth with Cory Burns finishing it for the save. Historical footnote: Gailen's home run was his 62nd as a Barnstormer which sets a new club record, the old mark was held by Lance Burkhart (an original Stormer from 2005 to 2008). Take care, thanks for reading.

August 30

My mother had an eye doctor appointment on Tuesday morning for which she needed a driver. I had planned on seeing Jenny for lunch in the meantime but a migraine headache forced her to stay home. In the evening we were back at the ballpark, the Barnstormers and the Ducks meeting for a double-dipper starting at 6:00. This was the makeup from July 4 when the clubs played four scoreless innings in a steady rain before conditions deteriorated beyond salvation. On this night there were no weather concerns of any kind, it was a picture-perfect night for baseball. In the opener Long Island jumped out to a three-run lead in the third, K.C. Hobson's solo home run in the fourth got the Stormers on the board at 3-1. The Ducks added two in the sixth to go up by four, Mike Jacob's RBI hit in the bottom half made it 5-2 which proved to be the final score. First-year professional Connor Root (from Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts) got the start and took the loss. The seven-inning game was over shortly before 8:00, the nightcap started about thirty minutes later. K.C. Hobson continued his hot streak with a two-run home run in the first inning, Long Island scored a single run in the third. At that point it was close to 10:00, I decided to bag it and head home for a hot shower. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 29

Monday morning lunch at the mall, in the evening we were back at the ballpark. The Long Island Ducks were in town for the start of a four-day five-game series. The Ducks took a 1-0 lead in the second and increased the advantage to four by the seventh inning. In the home seventh Kevin Ahrens hit a solo home run to put the Stormers on the board but that would be the lone score for the home team, starting pitcher Joey Maher (recently added from the New York Yankees organization) worked six-plus innings and took the 4-1 loss. The series continues with a makeup doubleheader on Tuesday (a result of the rainout back on July 4) and single games on Wednesday and Thursday. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 26-28

We enjoyed a few days of cooler weather at the start of the week but the oven was back open for the weekend. Friday night baseball on North Prince Street, the Bridgeport Bluefish were the opponent in the opener of a three-game series. In the Atlantic League roster turnover is a way of life, earlier in the week the Barnstormers lost two pitchers to affiliated leagues and another player left the club to be with his wife as they await the arrival of their first child. On this night the Stormers jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning. Caleb Gindl started the game with a solo home run, Trayvon Robinson followed with a double and rode home on K.C. Hobson's two-run shot onto the picnic deck in right field. Hobson went yard again in the third to make it 4-0 but the Bluefish rallied to within one run in the seventh. A two-run homer by Robinson in the eighth put the cap on a 6-3 Barnstormer win, pitcher/infielder Justin Jackson got the start on the mound and worked six solid innings for the W. On Saturday we had our usual lunch in Quarryville, in the evening Jenny and her mother were along for game #2. This night saw the Stormers go up 1-0 in the first on another Hobson longball but the Bluefish scored the next six runs. The home team got one back in the sixth on a Mike Jacobs sacrifice fly but a four-spot in the Bridgeport seventh put it away as the 'Fish won it 10-2. Relief pitcher Hitoshi Fujie made the spot start and went three innings, he was followed by R.J. Hively and newcomers Ben Ancheff and former New York Yankee property Jonny Drozd. Ancheff is an interesting story, he was a three-sport star in high school (football as an offensive lineman and wrestling as a heavyweight in addition to baseball) and played college ball at St. Thomas University in Florida. On this night he made his professional debut and was the Stormers' pitcher of record. The series finished on Sunday in the typical afternoon heat with a Barnstormers victory, the ballclub stays home for a series against Long Island beginning on Monday night. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 22-25

The early part of the new week featured the final two nights of summer street hockey with a ballgame thrown in for good measure. On Tuesday we played night #8 of hockey, Green versus Tan and Blue versus Orange. Thursday was the final night with Green facing Blue and Tan against Orange. The final standings (which are of course completely meaningless) featured one team at 7-2, two tied at 4-5 and the last at 3-6. A total of fifty-eight players participated with forty-three appearing in at least five of their team's nine games. This was the first time we had run a summer season since 2008 and it was very well-received, some of the guys were actually sorry to see it end. On Wednesday morning I was with Jenny, we had our usual midweek lunch in Quarryville. In the evening I made another trip west across the river, the York Revs were hosting the Sugar Land Skeeters. York won the series opener on Tuesday in walkoff fashion, on this night it was just about all Skeeters. The Revs scored in the second on a Josh Wilson RBI single, in the fourth on Bryan Pounds's run-scoring single, in the seventh on a Sugar Land error and in the eighth on Keith Castillo's RBI hit. In the meantime the Skeeters put together several big innings and won it going away 14-4, James Simmons got the start for the Revs and suffered the loss. This was my twelfth game in York thus far in 2016, three each in May, June, July and August (that symmetry was not planned, it just worked out that way). The Revs have a 5:00 game on Labor Day Monday so I should be there at least once more during the regular season, depending on the schedule I could make a playoff game but we shall see. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 20-21

Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother, in the evening we were back at the ballpark for game #2 between the Revs and Stormers. This was the Barnstormers' first Saturday home game since July 23 but for us it was the first one since the 16th (we missed the 23rd because of that birthday party). Another noteworthy sports celebrity meet-and-greet was the special attraction, on this night it featured former pro basketball star Dennis Rodman. In the game itself the visiting Revs went up 1-0 in the second on a Keith Castillo solo home run. In the home third the Stormers tied it on a Caleb Gindl RBI double, Treyvon Robinson followed with a two-run shot to make it 3-1. In the fifth the Revolution scored three of their own on a sac fly RBI from Kevin Rivers, an Isaias Tejeda single and a Travis Witherspoon triple but the Stormers evened it 4-4 in the bottom half on Blake Gailen's solo home run. In the seventh the Revs took the lead for good on back-to-back jacks, Andres Perez's two-run shot followed by a solo from Tejeda. The Stormers closed to within 7-5 in the bottom half on a Gindl sac fly but Witherspoon's three-run home run in the eighth put the Revs up 10-5. K.C. Hobson's solo home run in the bottom half was offset by an RBI double by Michael Rockett in the top of the ninth, when the smoke cleared the Revs emerged with the 11-6 decision. Micah Owings went seven innings for the victory, Ryan Dennick was the loser in relief of Terry Doyle. The series was set to end on Sunday in the afternoon heat but Mother Nature made her presence known, several early-afternoon thunderstorms forced postponement. The season series stands tied at 8-8, the Community Cup will be decided when the clubs meet up again for three days in Lancaster in September (that series includes a doubleheader thanks to the Sunday rainout). Take care, thanks for reading.

August 19

Friday night baseball on North Prince Street, the Barnstormers hosting the York Revolution as the War Of The Roses (Atlantic League version) continued on the east side of the river. The Revs were the last visiting club I had not seen thus far in Lancaster, they were in town back in May for a weeknight series when I had other things going on. The Barnstormers were home from a seven-day road trip, this was just the fourth home date the club has had in August. Former big-leaguer Jose Canseco was in the house, he participated in a pregame home run derby and a meet-and-greet session during the game itself. On this night the visiting Revs held their own home run derby, it started with a three-run shot by Bryan Pounds in the second inning. The Stormers got on the board in the third, Kevin Ahrens singled and scored on an error to make it 3-1. A solo homer by ex-Barnstormer Kevin Rivers gave the Revs a 4-1 lead in the fifth, Sean Halton replied with an RBI single in the sixth to draw the Home Team within two. Andres Perez went yard in the eighth to extend the Revs' advantage, in the ninth a seven-run salvo ended all controversy. RBI hits by Rivers and Keith Castillo (another ex-Stormer), a two-run double by Isaias Tejeda and a three-run bomb by Michael Rockett salted the game away. The Barnstormers picked up a cosmetic run in the bottom half on an Ahrens RBI hit but it mattered little, the Revolution winning emphatically 12-3. The starting pitchers were of record, Tony Pena for the Revs and Bryan Evans for the Stormers. The series continues on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 15-18

The first few days of the new week consisted of warm temperatures, two nights of street hockey and one very noteworthy day. Tuesday the 16th was Jenny's birthday, she was in town on business and we had lunch together. I had asked her if she wanted her gift that day or on Wednesday when I would be at her place, she elected to take it on Tuesday. She didn't ask for much because she has very modest tastes but she was very happy with what she received. I've said it many times and I'll say it again: we've been together since the early part of 2002 and my life would be empty without her, she means the world to me and nobody could ever take her place. The celebration (as it were) continued on Wednesday, we had lunch for the first time in many months at a favorite spot in the southern end of the county. There is a pizza/sandwich shop located outside of Quarryville that was devastated by fire in September of 2015, they recently reopened and this was our first time back there. It is a family business run by good people and it's great to see them back up and running. On Tuesday night we played night #6 of summer hockey, the second go-around for Orange vs Tan and Blue vs Green. Thursday night began the final-third of the schedule, Tan met Blue and Orange opposed Green. The season winds down with games on the 23 and 25th. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 12-14

The projected weather forecast for the weekend was spot on, it was plain and simply uncomfortable, pasty and HOT. On Friday I made another trip west to York, the Revs opened a series against the Bridgeport Bluefish. Offensive highlights were few and far between for the home team on this night, the visiting Bluefish scored three in the second and were never headed in a 6-0 win. The Revolution had thirteen baserunners over the course of nine innings but only four base hits, none coming in a key spot. James Simmons started and went six innings, he was followed for an inning apiece by Luis Perdomo, ex-Camden Rivershark Michael Click and former Cincinnati Red Jose Arredondo. Saturday lunch with Jenny was effectively the end of the weekend, there was nothing else left to do largely because of the weather. There were all sorts of excessive heat warnings and advisories posted, the message seemed to be "unless you HAVE to be outside, STAY IN" and I took them at their word. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 10-11

Had lunch with Jenny on Wednesday morning in Quarryville, in the evening I was at the ballpark on North Prince Street. The Barnstormers recently completed a twelve-day road trip, on Tuesday they opened a three-game set at home with a loss to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. In game #2 on Wednesday the Barnstormers got back into the win column with a 6-3 decision. An RBI hit from popular infielder Yusuke Kajimoto put the Stormers up 1-0 in the third, in the fifth SM took the lead with a two-spot. In the bottom half Kajimoto walked and scored on Trayvon Robinson's sac fly to tie the score, one inning later Sean Halton's solo home run onto the hill in left field put the Stormers back ahead 3-2. The Crabs pulled even in the eighth but the deadlock was broken for good in the bottom half. The first two Stormer hitters reached base for Halton who promptly deposited his second home run of the night into the hill in left for the game-winning runs. Pete Andrelczyk won it in relief of Terry Doyle, Cory Burns worked the ninth for the save. On Thursday we played night #5 of the summer hockey season, Orange vs Blue and Tan vs Green. We don't keep official standings but thus far one team is 4-1 while the others are all 2-3. In a perfect world two teams would finish 5-4 and the other two 4-5, that would be as close to even as we could get. It was a very warm night, they are calling for some extreme conditions over the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 8-9

Monday lunch at the mall as usual, after supper I made a rare Monday trip west across the river to York. The Revolution was back home from a seven-day road trip, the New Britain Bees were the opponent. This game completed the York portion of my personal Atlantic League "tour" (if you will), the Bees were the last visiting club I had not seen at PeoplesBank Park. I've seen every visiting club in Lancaster at least once except (ironically) the Revs but they come east later in the month. On this night in York the fans were treated to a wacky, up-and-down, last-shot-wins type of ballgame. New Britain put three on the board in the first, the Revs got one back in the bottom half on an Andres Perez RBI groundout. The Bees scored one in the second and four in the third to lead 8-1, in their half York picked up a run on a double play to cut the deficit to six. In the fourth the home team exploded for five runs, RBI hits from Travis Witherspoon and Jared Mitchell, a Joel Guzman sac fly and a two-run home run by Brian Pounds drew the Revs within one at 8-7. Neither team scored again until the bottom of the eighth, with two out and the bases loaded Mitchell's double into the alley in left-center chased home three runs to give the Revs a 10-8 lead. In the ninth Mike DeMark set the Bees down in order to earn the save, Julio DePaula got the win in relief of starter Ty'Relle Harris. On Tuesday Jenny was in town, we had lunch together at the plaza. In the evening we were at Reservoir Park for night #4 of summer street hockey. The games on this occasion were rematches of the season's first night, Green faced Orange and Blue played Tan. They'll meet for a third and final time on August 18. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 1-7

The first week of August was largely quiet except for the usual daytime activities, two nights of summer hockey and one evening at the ballpark. Jenny wasn't feeling well early in the week, she had a doctor visit on Tuesday. On Tuesday evening we played night #2 of summer hockey at the rink. Orange met Blue and Tan played Green, those matchups happen again on the 11th and 23rd. Back in the 1940s the local newspaper began sponsorship of an annual youth baseball tournament, each year the Midget Division (15 and 16-year-olds) plays its "final eight" at the ballpark. The quarterfinals were played on July 28 and 29, the semifinals were set for Monday with the title game on Tuesday. Afternoon storms on Monday pushed everything back a day, on Tuesday the field was still unplayable. The tournament committee was forced to schedule a rare tripleheader on Wednesday, the first semifinal began at 4:00. In the semis Manheim beat Strasburg/Willow Street and Lititz won over Elizabethtown. The championship game started around 8:20 or so, Manheim rallied from behind to win 8-5 and claim the championship. I was not there for either the start of the day or the finish (I saw online where the title game ended shortly after 11:00) but overall I saw about fours hours of baseball so it was worth the time (I had planned to go to the ballpark for the semis on Monday before the rain ruined it). On Thursday we reconvened at the rink for summer season night #3, on this night Orange played against Tan and Blue opposed Green. Those pairings repeat on the 16th and the 25th (the final night on the schedule). The weekend had little to recommend since there was no pro baseball anywhere, both the Barnstormers and the York Revs play at home in the week upcoming. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 29-31

Jenny was in town on Friday, we got together for lunch at the plaza. She once asked me if I don't ever get tired of her joining me for lunch, I said "no" because I don't ever get tired of her AT ALL. After supper I made my third trip of the month across the river. The Barnstormers started a twelve-day road trip on Thursday with the first stop being a four-game set in York against the Revolution. The Revs won the opener on Thursday in walkoff fashion, on this night the Stormers evened the series going away and decisively. The visitors scored eleven runs over the first five innings and won it 14-1. Sean Halton's three-run home run over the Arch Nemesis in the first got the ball rolling, a Kevin Ahrens solo shot in the second made it 4-0. An RBI double by Mike McDade and a K.C. Hobson solo blast in the third upped the lead to six. Josh Bell's two-run single in the fourth put the Stormers up 8-0. In the fifth three more crossed the plate on a Hobson two-RBI hit and a run-scoring single by former Seattle Mariner Trayvon Robinson. The Revs broke up the shutout in the sixth on Kevin Rivers' RBI single, in the seventh the Stormers replied with a Caleb Gindl RBI double and another "ribbie" hit by Hobson. The final run in the ninth scored on a Revs fielding error. The respective starting pitchers figured in the decision, Terry Doyle on the plus side for the Stormers and Tony Pena on the minus side for the Revolution. On Saturday we did lunch in Quarryville, there were thunderstorms in the forecast for most of the area and a heavy rain fell while we were eating. The rain continued into early evening, I saw on the 'net where the start of the game in York was delayed. It finally started at 8:15 and didn't end until 11:45, that made for a quick turnaround leading into the Sunday game at 1:00. The clubs ended up splitting the series 2-2, that gives the Barnstormers an 8-6 edge in the season series for the Community Cup. There are six games remaining in the season set (all in Lancaster), three in August and three more in September. Take care, thanks for reading

July 25-28

Monday lunch at the mall started the new week in the usual manner, in the evening I was at the ballpark. At 6:00 the sun was out and it was hot and steamy, by 6:30 there was heavy cloud cover and the grounds crew rolled out the infield tarp. The wind velocity picked up from the north and the rain followed in quick order, the start of the game was delayed until just after 9:00. I hung out for about two innings and elected to call it a night. In the morning I saw on the Internet where the Barnstormers lost 10-8 to the Sugar Land Skeeters, the game wasn't over until well after midnight (I know that feeling, as they say I've "been there, done that"). On Tuesday the series continued under ideal weather conditions, Sugar Land made it two in a row with an 8-4 win. The visiting Skeeters scored early and often, the Barnstormers never led at any point. Mike McDade had a big night with an RBI single and a two-run home run, Sean Halton contributed a solo homer but it wasn't enough. Mike Lee started on the mound and suffered the loss. On Wednesday the teams finished the series under the blazing sun at 11:00am, at that hour I was on my way to Jenny's house for our usual midweek lunch date. The Barnstormers won to avoid a second consecutive series-sweep, the next home date is not until August 9. On Thursday we were set to start the summer street hockey season but for a while in the afternoon things were doubtful. There were thunderstorms in the area, we had some mid-afternoon rain but by 5:00 it was gone and the pavements were drying. We got going on time at 7:00 and played two games, on this night the Green team met the Orange and the Blue played the Tan (we had planned on Tan being Gold but the t-shirt supplier Don ordered through did not have enough gold in stock). Both games were competitive (which is what the summer season is all about) but the results are not officially logged because there are no standings involved, the whole point is to play for fun and recreation. Each team plays nine games (three versus each opponent), this night's matchups occur again on August 9 and 18. We were done shortly before 9:00, as I was locking up some light rain began to fall. When I got home I showered, by then the rain was coming down steadily so all things considered we were very lucky. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 22-24

Friday night at the ballpark in Lancaster under sweltering conditions, the Somerset Patriots were in town for the opener of the weekend series. The Barnstormers' offensive woes continued on this night, Mike McDade's two-run home run in the fourth were the only runs in a 3-2 loss. The ballclub had its opportunities but could not get the key hit, the Patriots turned four double plays over the course of the evening. Kelvin De La Cruz started and suffered the loss, he was followed in relief by Pete Andrelczyk and newcomer R.J. Hively (from the Arizona Diamondbacks organization). On Saturday the series continued, for me it was a rare Saturday absence. Jenny and her mother were invited to a birthday party in the evening and their only way to attend was if I drove them. Since it was indoors in air-conditioned comfort I couldn't blame them for not wanting to sit outside in the heat at the ballpark. The party was for the daughter of one of Jenny's friends, the little girl turned two years of age. We were there from 5:00 to about 8:00, when we left we were almost sorry to have to step outside. On Sunday I ran a brief morning errand to get a copy of the Reading newspaper. Throughout the summer a series of articles have been spotlighting the greatest professional baseball players to come through Reading as Philadelphia Phillies properties, on this day a major article appeared featuring the top fifty all-time regardless of affiliation. It's all part of the project I was asked to be a part of during the winter, the members of the panel were acknowledged in the story and I was honored to be involved. It's always a pleasure to have your opinions valued, I can tell you from personal experience that it doesn't happen everywhere. After supper I went to the rink at Reservoir Park and did some preliminary work for the start of the summer season. Since we haven't been there for four weeks it needed to be done and I figured the early evening would be the best time given the uncomfortable temperatures. The summer season starts on Thursday the 28th. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 20-21

Wednesday morning lunch in Quarryville with Jenny, in the evening I headed west on route 30 for the first time in nineteen days. The York Revs were hosting Southern Maryland in the middle game of a three-game set. The Blue Crabs were fresh off the weekend series in Lancaster and had won the Tuesday opener, on this night the Revolution prevailed in a ballgame disguised as a roller-coaster ride. York went ahead 2-0 in the first on RBI hits from Bryan Pounds and former White Sox property Jared Mitchell, the Crabs replied quickly with two of their own in the second to tie the score. In the home third the Revs regained the lead on Kevin Rivers' RBI double but the Crabs tied it in the fifth and plated three in the sixth to go up 6-3. In their half of the inning the Revs loaded the bases with two out, Joel Guzman's double into the left-centerfield power alley chased home all three runners to square it at 6-6. The winning run scored in the bottom of the eighth. one-time Pittsburgh Pirate property Brandon Chaves walked and touched home on an RBI hit from Michael Rockett. The Revs' All-Star pitching connection figured in the decision, Ricardo Gomez got the final out in the eighth for the win with Mike DeMark working the ninth for the save. The weather had turned much warmer earlier in the week, on Thursday the blast furnace was open for business. I made the usual morning errand run, when I arrived home in the afternoon I was happy to call it a day. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 18-19

Monday lunch at the mall as usual, in the evening the Barnstormers hosted Southern Maryland in the final game of the weekend wraparound. The Stormers won on Sunday, on this night the Blue Crabs left town with a 7-3 decision and three wins in the series. The Barnstormers never led at any point, their three runs scored were all as a result of solo home runs. The Crabs led in the fifth before solo shots by Charlie Cutler and former big-leaguer Mike Jacobs tied the score (Jacobs began the year with the Stormers, left for a stint in Mexico and returned in early July). In the sixth SM put four on the board, in the bottom half Josh Bell went yard but that was the last run the Stormers would get. Bryan Evans started on the mound and took the loss. The ballclub plays a midweek series in New Britain, they are back home on the weekend against Somerset. Tuesday was uneventful except for afternoon lunch with Jenny and the fact that the day was my mother's birthday. She turned 82 (born on July 19, 1934) and she is still quite active, many people comment that she doesn't look her age. It must be the heredity because there are those who don't think I look 59 (although I feel every day of it when I get out of bed each morning). Take care, thanks for reading.

July 14-17

Thursday was a slow day except for the morning errand run, on Friday things were just a little bit busier. Back in May we announced plans for a summer street hockey season at Reservoir Park, it is an informal league played strictly for fun and recreation. There are no standings kept, no playoffs or championship awarded, the whole idea is to play for the enjoyment of the game. Individuals sign up to play, team captains are selected and rosters are assembled draft-style. We played summer seasons on a regular basis back in the '90s and early 2000s but this is the first time we've had one since 2008. On Friday morning Don and I finalized the rosters and schedule format, the four teams (Blue, Gold, Green and Orange) play a nine-game schedule beginning on Thursday the 28th. In the evening I was back at the ballpark as regular-season play continued, the Barnstormers hosted the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs for the opener of a four-game series. SM took a 2-0 second-inning lead, in the bottom of the third the Stormers put four on the board. One run scored on a double-play groundout, Kevin Ahrens' three-run home run put the home team ahead by two. In the fifth the Crabs tied the score at 4-4, that score held until the ninth when the Crabs pushed across the winner and took it 5-4. Tanner Peters started and worked five innings, Pete Andrelczyk suffered the tough-luck loss. On Saturday we had our usual lunch visit in Quarryville, in the evening Jenny and her mother made their regular weekend appearance on North Prince Street. The Barnstormers' offensive struggles continued on this night in another frustrating one-run defeat. The Blue Crabs led 3-0 early, in the home fourth Sean Halton went yard to get the Stormers on the board. Caleb Gindl's RBI hit in the fifth made it a one-run game but the Crabs bullpen shut it down from there for the 3-2 decision. Ex-Toronto property Mike Lee got the start for the Stormers and took the loss (from the Strange But True files: Lee has been on the club all season but this was my first time seeing him in a game, all of his appearances prior to this night were on occasions when I was not present). The series continued with a 2:00 Sunday game in ninety-degree heat but I was (of course) not there, it finishes up with the "wraparound" game on Monday night. Take care, thanks for reading.