May 29-31

Monday lunch at the mall (where else?), the rest of the day was uneventful. In past years there has been a ballgame in either Lancaster or York on the Memorial Day holiday but not so in 2017. On Tuesday Jenny was in town, we met up over the lunch hour for drinks. In the evening we started the final regular season week of dek hockey at Reservoir Park, every team played its thirteenth game. On this night the UniLords beat the Hammerheads, the Kings defeated the Pub Dawgs, the Steamers downed the Riot and the Misfits prevailed over the Owls. On Wednesday night I was at the ballpark, the Barnstormers were hosting the Somerset Patriots in the middle game of a three-game set. The Stormers recently finished a stretch of sixteen of nineteen days on the road, this series is the start of a ten-day homestand. The visitors from Bridgewater, New Jersey scored two in the first, the Stormers got one back in the bottom half when Darian Sandford walked and scored on a Caleb Gindl sac fly. The Patriots replied with a four-spot in the second to open up a five-run lead, from there the teams traded runs evenly. In the fourth K.C. Hobson's RBI hit plated newcomer Rico Noel (LA Dodgers organization) to bring the Stormers within four, Somerset added single runs in the fifth and sixth to make it 8-2. In the Stormer sixth Lasting Milledge's hit scored Gindl but two Patriot runs in the eighth extended the lead to seven. The Barnstormers got two in the ninth on a Blake Gailen hit and an RBI groundout by Milledge to bring the final score to 10-5 in Somerset's favor. Rommie Lewis started for the Stormers and took the loss, he was followed by Cody Hall and former Giants property Kaohi Downing. The ballclub finishes the series with Somerset on Thursday before hosting the York Revs for the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 26-28

Jenny was in town once again on Friday, we saw each other over the lunch hour. After supper I made my second visit of the season at PeoplesBank Park in York, the Revolution hosted the Sugar Land Skeeters. My intention is to see every club in the league at least once in York since I obviously don't get there as often as I do to the Barnstormers, if I lived equally distant from the two my schedule would be less unbalanced but that is obviously not the case. On this night the Revs scored in the third, former Cincinnati Red Derrick Robinson singled and touched home on a RBI double by ex-Cubs property Ryan Dent. That would be the only run the home team registered, the Skeeters responded with four in the fourth, two in the sixth and one more in the seventh to win it going away 7-1. Frank Gailey (a one-time Phillies farmhand) worked into the sixth inning and suffered the loss, he was followed by Luke Westphal (from the Minnesota Twins system), Joe Van Meter (Orioles) and ex-bigleaguers Curtis Partch and Manny Corpas. My next time in York (if all goes according to plan) should be June 9 when the Barnstormers visit. On Saturday we had our usual lunch visit in Quarryville, the rest of the weekend was quiet. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 22-25

The new week started as it usually does with a Monday visit to the mall for lunch, on Tuesday Jenny was in town on business and we had lunch together at the plaza. In the evening we were at the rink for the start of league week #6, on this night the Kings defeated the Riot, the Owls downed the Hammerheads, the Misfits beat the Pub Dawgs and the UniLords outlasted the Steamers. On Wednesday the weather turned windy and cool, in the late evening it began to rain. The dreary conditions were still around on Thursday morning, an appropriate backdrop since my first stop was a 9:00 dentist appointment (a perfect way to start the day). The rain continued into mid-afternoon but by 4:00 the clouds were breaking and the sun was peeking through, Don and I conferred and decided to go ahead with the evening's games at the rink. The sun was out brightly while I was running the billy-goat around for the leaves, all the better to dry the rink surface. Winners on this night included the Hammerheads over the Pub Dawgs, the Steamers over the Kings, the UniLords over the Owls and the Riot over the Misfits. There was a threat of rain forecast for late in the evening but we never saw any until the final moments of the last game. It was coming light but steady as we locked up for the night, by the time I was home and out of the shower it was raining heavily. Either we were very lucky or maybe we just live right. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 20-21

On Friday night at the ballpark temperatures were in the 70s, overnight into Saturday they dipped into the low 60s. We had our usual lunch in Quarryville, in the evening Jenny and her mother made their second appearance of the season at the ballpark. We sat on the berm in left field for the first three innings but the wind and the cooler temperatures made it a bit uncomfortable, we moved into the main grandstand in an effort to get some shelter around us. The Barnstormers fell behind 2-0 in the first but evened it in the the bottom half on a K.C. Hobson two-run homer. In the second Darian Sandford singled and scored on Caleb Gindl's RBI hit, in the fourth Gindl tripled and came home on a sac fly by Hobson to make it 4-2. In the fifth Garrett Weber and Trayvon Robinson drew back-to-back walks, Weber scored on a Sandford groundout and Robinson on an RBI hit by Hobson to extend the advantage to four. In the home sixth Weber reached on an error and and touched home on Vladimir Frias' RBI double, in the next inning Sandford singled and scored on another hit by Hobson (K.C. finished with five RBI on the night). A single New Britain run in the eighth brought the final to 8-3, R.J. Hively was the winning pitcher in relief of former San Francisco property Jarret Leverett. The series finished on Sunday with the visiting Bees salvaging the finale, the Barnstormers head back out onto the road until May 30. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 18-19

Thursday evening: dek hockey at Reservoir Park, winners included the Steamers over the Owls, the UniLords over the Pub Dawgs, the Misfits over the Kings and the Riot over the Hammerheads. Five weeks of play are in the books, each team has ten games played with four to go. On Friday we were at the ballpark on North Prince Street for the first time in sixteen days. The Barnstormers were back in town from an eight-day road swing, the New Britain Bees were the opponent for the opener of a three-game set. New Britain, CT had a team in affiliated ball from 1983 to 2015, when that franchise was sold and moved the Bees came into the ALPB replacing the defunct Camden Riversharks. Before the game the Barnstormers organization held its annual Salute To Veterans activities which are always well-received. In the game itself the visitors from New England took a 1-0 lead in the first, Blake Gailen's round-tripper in the second pulled the Stormers even. In the fourth K.C. Hobson walked and scored on an error, Gailen singled and came home on Lastings Milledge's RBI hit to put the Stormers up by two. The club added a single run in the fifth (Vladimir Frias walked and scored on a Darian Sanford base hit) and another in the seventh (Garrett Weber tripled and Anderson De La Rosa doubled him home) to go up 5-1. The Bees mounted a late rally but the Stormers held on for the 5-4 win, Anthony Carter picked up the save for starting pitcher Elih Villanueva (ex-bigleaguer with the Miami Marlins). Take care, thanks for reading

May 15-17

Monday morning lunch at the mall, in the evening we were at the rink for a night of makeup dek hockey. These were the games postponed from the 11th, on this night the Steamers won over the Misfits, the Owls beat the Pub Dawgs, the UniLords vanquished the Riot and the Kings prevailed over the Hammerheads. Tuesday was the official start of week #5, winners on this night included the UniLords over the Kings, the Misfits over the Hammerheads, the Steamers over the Pub Dawgs and the Riot over the Owls. On Wednesday the warm weather forecast kicked in, morning lunch with Jenny was the only activity of note which was just as well. We go from one extreme to another with weather, they are calling for temperatures in the 50s for the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 12-14

Friday evening: made my first trip of the new baseball season across the river, the York Revolution hosted the Bridgeport Bluefish in a doubleheader. The Revs have been a member franchise in the Atlantic League since 2007, they and the Barnstormers are geographic rivals although I personally have never gotten into that. I have friends in both places and I enjoy the atmosphere in York just as much as in Lancaster, the only major difference is travel (one mile as opposed to twenty-eight). This series was supposed to start on Thursday but the weather didn't cooperate, on this night the double-dipper started at 5:00. There was rain in the forecast for later in the evening, it arrived as an annoying mist during the first game. The visiting Bluefish scored single runs in the second and third to lead 2-0, in the Revs fourth Isaias Tejeda singled and scored on Bryan Pounds' sac fly to make it 2-1. Bridgeport extended their advantage with a two-run sixth, in the seventh Tejeda hit a solo home run for York but that was it as the Bluefish took the opener 4-2. Victor Mateo (from the Atlanta Braves system) started for the Revolution and took the loss, he was followed in relief by former Texas Ranger property Joe Van Meter and ex-MLBer Julio DePaula. Game #2 didn't start until 8:15, I hung around for about two innings and headed home driving through a light but steady rain just about all the way. Saw on the internet where Bridgeport won the nightcap as well, with it all they weren't done until after 11:00. The dreary conditions were still around on Saturday when I visited with Jenny for lunch, on Sunday the sun was in evidence for the first time since Wednesday. A gradual warmup is forecast for the week ahead, temperatures are expected close to 90 (!!!!) by the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 8-11

Had my usual Monday lunch at the mall, in the evening we were at McCaskey. Several years ago the ballfield was refurbished and lights were installed, since then the club has played its last few home dates each season at 7:00 instead of the standard 4:15. This was originally planned as the final home game, it was not because of the Friday rainout but the pregame Senior Night activities were held as scheduled. Michael Abrew, Victor Bray, Luis Civico, Chris Rosario, Radamus Roubert and Cristian Viera were recognized as members of the McCaskey class of 2017. The game itself started poorly, visiting Warwick put three on the board in the first inning. In their half JPM replied, Alex Dominguez (walk) and Rosario (double) scored on Viera's two-base hit to make it 3-2. In the home third the Red Tornado tore it open with an eight-run salvo, the first eight batters reached base and scored before the first out was recorded. Big hits in the inning included Dominguez's two-RBI double, two-run singles by Abrew and Mason Lee plus an RBI single by Dylan Esh, Caleb McFarland also picked up a ribbie on a bases-loaded walk. Warwick got one back in the fourth but there would nothing further on either side as JPM won it 10-4. Esh pitched five innings for the decision with Noah Bergey finishing it in relief. On Tuesday we reconvened at 4:15 for the makeup game from Friday, the Red Tornado hosted Manheim Township. Mason Lee singled and scored on Chris Rosario's RBI hit in the first to make it 1-0 JPM but MT went ahead with three in the third. In the bottom half Luis Civico doubled and scored on an error, Dylan Esh walked with the bases loaded to tie the score. Township went back by one in the fourth and held on there, the final was 4-3. Michael Abrew started on the mound and suffered the tough-luck loss. The club concluded its home schedule at 5-5, on Wednesday they wrapped the season with a road victory to finish 7-9 in league play and 9-11 overall. All in all it was a good bounce-back season for the program after a 1-19 mark in 2016. From the ballgame I headed to the rink where dek hockey was already underway. On this night the Riot won over the Pub Dawgs, the Unilords beat the Misfits, the Kings defeated the Owls and the Steamers prevailed over the Hammerheads. Wednesday consisted of lunch with Jenny and little else, on Thursday an all-day rain forced postponement of the evening's hockey schedule at the rink. They were reset for Monday the 15th giving us another three-game week. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 3-7

I've always said that we no longer have "seasons", we just have "weather". Over the past weekend the temperatures were well into the 70s, way too warm and too early for this time of year. By mid-week we were down into the 50s, on Wednesday night I was at the ballpark with a fleece pullover and a cap to keep comfortable. It was an off-night for dek hockey which afforded me the opportunity to see the Barnstormers host the Bridgeport Bluefish. The Stormers are starting their Monday-Saturday night games at 6:30 instead of 7:00 which I personally like, I think it's a good move. Caleb Gindl opened the scoring with a third-inning home run but the visitors from Connecticut posted single runs in the seventh and eighth to go ahead 2-1. In the home eighth Gindl singled and Lastings Milledge drew a walk, K.C. Hobson followed with a three-run homer onto the picnic deck in right field to put the Stormers in front. Blake Gailen's solo shot later in the inning put a capper on the 5-2 victory, Cody Hall won it in relief of starter Nate Reed. Reed is a Reading-area native who pitched for the Barnstormers in the '13 and '15 seasons, he split 2016 between the Mexican League and the ALPB with the York Revolution. On this night he pitched six innings of no-hit ball before the 'Fish reached him in the seventh. The series had started on Monday, it ended on Thursday but I was not there because we were wrapping up week #3 of dek hockey at the rink. Winners on this night were the Misfits over the Owls, the Steamers over the Riot, the Kings over the Pub Dawgs and the UniLords over the Hammerheads. Rain moved into the area overnight into Friday, in the afternoon word came down that the scheduled 7:00 ballgame at McCaskey was postponed and reset for Tuesday the 9th. The dreary conditions hung around for most of the weekend, my usual lunch visit with Jenny on Saturday was about all that happened. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 1-2

The fifth month of the year began (somewhat appropriately) on a Monday, I made my usual visit to the mall for lunch. In the afternoon we were at McCaskey for baseball, the Red Tornado hosted Cedar Crest at 4:15. One of the CC coaches knows me from my baseball days in Berks County, he commented on how nice it is that I do the PA for these games. I told him that it's fun because at the high school level it's about the GAME and the extraneous nonsense so prevalent in other areas is nowhere to be found. JPM had a home game on April 24 that I missed because of ice hockey, they won that game and on this day they made it two straight on their home field. CC took an early 1-0 lead, in the second inning McCaskey scored two on walks issued to Michael Abrew and Radames Roubert and RBI hits by Caleb McFarland and Mason Lee. In the third Cedar Crest put three on the board to lead 4-2, that advantage held until the bottom of the sixth when the same part of the batting order came through again. Abrew was hit by the pitch, Roubert and McFarland followed with singles to load the bases. Lee's RBI hit scored Abrew, Roubert and McFarland came home on consecutive wild pitches to put JPM up 5-4. Noah Bergey pitched the final two innings preserving the lead and picking up the win in relief of starter Dylan Esh. The club has two home games left, they are both under the lights at 7:00 on Friday the 5th and Monday the 8th. The game ended shortly before 6:30, I immediately headed to the rink for the night's dek hockey schedule. Don was aware I would be late, he had things up and running right on time. These were the makeup games from April 25, winners included the Kings over the Misfits via shootout, the Riot over the Hammerheads, the UniLords over the Pub Dawgs and the Steamers over the Owls. On Tuesday we continued week #3 with the regularly-scheduled games, on this night the Hammerheads beat the Pub Dawgs, the UniLords defeated the Owls, the Steamers won over the Kings and the Misfits prevailed over the Riot. Take care, thanks for reading.