April 29-30

Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother, in the evening they made their first official visit to the ballpark in 2017 (they were also at the fanfest but that was a preseason event). A friend of mine from my baseball days in Berks County was there (her name is Tammy), she was with some friends in a suite and she invited us to join them. I have been on suite level at the ballpark once or twice over the years but for Jenny and Helen it was something new, with the weather as warm as it was we elected to stay inside with the air conditioning rather than sit outside on the upper deck. The game itself was a slugfest from the word go, the Barnstormers went up 1-0 in the first when Darian Sandford walked and scored on K.C. Hobson's RBI groundout. In the second former San Francisco property Vladimir Frias singled and touched home on a double by Anderson De La Rosa (from the LA Angels system). Sugar Land responded with two in the third but the Stormers replied in the bottom half with three of their own. Sanford singled and scored on Caleb Gindl's RBI hit, Hobson reached on a fielders choice and came home on a single by ex-bigleaguer Lastings Milledge, Blake Gailen walked and added the third run on a base hit by Garrett Weber (late of the Arizona Diamndbacks organization). The home team added on in the fourth when Sandford singled and scored on an error and in the fifth on a solo home run by Weber, a three-run seventh put the game away. Sean Halton doubled, Gailen singled him home and Milledge followed with another hit. Weber doubled to score Gailen, Milledge came home on a sac fly by De La Rosa to put the Stormers up 10-2. The Skeeters mounted a comeback with three in the eighth and one in the ninth but the Barnstormers held on for the 10-6 win. Ex-York Revolution pitcher Rommie Lewis went six innings for the victory, he was followed for an inning each by returnee Kevin Munson, Cody Hall (San Francisco) and Anthony Carter (Texas Rangers). The series wrapped up on Sunday afternoon but I was not there, the warm weather and a 2:00 start makes for a combination that doesn't agree with me anymore. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 28

Friday night baseball on North Prince Street as the Barnstormers played the thirteenth home opener in franchise history. This was the first time I was able to be at the opener, in past years it was on a Thursday or on another night when dek hockey kept me away. The Atlantic League's twentieth season officially started on April 21st, the Stormers played their first six games on the road. On this night the Sugar Land Skeeters were the opponent, they were playing their first road game after a week at home. Original Barnstormer Ross Peeples is the club's new manager, Scott Patterson (another inaugural Stormer) is his pitching coach and Josh Bell (a Stormers player in 2016) is the new hitting coach. The roster itself features the usual mix of returnees and newcomers. The visitors from Texas took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, in the bottom half ex-Kansas City Royal property Darian Sandford walked and scored on Caleb Gindl's RBI single, Gindl would come home on Sean Halton's sacrifice fly to knot the score at 2-2. Sugar Land plated three in the third to go up 5-2. in the ninth a two-run home run by Gindl made it 5-4 but the Stormers could come no closer. Starting pitcher Bryan Evans worked five innings and suffered the loss, he was followed in relief by Scott Shuman (from the Tampa Bay organization) and John Anderson (Toronto). An excellent Opening Night crowd was on hand on an unusually warm April evening, more of the same weather is expected through the rest of the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 26-27

Had my usual lunch visit with Jenny on Wednesday, the gloomy weather from Tuesday had long since moved on and temperatures were in the 60s. On Thursday night we were back at Reservoir Park for the start (and end) of the season's second week. The Hammerheads beat the Owls via overtime shootout, the Riot defeated the Kings, the Misfits took down the Pub Dawgs and the Steamers prevailed over the UniLords. Every club has played three games with a three-game week looming thanks to the postponements on the 25th, we play those on Monday the 1st with the regularly scheduled dates following on the 2nd and 4th. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 24-25

The sixteenth season of ECHL hockey in Reading came to an end on Monday evening at the Arena, the Royals lost game #6 to Brampton by a final score of 3-1. Justin Crandall gave the Royals a 1-0 lead in the first period but the Beast scored three in the third (the last into the empty net) to take the series four games to two. This series was about as even as it comes, every game was decided by one goal except the last and that was only because of the empty-netter. It marks the first time our season has ended on home ice since 2009, the club didn't make playoffs that year but regular season game #72 was at the Arena. Brampton meets either Manchester or Adirondack in the next round and I would be for them on principle because there is no shame in losing to the eventual champion. Tuesday was a rainy day, depressingly appropriate given the events of Monday evening. We had four games of dek hockey on the schedule but the weather did not cooperate, the games were rescheduled for May 1st. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 19-23

Wednesday morning lunch with Jenny in Quarryville, in the afternoon I was at McCaskey as Quarryville's high school baseball team (better known as Solanco) visited for a division crossover game. In years past I worked an occasional ballgame here and there as needed, this is my second season doing the PA on a regular basis. In 2016 I was able to do nine of the eleven scheduled home games and the club lost them all, thus far in '17 the boys were 0-3 with me on the mic at home. On this day Lucky Thirteen was the charm for me personally, JPM won 6-3 but it wasn't easy. It was chilly and windy at 4:15 game time with a sharp wind from the west, I had the booth windows positioned just enough to keep it away from me as best I could. The Red Tornado scored in the second inning, Cristian Viera singled and came home on Caleb McFarland's RBI hit. In the third inning Mason Lee was hit by the pitch and scored on Alex Dominguez's RBI single, Alex came home on a wild pitch to make it 3-0. Viera walked and Jonathan Metzler struck out but reached first on a passed ball, Micheal Abrew followed with an RBI double to score Viera. Metzler would score on another wild pitch to make it 5-0. The sixth run came across in the sixth inning, Lee walked and scored on Luis Civico's RBI single. Abrew got the start on the mound and pitched six shutout innings, in the seventh Solanco scored three runs and had the bases loaded with one out. Head coach Tyler Horst called on Dominguez in relief, he responded by inducing a groundball double play to end the ballgame. It is the ballclub's fourth win and their second at home but I was absent from the other so I was beginning to think I was a jinx, at least we got rid of that. On Thursday we played night #2 of the spring dek hockey league, winners on this night included the Steamers over the Pub Dawgs, the Misfits over the Hammerheads, the Riot over the Owls and the UniLords over the Kings. The rest of the weekend was uneventful, the Atlantic League started its season but both the Barnstormers and the York ballclub were on the road. The Royals continued their playoff series with three games in Brampton, they went there even at 1-1 and come home down 3-2. They lost game #3 2-1, won the fourth game 3-2 and dropped the fifth 2-1 in double overtime. Game #6 is at the Arena on Monday the 24th, a potential seventh game would be on the 25th. For the Royals the mission is clear: win them both or it's over. We will see what we will see. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 17-18

Had my usual Monday lunch at the mall, in the afternoon I stopped by the rink and did some prep work in advance of the start of the new season. On Tuesday the Barnstormers hosted the York Revolution for an exhibition game at 1:00, I went over to the ballpark and hung out for about five innings. My disdain for day games is well-known but at this time of year the afternoon heat is not as intense (although it was still warm sitting in the sun with temperatures in the 70s as opposed to in shade). After supper we were at Reservoir Park for opening night of our 76th championship season, we started there in the fall of 1979 and we've played every spring and autumn since. All eight teams were in action as will be the case every Tuesday and Thursday through June 1, on this night the UniLords beat the Riot, the Owls defeated the Pub Dawgs, the Steamers vanquished the Misfits and the Hammerheads won over the Kings. The warmth of the afternoon disappeared after sundown, by the time we were done it was chilly and brisk. The spring hockey league is not the only thing starting, allergy season (and the inherent sneezing) is underway as well. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 15-16

Another busy Saturday began with lunch in Quarryville, after that we came back to the city and went to the ballpark on North Prince Street. The Barnstormers were hosting their annual Fanfest, an exhibition game with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs was the day's main event. 2017 is the Atlantic League's twentieth season of operation and year #13 for the Stormers. The ballpark is getting new video boards and scoreboards, the old ones are gone and the new have not yet arrived but are expected to be up in time for the home opener on the 28th. The ballgame started at 1:30, we stayed for about three innings before heading to my place and then on to Reading for game #2 versus the Brampton Beast. The opening game on Thursday had been a tight defensive battle, on this night more of the same was in store with a little extra added in. Ryan Penny gave the Royals a 1-0 lead three minutes into the first period, that one score stood until the final four minutes of regulation when the Beast broke through to even it at 1-1. The tie score was not broken until fifteen minutes deep into overtime when a shot from the right point was deflected past Mark Dekanich to give Brampton the sudden-death 2-1 win. The series stands even at a game apiece and is essentially reduced to a 3-of-5 with the next three in Brampton on the 18th, 20th and 22nd. The last two if needed are back at the Arena on the 24th and 25th. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 13-14

Thursday night at the Arena in downtown Reading for the opening game of the 2017 Kelly Cup playoffs. For the Royals it marks an eighth consecutive year in the postseason and the twelfth overall in the club's sixteen-year history. This series is a best-of-seven Northern Division semifinal, the Brampton Beast are the opposition making their first postseason appearance in three years as a member club of the ECHL. The teams finished tied for second place in the North with 88 standing points apiece, the Royals earning home-ice on the basis of more wins (the Royals were 41-25-6, the Beast 40-24-8). On this night in Game #1 the Royals drew first blood on a first-period score by Robbie Czarnik, Todd Perry lit the lamp midway through the second to put the club up by two. Brampton got on the board late in the period but from there Mark Dekanich and the defense corps put up the wall and made that lead stand up for the 2-1 win and a 1-0 lead in the series. Game #2 is at the Arena on Saturday the 15th with the middle three in Brampton, a potential Game #6 is back at home on Monday the 24th. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 10-12

The early part of the new week was typically slow except for the usual morning rounds and Wednesday lunch with Jenny. On Wednesday evening Don and I spoke on the phone and we firmed up the format for the spring street hockey league. We have eight teams in two divisions, every team plays two games versus everybody else. The season starts on Tuesday the 18th, we play four games each on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Mondays open for makeup games and Wednesdays remaining available for the local bike polo group to use the rink. There is no question that the league's numbers have been dwindling in recent years and it's nowhere near what it used to be. We started playing at Reservoir Park in 1979, at the league's peak we were there four nights a week plus all day on Sunday but those days are gone. The biggest handicap we face now is the indifference of people who always want to complain about how things are but offer no useful suggestion or assistance for improving anything. It is what it is but as long as there are people who want to play the game the league will continue to exist. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 8-9

A busy Saturday started early with that 11:00 ballgame at McCaskey, the Red Tornado hosting Exeter. We all know that baseball is a sport played independent of any time element, as a result each individual game develops its own pace and could conceivably go on forever. On this day the teams were tied 7-7 through eight innings of a game that featured nineteen hits plus twenty-one other baserunners who had reached via walks or being hit by the pitch. The game started ten minutes late (for whatever reason) and at 2:40 it was still going, at that point I had no choice but to make my apologies because I simply could not stay any longer. Pulling the chute like that is something I would never do under normal circumstances but this was an exception because of my plans for the evening. From the ballfield I went south for Jenny and her mother, once we got back to town I took the fastest shower in the history of mankind. Marty met up with us at my place and shortly before 4:00 we headed north to Allentown for our annual visit to PPL Center for AHL Phantoms hockey. This was my third time there with Jenny and Helen, our previous visits were both on Sundays but since the Phantoms only had two Sunday home dates in 2016-17 (neither of which worked for us) I selected this 7:00 Saturday game when tickets went on sale back in September. The Springfield Thunderbirds (the Florida Panthers AHL affiliate) were the opponent, on this night in Allentown the Phantoms prevailed 4-2. Corban Knight, T.J. Brennan, Andy Miele and Scott Laughton scored for the Home Team, Alex Lyon picked up the win in goal. The Phantoms roster features five players who have also played for the Royals: Martin Ouellette (serving as Lyon's backup), Maxim Lamarche, Tyrell Goulbourne, Reece Willcox and Radel Fazleev (who played one game in Reading in January). The night finally ended with my return home after midnight which was fine because absolutely nothing happened on Sunday. The Royals finished their regular season on Saturday night with a win in Norfolk, the club's final record is 41-25-6. The boys meet the Brampton Beast in the first round of playoffs, the series begins on Thursday the 13th at the Arena. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 7

The rain on Thursday continued into the evening hours, by Friday morning it was gone but the wind and chilly temperatures were still around. At 1:00 I called the athletic office at McCaskey and was told that the afternoon's ballgame was still on as scheduled for 4:15. I have to admit I was surprised given the amount of rain the field had taken, they have tarpaulins for home plate and the pitcher's mound but the infield dirt is unprotected. The junior varsity game was postponed because their field still had standing water but the varsity field was good to go. Penn Manor was the opponent for a divisional matchup, at gametime it was dark and cloudy with temperatures in the mid-40s and winds out of the west at 20 miles per hour. The game was reasonably competitive for four innings but PM put seven on the board in the fifth to put it out of reach. The game was ended after five innings by the mercy rule at 11-0, the Red Tornado could muster only two hits and six total baserunners. The boys are back at it early on Saturday for a non-league game versus Exeter at 11:00.Take care, thanks for reading.

April 5-6

Wednesday was a unusually warm day, afternoon temperatures reached into the mid-60s. Had morning lunch with Jenny, in the afternoon we headed north on 222 for the final regular season game at the Arena. This was the game rescheduled from March 14, the Norfolk Admirals were the opponent. The Royals organization underwent major change internally earlier in the week with the departure of head coach Larry Courville. Back in February LC announced he would be leaving at the end of the season to pursue other interests, after clinching a postseason berth in Wheeling on Sunday it was decided that Larry's departure would happen immediately. Internet reaction showed that the news came as a complete surprise if not a total shock. Assistant coach Kirk MacDonald (a member of the 2013 Kelly Cup championship club) was promoted to interim head coach with recent Royals Wall-Of-Honor inductee Ryan Cruthers joining up as a interim assistant coach. With all the tumult it only stood to reason that we would see a bizarre hockey game on this night in Reading and that's exactly what happened. Mike Pereira scored twice in the opening period to give the Royals a 2-0 lead, after Norfolk got on the board Robbie Czarnik lit the lamp to make it 3-1 after one period. Ryan Penny scored early in the second to give the Royals a three-goal lead but the Ads replied with three of their own to knot the game at 4-4. Olivier Labelle restored the lead midway through the period, Justin Crandall's goal early in the third stanza ended the scoring as the Royals prevailed 6-4. The club finishes its home schedule at 20-14-2, the overall mark stands at 39-25-6. The boys play two games in Norfolk on the weekend, the results will determine the club's opponent for the first round of playoffs. On Thursday the weather took a downward turn, it was rainy and windy with temps only in the 40s. I got the morning errand run taken care of and was glad to be home when I was done. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 3-4

Monday morning lunch at the mall, in the afternoon I made my season debut on the mic for baseball at McCaskey. For several years the PA was done by various faculty members because it was a job I couldn't readily commit to but things are different these days, 2017 marks my second season on the beat. The ballclub had played one home game previously that I missed for hockey, on this day they hosted Hempfield in a divisional matchup. In recent seasons JPM has struggled and Hempfield has been one of the league's better programs, that was on display in full force in the form of a 19-4 Hempfield win. The game was halted by the mercy rule after five innings, Hempfield's score by innings was 2-1-6-4-6. The Red Tornado got on the board with two in the second inning, Michael Abrew's base hit scored Luis Civico and Chris Rosario touched home on a sac fly from Alexander Dominguez. The club scored twice more in the fifth, Mason Lee singled and scored on Dylan Esh's RBI groundout, Caleb McFarland was hit by the pitch and came home on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Cristian Viera. Noah Bergey started on the mound and took the loss, he was followed by Jon Metzler and Victor Bray with Dominguez, Abrew, Civico and Rosario working in relief as well. There are very stringent rules in high school baseball regarding pitch counts and overuse of pitching, every coach needs several men who are capable of taking the mound and JPM boss Tyler Horst is no exception. The ballclub is scheduled for home games on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning but the long-range weather forecast is not encouraging, we will see what we will see. On Tuesday Jenny was in town for the first time in several weeks, we had lunch together at the plaza. In the evening we had our organizational meeting for the Spring street hockey season at Reservoir Park. We plan to start on the 17th if all goes according to plan. Take care, thanks for reading.

March 27-April 2

The early part of the week was typically uneventful except for the morning errand runs, on Friday we finished the month with a game at the Arena. The old axiom about March was reversed in 2017, on the first of the month the daytime high was a lamblike 69, on this day it was lionlike: rainy with wind and temps only in the 40s. The Norfolk Admirals were the opponent for the fourth of their five visits to the Arena, for the Ads it's been a tale of two seasons. Norfolk started out poorly, made a coaching change at midseason and have been competitive for the most part ever since. On this night the Royals went up 2-0 on scores by Justin Crandall in the first period and Mike Pereira in the second but the Admirals rallied to tie it and force overtime. The extra session lasted all of twenty-four seconds before Norfolk scored the winner and handed the Royals and Martin Ouellette a frustrating OT loss. The only good coming from it was the single standings point gained, as a result the club's magic number to clinch a playoff spot dropped from four to three. On Saturday the Royals hosted the Brampton Beast for their one and only visit of the season (how a divisional opponent only comes in ONCE makes little sense but the league schedule format has always been a mystery). On this night the Royals once again scored first thanks to Matt Willows but the Beast replied with two straight to take the lead. Midway through the second period Steven Swavely lit the lamp to pull the Royals even but in the final period it all came crashing down. A three-goal salvo by the Beast put away a 5-2 decision, Mark Dekanich took the loss in net. The weekend ended with the club traveling to Wheeling for a 5:00 Sunday game, on this day the boys won 5-3 and clinched a playoff spot in the process (the two points gained by the Royals and lost by the Nailers reduced the magic number from three to zero). The Royals mark stands at 38-25-6 (19-14-1 at home) with three games left, all against Norfolk (Wednesday the 5th at home, the 7th and 8th in Virginia). Take care, thanks for reading.