January 30-31

Had lunch with Jenny on Saturday morning, in the evening we were at Reading HS. This was our final non-league game of the regular season, it was the marque matchup of a three-game showcase event. Since we were playing the host team on their floor I figured in my own mind that one of two things would result: (a) we play a hell of a game and get hosed by the officiating or (b) we run into a buzzsaw. The latter scenario is the one that played out, we were down 7-0 in the first minute and never recovered. The final score was 103-51 (that is not a typo) and it would have been much worse had the mercy rule not kicked in at the start of the fourth quarter. You have to give the RHS basketball program its due, it's one of the top programs in the state year in and year out and on this night in their building they clearly had everything on their side. After the game our coaching staff enforced the idea that the feeling a team has when a loss is as lopsided as this is a feeling you don't ever want to have ever again. JPM's final non-league mark is 2-3, the overall record sits at 15-5 with one game remaining. That is on Tuesday the 2nd at home against Hempfield in what will be an important game both for league playoff and district tournament seeding. On Sunday I read the story of Saturday's game in the Reading newspaper, one of the RHS players was quoted as saying that they viewed the game as revenge for JPM costing them the district title in 2015. Somehow that logic escapes me and here is why: the teams met in the second round of districts, in that game there was an incident resulting in the suspension of one player from RHS and ten (count them, TEN) from McCaskey. RHS won the game and played in the semifinals with their entire roster available save for that one player, they lost and all everybody talked about was how "shorthanded" they were. JPM was forced to play its next game in the consolation round with no available substitutes, the five starters played the ENTIRE GAME, they lost and nobody talked about how legitimately shorthanded they had been. I have to admit that I don't get it, it seems somewhat myopic to me. I guess you could say it would be funny if it wasn't so sad. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 28-29

Met up at McCaskey on Thursday afternoon for the second half of the week's league schedule, the destination was Neffsville and Manheim Township HS. We were scheduled to play in a showcase event at Reading HS on the 23rd, when the snowstorm forced its postponement there was talk of it being reset for Sunday the 31st. With us already scheduled to play on the 28th, 30th and February 2nd Coach Powell was reluctant to agree to that, when the Penn Manor game was switched to Wednesday it killed the idea altogether (five games in seven days would have been insane, they don't even do that at the pro level). As a result we'll play one less game than usual but since it was a non-league contest it's not of great concern. On this night in Neffsville it was MT's Senior Night, they were looking to play spoiler and deny us a chance to clinch the division title. The evening started with a spirited JV game won by JPM 48-46 which featured (quite bluntly) some of the more atrocious officiating you may ever see. When the coaches from BOTH teams are upset that tells you about all you need to know. The varsity game was every bit the toe-to-toe battle we expected, MT came out strong and led by six at the quarter. At halftime the deficit for JPM was just one, entering the final stanza we were down by two. At that point the game turned on a dime, we outscored MT 23-5 and won it 58-42. Kobe Gantz led JPM with 21 (including 8-for-11 at the foul line in the fourth), Izaiah Baratta had a season-high 15 and Randolph Speller added 10 but the key to the win was a strong defensive effort turned in by reserve guard Jathan Gonzalez. Entering the last quarter MT's top player had scored 22 points, Coach Powell gave Jathan the defensive assignment and he kept his man off the board for the rest of the game. The victory clinched our first division title since 2013, it's the 11th for the program in Coach Powell's 24 years at the helm and insures a home game in the first round of the league playoffs. The league record stands at 13-2 and 15-4 overall, the boys are back on the floor on Saturday the 30th against Reading HS. That game is in Reading as part of a showcase event different from the one that was cancelled and it should a very stern test, RHS is one of the district's top-ranked teams. Jenny was in town on Friday for business that unlike Tuesday actually happened, we got together for lunch at the plaza. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 27

Wednesday afternoon: convened at McCaskey for the bus ride to Millersville and the game at Penn Manor. The city is still recovering from the weekend snowfall, many of the smaller side streets are still just one lane which makes it difficult if it happens to be a two-way street. The city school district is closed until February 1st but allowances have been made to permit athletic events to proceed. JPM won at home on Friday against Warwick, on this night the winning ways continued but it was another battle to the end. The JV game was 48-45 in favor of the Red Tornado, the varsity held serve with a 65-61 win. Two players in double figures for JPM: Kobe Gantz led with 27 and Ricky Cruz added 17. The club improves to 14-4 overall and 12-2 within the league, on Thursday we play at Manheim Township with an opportunity to clinch the division title. A friend called after I got back home to find out how we did, when I told him we won by four points he couldn't believe it. He claimed we should have blown Penn Manor out like we did at our place in December. I told him that if PM was supposed to lie down and play dead for us they obviously didn't get the memo. Every team we play circles us on their calendar, we get their best shot and it's even more intense when it's on their floor. The game at MT on Thursday figures to be more of the same. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 25-26

Made it out to the mall on Monday morning for lunch, the parking lots had been plowed but they were still icy in spots and the mall itself was much quieter than normal. Talked to Jenny in the afternoon, she and her mother were not going to the evening's game at the Arena. Jenny had a early wake-up call for Tuesday morning and she wasn't feeling well so it was better for her to stay in and get some rest. Jamie Burkholder joined me for the trip north, he wanted to go to the game on Saturday but the weather ruined those plans. The drive from Lancaster to Reading was no issue at all, the highways were in good shape which is more than could be said for the streets in either city. This was a rare Monday night game at the Arena which was made necessary thanks to the weekend weather, it was the second game of the back-to-back with the Brampton Beast. The clubs met twice in Brampton in December with both games requiring overtime, Friday's game at the Arena also needed extra time. On this night the teams again battled past regulation but how it happened was cause for discussion. The Beast took the lead in the first period and extended it to 2-0 in the second, Yannick Tifu got the Royals on the board just before the end of the period. In the third Pavel Padakin pulled the Royals even, late in the period an apparent Royals go-ahead score was disallowed due to incidental contact with the Brampton goaltender. In the final moments of regulation the Royals successfully killed a Brampton power-play to send the game into OT. Immediately from the opening faceoff the Beast were awarded another PP chance and cashed it in for the 3-2 win. The Royals gain a point in the standings but it was a frustrating way to lose nonetheless. The team's mark stands at 18-16-7, 10-9-3 at home. The new calendar year has not been kind to the club, the record thus far in January is just 3-5-2. The boys finish the month with three on the road, the next home date is on February 3. McCaskey's basketball game on Monday was postponed and reset for Wednesday the 27th, that's good for me but it sets up a back-to-back since we also play on Thursday. Jenny's business in town on Tuesday ended up being cancelled after she had arrived on the access van, I took her home and we did our midweek date a day early. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 22-24

This was a weekend that figured to be noteworthy, it ended up being all that and more. On Friday afternoon we made our way north to Reading for the opener of what was supposed to be a three-game weekend. When I arrived I got word that the Saturday game was being postponed due to the impending weather conditions, that game was reset for Monday the 25th at 7:00. McCaskey plays at Penn Manor that night and this causes me to be absent, I immediately called Coach Powell's wife to let her know so they can arrange a substitute bookkeeper. The Sunday Royals game was still on but there was a possibility of that being banged as well, that wouldn't be decided until Saturday night. The Royals hosted the Brampton Beast (the ECHL's lone Canadian entry) on Friday and suffered a 2-1 defeat in overtime, Robbie Czarnik scored the lone goal as Martin Ouellette took the loss in net. The snow arrived in Reading during the game, since the storm was moving north the drive home got progressively worse as we went further south. By the time I got everybody home safely it was close to midnight, I'm usually home from a 7:00 game between 11:00 and 11:15 but on this night it was about safety above all else. The brunt of the storm moved in overnight into Saturday, I never left the house because there was absolutely no reason to whatsoever. A snow emergency was declared in Lancaster and a ban on non-essential travel was enacted, that ban lasted until 5:00 on Sunday afternoon. On Saturday evening it was announced that the Sunday Royals game was indeed postponed, it was rescheduled for March 29. By Sunday morning the storm had moved on and there was brilliant sunshine, we managed to get the sidewalk cleared and the cars moved out of our parking lot so it could be plowed. Several of the neighbors were out and about, it ended up being a team effort so all things considered it worked out about as well as you could expect. As the day wore on my back started to bother me, maybe a good night's sleep will be the answer for that but who knows? In the evening it was posted online that the official snowfall total here in Lancaster was 26.7 inches which is the second largest in recorded history for this area. The only one larger was a 30-incher in January of 1996 which I happen to remember quite well. Temperatures in the high 30s/low 40s are expected for the early part of the new week but it's going to be awhile before what is here melts away. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 19-21

Tuesday morning: another eye appointment for my mother at the health campus, I got the usual Monday errand run I missed out on the previous day accomplished while she was there. In the afternoon we were at McCaskey for the bus trip north on route 72 to Cedar Crest HS. This game figured to be interesting on many levels: (1) we were coming off a horrible loss and one had to wonder how we would respond, (2) CC lost to us badly the first time around and you just knew they were going to bring their best in a bid for revenge. On this night Cedar Crest scored first to lead 2-0 and that would be the only time we trailed all night. We led by fourteen after one quarter and by twelve at the half, in the third CC made a run and got within six but JPM was able to pull away in the final quarter for a decisive 63-42 victory. Three players hit double figures for the Red Tornado, Ricky Cruz led with 23, Kobe Gantz 15 and Greg Nunez 13. The win puts us in a tie for first place with CC in the division but in the long run it means little, if we finish the season tied there would be a league-mandated playoff game for the division title (the fact that we swept the season series is no factor at all). We've been down this road in each of the last two seasons so it's nothing new, the final four four league games will tell the story. Jenny and I had lunch in Quarryville on Wednesday, her mother was not with us. Helen was in town for a medical appointment, the access van took her there in the morning and wouldn't have her home until late afternoon. Thursday was a quiet day in terms of activity but things were happening nonetheless. There is a storm system moving up the coast that is expected to be major by the weekend, it was announced that the Friday basketball game at home against Warwick has been moved up to a 4:00 JV start with the varsity following at 5:30. The boys were also scheduled for a game on Saturday at Reading HS as part of the annual showcase event they play there, that game has been postponed with the makeup date pending. As it stands I would be absent from Friday and I would have missed Saturday as well because the Royals are at home all weekend, how that plays out for me with the impending weather remains to be seen. I'm certainly not looking forward to it, keep your fingers crossed.  Take care, thanks for reading.

January 18

Left the house at 9:00 Monday morning, the temperature was 16 degrees with a wind chill of -3. When I returned around 5:30 in the afternoon it was all the way up to a balmy 18 with the wind chill at 3 above zero. In between we were at the Arena for the annual Martin Luther King Day game, the Royals hosted the Adirondack Thunder for the rare 1:00 faceoff. The game had a definite feeling of deja vu to it as the teams skated through a scoreless first period, in the second ADK struck twice and carried that lead into the final frame. Midway through the third period newcomer Joey Sides (five-year pro from Sun Valley, Idaho) put the Royals on the board but a Thunder empty-netter in the final seconds salted away a 3-1 win for the visitors. Martin Ouellette made his eighth consecutive start in goal and suffered the loss, he continues to be the Iron Man in the absence of Connor Knapp and Adam Morrison. The club's record stands at 18-16-5 (10-9-1 at home), the boys have off until the weekend when we play another three-in-three at home. The Brampton Beast visit for games on Friday and Saturday, the Elmira Jackals come to town on Sunday. When I got home I took a shower, had a hot bowl of fifteen-bean soup (try it sometime, you'll like it) and settled in to watch the NHL game on TV. I took notice that this blog recently saw its 10,000th page view since its inception in November of 2010. I actually started writing an online blog in January of that year, I moved it here to blogger.com in November when the former hosting site became unsuitable. I do it largely for the mental exercise, I'm not trying to prove anything by it and I certainly don't feel that I use it to push any personal agenda. I don't know who reads the tripe and drivel I post here but obviously someone enjoys it and I'm glad they do. Thanks for reading (and I mean that), take care.

January 15-17

Jenny is usually in town on business on Tuesdays and Fridays, if circumstances allow we get together for lunch. This day was one of those occasions, when her business was completed in the afternoon I took her home and we had supper in Quarryville. After that we drove down the road to Solanco HS for the evening's basketball game. Jenny has been there before to see JPM play, although Helen has been in the gymnasium on occasion for graduation ceremonies involving the grandchildren this was her first time there for a game of any kind. The night started with a forty-point JV victory, the varsity game was another story altogether. All season long the coaching staff has stressed the point that no opponent can be taken lightly and there is no such thing as easy money. There have been a number of games so far where we got the W despite a less-than-impressive effort, on this night we finally got bit in the ass. We started slowly and trailed by five at the quarter but recovered to tie it at halftime. Solanco carried a six-point advantage into the final period, JPM battled back but just could not reach the top of the hill in a 67-64 loss. Every time we got within one or two Solanco would make a key shot or big defensive play, in the dying seconds Kobe Gantz had a good look at a game-tying three-pointer that missed the mark. Kobe finished with 25 and Randolph Speller had 20 but it all means little when you don't win the game. The league mark falls to 9-2 (11-4 overall) and drops us out of a tie for first place in the division. There are five league games left, all are within the division and the first of those is on the 19th at Cedar Crest. We beat CC the first time around in our gym but this one is on their floor where it is never an easy assignment. A victory there is imperative in order to have any shot at the division title, whether the loss to Solanco serves as a long-overdue wake-up call remains to be seen. When we came out after the game it was raining, that was somewhat appropriate considering the mood we were in (although Jenny and her mother live in Quarryville they support McCaskey all the way because Jenny graduated from JPM as did I). The rest of the weekend was uneventful, since the ladies and I had our Saturday lunch disguised as Friday supper I spent most of it at home save for a brief errand run on Saturday. The Royals played twice on the road over the weekend and went 1-1, we play at home on Monday afternoon against Adirondack. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 13-14

The dusting of snow we got on Tuesday night was just about all gone by Wednesday morning but it was windy and bitterly cold. We had our midweek lunch date in Quarryville, in the evening we were at McCaskey for a history-making occasion. Randolph Speller became the eleventh player in program history and the eighth under Coach Powell to score 1000 career points, his total of 18 for the game led the Red Tornado to victory over Lebanon. The night began as always with the JV game, JPM got back into the win column with a 77-57 decision. In the varsity game we led by nine at the quarter and fourteen at halftime, at that juncture Ran had scored ten of the eleven he needed for 1000. The magic number was reached on a driving layup with 2:10 left in the third quarter, by the end of the period we were up by 21. Lebanon battled to the end but never really made it close, the Red Tornado prevailed 82-71. Four other players besides Ran hit double figures for JPM: Kobe Gantz and Jathan Gonzalez had 14 apiece, Ricky Cruz added 13 and Izaiah Baratta joined the club with ten ("Zai" is largely a playmaker who rarely looks to score, this was just his second game in doubles all season). The last time a McCaskey player scored #1000 at home was in January of 2013 when Devonne Pinkard reached the benchmark, he and Ran are the only two of Coach Powell's eight to achieve the milestone on their home floor. The won-lost mark stands at 11-3 overall and 9-1 in the league, we're back on the road at Solanco on Friday the 15th. Thursday was a quiet day save for the morning errand run, just as well with temperatures in the 30s and wind chills in the teens. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 11-12

Monday morning: my mother had another eye appointment at the health campus, I made my usual rounds while I awaited the call that she was done. In the afternoon we convened at McCaskey for the short bus ride to Conestoga Valley HS, about five miles out of town. This was the start of the league season's second half and the final round of crossover games with Section II. The league is realigning for the '16-17 season, if I were a betting man I would guess (going solely on current enrollment) that CV and Lebanon will be joining our division as it expands from six schools to eight. The night began with the JV squad's first league loss and their second overall, in the varsity game JPM was looking to get back on track after the Friday loss to Hempfield. The mission was accomplished but it wasn't easy against a very game opponent. We led at the quarter by seven but by halftime the advantage was down to two, in the third quarter the Red Tornado was able to open it up and win handily 69-49. Coach Powell used nine players but only four broke the scoring column: Randolph Speller had the big night with 25. Kobe Gantz added 21, Ricky Cruz had 16 and Greg Nunez scored seven. Ran's effort puts him on the threshold of the cherished 1000-point plateau, his career total stands at 989. The club's record improves to 8-1 in the league and 10-3 overall. The three-game week continues on Wednesday at home against Lebanon, on Friday we play Solanco in Quarryville. That's an opportunity for Jenny and her mother to see us play and it's a lot closer than Royersford was for that playoff game back in March. Not much going on Tuesday, there were snow showers forecast for the evening hours. The local newspaper noted that it's been ten years since we've been this far into the winter season without any snow (not that I'm complaining about it at all). The snow squall arrived around 6:30 or so but as expected it amounted to very little, it was all but gone by 7:00. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 9-10

Had lunch in Quarryville on Saturday morning, in the afternoon we made a much more enjoyable trip north to the Arena. Jenny and Helen missed out on Friday's game thanks to my circumstances, they would have been there had it been a day that remotely resembled normal. The Royals hosted Toledo in the back end of the two-game set and suffered a second consecutive frustrating defeat. Mike Marcou (back with the Royals from a stint in Europe) gave the home team the lead late in the first period, the Walleye replied early in the second to tie it 1-1. The Royals went back ahead on a score by Adam Comrie but Toledo scored twice within a minute's time to take a 3-2 lead midway through the second period. Neither side would score again until the Walleye scored an empty-netter in the closing minutes to seal a 4-2 victory. On Sunday we finished up the three-in-three weekend, the South Carolina Stingrays came in for their lone regular-season visit. This was the first time SC was in town since the 2015 playoffs and we all remember what happened then. The game on Saturday was the Royals' eighteenth of thirty-six home games, on this day they reached the season's official midpoint with a tough 3-1 victory. Cam Reid lit the lamp in the second period, moments later Justin Crandall made it 2-0 Royals. The 'Rays got on the board in the third but in the final seconds Adam Comrie found the empty net to clinch the win for Martin Ouellette. Marty played all three games on the weekend out of sheer necessity, Connor Knapp is on the injured list and Adam Morrison was under the weather. The club's record at the halfway mark stands at 17-14-5, 10-8-1 at the Arena. The next two games are on the road, the next Arena date is on the 18th against Adirondack. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 6-8

Had lunch on Wednesday morning with Jenny and her mother in Quarryville, that was the last good thing that happened until late Friday afternoon. I'm not going to go into specifics but let's just say that the last few days have been an absolute nightmare. I was forced against my will and through no fault of my own into a situation that made me very uncomfortable. I wanted no part of it whatsoever, all I wanted was for it to be over and believe me when I say that I will never EVER forget it. It did not involve any physical illness, injury or loss of life, it is merely something that caused me severe mental anguish and I HATED every last second of it. When I was five years old I had a broken arm, my right knee has been dislocated four times and in September of 2014 I underwent a heart procedure. All of that rolled into one would be a holiday compared to what took place over the last few days and under no circumstances do I wish to endure it ever again. They say that nobody can take advantage of you without your permission, as far as I am concerned this experience proves that statement to be a lie. The ordeal finally ended at 4:45 on Friday afternoon, I immediately jumped into my car and highballed it north on 222. The Royals were at home for the opener of a two-game set with the Toledo Walleye, I arrived around 5:40 for the 7:00 start. By the time I went on-air I was as prepared as I could be under the circumstances, I managed to muddle through despite the mental frame of mind I was in (although I must admit that the further I got from downtown Lancaster the better I felt). Robbie Czarnik scored the Royals' lone goal in a 3-1 loss, Martin Ouellette was the goalie of record. When I got home I had a decent meal for the first time in two days and settled in to write this blog post. Saw on the Internet where McCaskey lost to Hempfield 67-57, that is the club's first league loss and drops the overall mark to 9-3. I guess you could say that result wrote the perfect end to a very imperfect day. I hope to have a good night's sleep, I sure as hell didn't get any on Wednesday or Thursday. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 4-5

Had my usual Monday lunch visit at the mall, spent the rest of the day fielding birthday greetings on the Internet. I singularly stopped caring about the significance of January 4 a long time ago but I guess it's nice that others recognize it. On Tuesday Jenny was in town on business, we got together for lunch at the plaza. In the evening we were at McCaskey for the first basketball game of the calendar year, the Red Tornado hosted Manheim Township. The JV squad played its first game since December 23 and stayed unbeaten in league play with a 70-60 win, in the varsity game JPM prevailed in a game much closer than the final score would indicate. We led by three at the quarter, went to the room at halftime dead even and trailed by three entering the final quarter. At that point the light switch came on, we outscored MT by fourteen and won it 75-64. Township was in foul trouble to begin with and down the stretch they had to foul to get possession of the ball, our guys responded by shooting virtually perfect from the foul line. Randolph Speller led with 29 (including 8-for-8 at the line in the fourth), Kobe Gantz had 17 (he was 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch) and Ricky Cruz added 14. The win keeps the club undefeated in the league at 7-0, we reach the midpoint of the overall schedule at 9-2. The boys hit the league season's halfway mark on Friday the 8th with a key game in Landisville against Hempfield, I will be absent for hockey in Reading. The Toledo Walleye visit for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday, the South Carolina Stingrays come in on Sunday. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 1-3

2016 began on a cold and windy Friday, I made a brief morning errand run and spent the rest of the day inside with the usual slate of college football games on TV. On Saturday we had our weekend lunch in Quarryville, in the evening we were back at Santander Arena in downtown Reading. After a very light home schedule in December the Royals were back on home ice for the opener of a five-game homestand and the first of a back-to-back set with the Adirondack Thunder. The game was scoreless through the first period, five minutes into the second stanza Pavel Padakin's floater from the blue line found the net to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. One minute later rookie Derik Johnson (from Minnesota-Duluth) scored his first pro goal to make it 2-0. Derik's father Jim is a former NHLer, he played in the big time from 1985 to 1997. Cam Reid scored late in the period and again early on the third to fortify the advantage, Yannick Tifu's tally midway through the frame put the capper on a resounding 5-0 win. On Sunday the clubs reconvened for game #2, on this occasion the Thunder scored early and carried a 2-0 lead into the third period. Scott Tanski (fifth-year pro recently added as a free agent) got the Royals on the board but ADK got it back just moments later. The Royals pulled the goalie for the extra attacker in the final minutes, Yannick Tifu found the net to make it 3-2 but that was the extent of the comeback as the Thunder held on to earn a series split. Martin Ouellette was the goalie of record in both games, his shutout on Saturday was his third and the team's seventh of the season. The club's record stands at 16-12-5 (9-6-1 at home), the homestand continues with a three-in-three on the 8th, 9th and 10th. Take care, thanks for reading.