June 30

The final day of the first half of 2017 was on a Friday, in the evening the Barnstormers opened a weekend series with the Somerset Patriots. The ALPB plays its season in two 70-game halves, the Patriots clinched the Liberty Division first-half title earlier in the week and a postseason berth along with it. The Stormers entered the weekend in the thick of the race for the Freedom Division title, on this night they took a big step forward with an important win. The curious thing about this game is how the runs scored, the Stormers had three separate three-run innings while the Patriots had two three-spots of their own. In the home first Caleb Gindl singled with two out and scored on a Sean Halton RBI triple, Garrett Weber's single plated Halton and a Trayvon Robinson RBI double scored Weber to make it 3-0. Somerset replied with three in the second to tie the game before the Barnstormers posted back-to-back treys in the third and fourth. Gindl started the third with a walk, Halton followed with a two-run homer to left. Two batters later Anderson De La Rosa doubled and came home on Vladimir Frias' base hit to put the Stormers up 6-3. In the fourth Lastings Milledge singled and scored on Halton's second triple of the night, Weber batted next and went yard onto the right-field picnic deck to extend the lead to six. The Patriots got three back in the fifth and finally broke the "3" pattern with a single run in the sixth but there was no further scoring for either side, the Stormers took it 9-6. Brad Bergesen started but did not go the required five innings to qualify for the win, Kevin Munson was awarded the W with Anthony Carter striking out the side in the ninth to earn the save. The series continues on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, the league's second half (with everybody starting over at 0-0) starts on Monday the 3rd. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 28-29

Wednesday lunch with Jenny in Quarryville, in the evening we were back on North Prince Street for game #3 of the series with New Britain. The Barnstormers' roster carousel was spinning once again, it was announced before game time that Nate Reed and K.C. Hobson had been signed by the SF Giants organization. Stormers radio broadcaster Dave Collins joked that the 2017 Atlantic League All-Star Game should feature the league's All-Stars versus the Giants AA affiliate since there are a number of ex-ALPB players on that club including three from the Stormers (all of them acquired within the last few days). Once the game started the visiting Bees broke on top with two in the first, in the bottom half the Barnstormers replied in kind. Lasting Milledge drew a walk and advanced to third on Caleb Gindl's double, an RBI single from Garrett Weber scored Milledge with Gindl following close behind on a throwing error to tie the game 2-2. NB went back up with a single run in the second but once again it didn't hold, Vladimir Frias went yard in the bottom half the make it 3-3. In the fourth the Stormers took the lead for good, Anderson De La Rosa doubled, advanced to third on a Frias infield hit and scored on a sac fly by newcomer Drew Doty (a University Of Tampa product, Drew was in training camp with the club in April but didn't make the roster). The Stormers added a run in the fifth when Milledge singled and scored on a Sean Halton sac fly to make it 5-3. That would be the final score, Rommie Lewis started and picked up the win with Anthony Carter earning the save. On Thursday I had a dental appointment in the morning (there are better ways to start a day but I can't think of many that are worse), in the evening the clubs met for the fourth and final game of the series. On this night Barnstormer pitchers combined to allow just two runs and post fourteen strikeouts but it wasn't enough because the bats were silent. Single runs in the third and eighth for New Britain were all that the Bees needed, the lone Stormers run came on a Vladimir Frias home run in the seventh. Kevin Munson took the 2-1 loss in relief of starter Jarret Leverett. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 26-27

Monday started as it almost always does with morning lunch at the mall, in the evening the Barnstormers opened a series with the New Britain Bees. Roster movement in the Atlantic League is a way of life, as an independent league one of the main selling points is the opportunity for players to earn a contract back into affiliated baseball. Before the game it was announced that Blake Gailen had been acquired by the LA Dodgers and Cody Hall by San Francisco, they were each assigned to their new organization's "class AA" affiliate. They join Jeff Kobernus (Seattle), Darian Sanford (Washington) and Elih Villanueva (Boston) as 2017 Barnstormers who have returned to a Major League organization. The game on this night was scoreless for five innings largely because both starting pitchers were outstanding but also because of one of the better defensive plays you may ever see. In the third inning K.C. Hobson batted with two men on and sent a deep drive to right-centerfield, Bees outfielder Michael Crouse (a Barnstormer briefly in 2016 and Hobson's former teammate in the Toronto Blue Jays system) leaped at the wall in full extension and made the catch robbing Hobson of a three-run homer. The 0-0 deadlock was broken in the sixth on a Sean Halton solo home run, in the seventh Rico Noel tripled and scored on Lasting Milledge's RBI hit to make it 2-0. Trayvon Robinson started the eighth with a single and touched home on an RBI double by Anderson De La Rosa to extend the lead to three. Starting pitcher Nate Reed went all the way on a complete game and cranked up a beauty, his bid for a shutout was ruined with two out in the ninth but he earned the win allowing just four hits, one walk and striking out twelve NB batters. On Tuesday we were at Reservoir Park for what was to be the final night of the Spring season. The Misfits defeated the Riot 3-2 to take the West Division championship three games to one. This game will be remembered by everyone involved for some time, the winning goal came with ONE SECOND left in regulation time. It's a great way to win but an excruciating way to lose. We plan on starting our summer season in the latter part of July. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 23-25

Had a haircut appointment on Friday afternoon, in the evening I was over in York for the fourth time in fifteen days. When the organization eliminated playing Sunday games at 5:00 it meant I had to pick my spots there, as it looks right now I'll make it to York just twice in July and maybe just once in August. On this night the Barnstormers were in town for the opener of a three-game set. The possibility of thunderstorms existed for later in the evening and that played a major role in what was to occur. The Stormers put four runs on the board in the third, Vladimir Frias started it with a single and Blake Gailen walked. Caleb Gindl singled to score Frias and advance Gailen to third, K.C. Hobson's sac fly plated Gailen to make it 2-0. Sean Halton followed with a monster shot over the Arch Nemesis to extend the lead to four, in the bottom of the third Alonzo Harris went yard to put the Revs on the board at 4-1. In the visiting fifth Gindl singled and scored on a Halton RBI double to make it 5-1, right after that it began to rain lightly and within minutes it was a deluge. The Revs' ground crew had a hard time getting the tarp down since the wind had picked up as well, after a delay of about twenty minutes the game was called. The initial announcement was for a makeup doubleheader on Sunday, later in the evening the league declared the game suspended with Sunday as the day for resumption. The rain continued as I was driving home, by the time I was back in Lancaster it was just about over but around 11:00 or so the skies opened up again. On Saturday I was with Jenny for lunch, in the afternoon we returned to the city for a birthday party. One of Jenny's friends has a three-year old daughter, the party was at a local arcade/eatery that specializes in events of that nature. Helen was invited as well but she could not go because her great-granddaughter was involved in a dance recital and that took precedence for her (as well it should). We stayed for about two hours or so, when I got home I was glad to be someplace where QUIET prevailed. I could never work in an environment like that anymore, I'd be swinging from a tree within a week. I lived a similar experience in the athletic arena some years ago and I don't miss that circus one little bit. Sunday was the typically quiet day it usually is, in the evening I saw the results from the weekend's events in York. The Revs won on Saturday night and rallied to win the suspended game on Sunday, the Barnstormers salvaged a victory in the regularly-scheduled game. The Revs are hitting the road, the Stormers begin a week-long homestand on Monday the 26th. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 21-22

Had lunch with Jenny in Quarryville on Wednesday morning, in the afternoon we had a weather event that was remarkably similar to Monday. There were thunderstorms in the forecast, around 4:30 or so they blew through and exited almost as quickly as they arrived. The Barnstormers were scheduled for a 6:30 start against the Bridgeport Bluefish, I went over to the ballpark at 6:00 expecting a late start but much like Monday in York the game went off right on time. This was the second of a three-game series, the Bluefish had won the opener on Tuesday. On this night the game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when the Stormers broke through largely thanks to Bridgeport mistakes. Trayvon Robinson walked to start the inning and Vladimir Frias reached on an error, they both scored when Tyler Clark followed with a bunt that was fielded and thrown down the left field line for another error. In the sixth the club added a two-out run in the sixth, Lastings Milledge singled and scored on Robinson's RBI double. In the eighth Blake Gailen drew a walk and came home on a two-base hit by Milledge, Frias (aka "Bad Vlad") followed with a two-run homer to make it 6-0. That appeared to put the game away but in the ninth the Bluefish had other ideas. Barnstormer closer Anthony Carter had a rare shaky outing allowing four runs in one-third of an inning, Kevin Munson came in to get the final two outs and save the win for starter Nate Reed. On Thursday we were at Reservoir Park for the only series still going, the Misfits beat the Riot to take a 2-1 lead in the West Finals. Game #4 is set for Tuesday the 27th. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 19-20

Monday lunch at the mall started the new week in the accustomed manner, in the afternoon a line of thunderstorms moved through the area. I was watching the Internet for updates on the evening's scheduled ballgame in York, at 4:30 indications were that the game was still on. It was still raining in Lancaster when I left at 4:45 but the storm system was moving from west to east, as I was traveling in the opposite direction conditions improved accordingly. When I arrived at the ballpark the rain was over, the gates were open, the tarp had been rolled up and the game started right on time at 6:30, The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were the opponent, they were the last ALPB club I had yet to see in 2017. The Crabs are based in Waldorf, Maryland (about twenty miles southeast of the District Of Columbia and fifty miles south of Baltimore), they are celebrating their tenth season in the Atlantic League. The crowd on this night in York was rather slight due to the weather but those in attendance saw a baseball game that resembled a roller-coaster ride. The Revs took a 2-0 lead in the first on a Michael Burgess two-run homer, the Crabs matched that in the second to draw even. In the bottom half Derrick Robinson walked and scored on an error to put York up 3-2. SM scored twice in the fourth to take a 4-3 advantage, in the fifth the Revs loaded the bases on consecutive walks issued to Alonzo Harris, Burgess and Jared Mitchell. Ryan Dent drew the fourth walk of the inning to force Harris home with the tying run, Robinson followed with a sac fly RBI to score Burgess. One-time St.Louis Cardinal property Luis Cruz's base hit plated Mitchell with the inning's third run to give the Revs a 6-4 lead but in the sixth the Crabs retaliated with another two-spot to tie maters at 6-6. In the eighth SM pushed home a single run and made it stand up for a 7-6 verdict, Luke Westphal took the loss for the Revolution in relief of starter Victor Mateo. On Tuesday the weather conditions were warm and sunny, in the evening we resumed dek hockey playoffs at the rink. On this night the East Division championship was decided as the UniLords completed the comeback from 0-2 down with a win over the Steamers, this game was in many ways a microcosm of the series itself. The UniLords trailed 5-2 with nine minutes left in regulation time, rallied to tie it and then scored the winning goal with one minute left. In the West Finals the Misfits beat the Riot to tie that series 1-1, game #3 is on Thursday the 22nd. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 17-18

Saturday evening baseball at "The Clip", Jenny and Helen were along for their fourth appearance of the season. On this night the Barnstormers made it two straight over Long Island and the matter was decided virtually from the word Go. Blake Gailen homered in the first inning, Caleb Gindl followed with a walk and K.C. Hobson went yard to make it 3-0. Back-to-back doubles by Sean Halton (run scored) and Garrett Weber (RBI) put the cap on a four-run first inning, in the second Rico Noel doubled and scored on Gailen's RBI single to put the Stormers up by five. Hobson's second round-tripper of the night extended the lead in the fifth, in the sixth inning what little controversy that may have remained was ended emphatically. Anderson De La Rosa started the inning with a double, Vladimir Frias walked and Noel reached on an infield hit to load the bases. Gailen singled to score De La Rosa, Gindl's two-run double plated Frias and Noel. An infield hit by Hobson reloaded the bases, Halton was hit by the pitch to force Gailen home with the tenth run of the night. The final score was 10-0, Rommie Lewis worked six innings for the win with R.J. Hively, Kevin Munson and Scott Shuman pitching an inning each in relief. The series concluded in the afternoon heat on Sunday, the visiting Ducks salvaging the finale. The Stormers start a series with Bridgeport at home on Tuesday. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 15-16

Dek hockey playoffs continued at Reservoir Park on Thursday evening, the Riot defeated the Misfits to take a 1-0 advantage in the West Finals. The East Finals finally came to a head as the Unilords won over the Steamers to force a fifth and deciding game. Whenever those teams get together it gets very unpredictable, there are certain (for lack of a better term) "combustible elements" involved and on this night the well-stirred pot finally boiled over. One player was ejected and suspended, several others were given major penalties for their lack of discipline and self-control. In theory they could have (and maybe SHOULD have) been suspended as well but it's always better to have a championship decided with the teams playing at reasonably full strength. It all makes for what should be an interesting time when we reconvene on Tuesday the 20th. On Friday the Barnstormers returned home from a week-long road trip, the Long Island Ducks visited for the first time in 2017. The Stormers took the lead with a four-spot in the fourth inning, Rico Noel singled and scored on a Blake Gailen RBI double. Sean Halton's sac fly plated Gailen, K.C. Hobson drew a walk and scored on Garrett Weber's two-run home run to make it 4-0. The Ducks got one back in the fifth, the Stormers matched it in the seventh when Vladimir Frias singled and scored on Noel's RBI double. Long Island scored another single in the eighth, in the bottom half the Barnstormers put it away. Halton started it with a double and Weber followed with a walk, Trayvon Robinson's hit scored Halton. Frias' infield hit loaded the bases, Noel drew a walk to force Weber home to make it 7-2. The Ducks picked up an innocuous run in the ninth as the Barnstormers took it 7-3, Bryan Evans was the winning pitcher with Anthony Carter recording the save. The series continues on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 12-14

Lunch at the mall was the extent of Monday activities, on Tuesday morning my mother had an eye doctor appointment for which she needed a driver. These periodic appointments are in connection with the cataract surgery she had in 2014 and they usually take anywhere from one to two hours. Jenny was in town as well, we had a chance to get together briefly while I was waiting for the call from the health campus. In the evening we were at the rink for dek hockey playoffs, in game #3 of the East Finals the UniLords stayed alive with a win over the Steamers. The night's other matchup saw the Riot defeat the Kings in the deciding game of their West Semifinal series. The results set the schedule for Thursday the 15th with the Riot meeting the Misfits in game #1 of the West Finals (a rematch of the championship series in the fall of 2016) plus game #4 of the East series. On Wednesday morning I was with Jenny at her place for our usual midweek lunch date, in the evening I made another trip west across the river. It was a baseball night in York as the Revolution hosted the New Britain Bees in the second game of a three-game series. New Britain won the opener on Tuesday, on this night single runs in the first and eighth innings were all the Bees needed for a 2-0 victory. The Revs' offense was held in check all night long, the club had only one inning where more than one man reached base. Victor Mateo started and pitched well for seven innings despite the loss, he was followed for an inning each by former Seattle Mariner property Hawtin Buchanan and one-time Barnstormer Ricardo Gomez. I plan to be back in York on the 19th if all goes well. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 9-11

Jenny had an afternoon medical appointment in Willow Street on Friday, we had lunch together and I took her to her appointment from there (the access van took her home). In the evening I traveled west across the mighty Susquehanna for my third visit of the season in York, the Revs were hosting the Barnstormers in the opener of a three-game set. Before the game York manager Mark Mason was recognized for recently posting his 300th win as the club's field boss. The Barnstormers struck first in the first inning when Rico Noel was hit by the pitch and scored on a K.C. Hobson base hit, in the bottom half the Revolution tied it when Isaias Tejeda singled and came home on a fielding error. The Revs put two on the board in the third, Travis Witherspoon was hit by the pitch and Alonzo Harris followed with a base hit. Tejeda's RBI double plated Witherspoon, Harris came home on a Joel Guzman groundout to make it 3-1. In the fifth Tejeda continued his big night with another base hit, he would score on a wild pitch to put the Revs up by three. In the Stormer sixth backup catcher Tyler Clark (from the Arizona D-Backs system) singled and touched home on a groundout by Noel to cut the margin to two but that would be the game's last run as the Revolution held on for the 4-2 win. Curtis Partch was the winning pitcher with ex-Toronto property Brad Allen earning the save, Nate Reed took the loss for the Barnstormers. Temperatures in the 90s were forecast for the weekend, on Saturday the blast furnace opened for business. Since Jenny and I had done lunch on Friday there was little reason to be out and about. The series in York continued in my absence (and in the heat) with a Stormer win on Saturday night and a Rev victory on Sunday afternoon, the next series between the two is in York from June 23-25. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 7-8

Had my usual Wednesday morning lunch visit with Jenny, in the evening I was at the ballpark. The Barnstormers were hosting Sugar Land in the middle game of a three-game series. The Skeeters won the opener on Tuesday, on this night the Stormers got even with a 7-1 win. In the third inning Anderson De La Rosa singled and scored on a Darian Sandford sacrifice fly, in the fourth Sean Halton hit a controversial home run to make it 2-0. The umpires originally ruled the ball in play off the top of the fence in left field, after Halton was retired at third base Stormer manager Ross Peeples challenged the ruling. The umpires huddled for a discussion and reversed the call, TV replays indicated the ball had gone over the fence, hit something on the berm and rebounded back onto the field. Sugar Land scored in the sixth but in the seventh the Stormers hung three on the board. De La Rosa reached on a fielders choice and Sandford singled, they both scored on Caleb Gindl's two-run double. Blake Gailen followed with a two-base hit scoring Gindl to put the home team up 5-1. Garrett Weber's two-run homer in the eighth ended the scoring, Jarrett Leverett went eight innings for the win with Scott Shuman working a spotless ninth. On Thursday temperatures were markedly warmer, in the evening we were back at Reservoir Park for night #2 of playoffs. In the East Final the Steamers beat the UniLords in overtime to take a 2-0 series lead. The West Semifinals saw one series end as the Misfits eliminated the Hammerheads, in the other series the Riot defeated the Kings to force a deciding third game. That game and game #3 of Steamers/UniLords are on Tuesday the 13th. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 5-6

Monday morning dawned with rain in the area, there was a good downpour going as I was having lunch at the mall. In the afternoon it moved on and the skies were brightening up, the evening's ballgame on North Prince Street went on as scheduled at 6:30. The Barnstormers salvaged a split of the weekend wraparound with a 4-3 win over the Revolution. All four of the Stormers runs were scored in the third inning, Vladimir Frias doubled and scored on Anderson De La Rosa's single to make it 1-0. Darian Sandford drew a walk, Rico Noel followed with an RBI double to score De La Rosa. A sacrifice fly from Caleb Gindl plated Sandford, two batters later Noel came home on a Sean Halton sac fly to give the Stormers a 4-0 lead. The Revs got on the board in the seventh on a Jared Mitchell two-run home run, in the ninth Derrick Robinson singled and scored on an RBI hit by ex-Stormer Travis Witherspoon to make it 4-3. The game ended with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, Anthony Carter saved it for winning pitcher Bryan Evans. Logan Williamson started for the Revs and took the tough-luck loss. The battle for the Community Cup continues with a three-game set in York starting on June 9. On Tuesday we had the ever-present threat of rain in the forecast but the evening's dek hockey schedule went on without a hitch. All three games were the openers of their respective playoff series, in the best 3-of-5 East Finals the Steamers beat the UniLords. In the best 2-of-3 West Semifinals the Kings defeated the Riot and the Misfits beat the Hammerheads. Playoffs continue on Thursday the 8th. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 3-4

Saturday lunch in Quarryville with Jenny and her mother, in the evening we were all at the ballpark for Revs/Stormers round #2. The Barnstormers won the series opener over the Revolution in one-sided fashion on Friday but on this night a different kind of game was in the offing. The Revs scored single runs in three different innings and made them stand up for a 3-1 win. Derrick Robinson doubled and scored on a single by former Minnesota Twin Alexi Casilla to make it 1-0 in the second. In the third the Revs extended the lead on a double by Angel Franco (from the Kansas City Royals system) and an RBI single from Micheal Burgess. In the fourth Casilla reached on a base hit and scored on a groundout by one-time New York Met property Alonzo Harris to give the Revs a 3-0 advantage. The Barnstormers bats were quiet for most of the night, Sean Halton's solo home run in the seventh broke the shutout bid and was the only offensive highlight for the home team. Victor Mateo worked seven innings for the Revolution and picked up the win, former Met property Chase Huchingson finished it for the save. Brad Bergesen (former Baltimore Oriole and a member of the Revs in 2015) started for the Barnstormers and took the loss. The teams met again on Sunday afternoon, I (of course) was absent as the Revs won 5-0. The series wraps up on Monday evening, the Sugar Land Skeeters visit for three games starting on Tuesday, Take care, thanks for reading.

June 1-2

The sixth month of 2017 started on a Thursday, in the evening we completed the dek hockey league's regular season. Winners on this night included the Kings over the Owls, the Steamers over the Hammerheads, the UniLords over the Misfits and the Pub Dawgs over the Riot. As the league's supervisor I cannot play favorites or take sides but I must admit I was glad to see the Pub Dawgs get a win. They have played in the league for many years with largely the same nucleus and have enjoyed little success yet each season they return with no complaints because they simply WANT TO PLAY (case in point: this game was utterly meaningless in the standings yet fourteen of the eighteen players on their roster showed up for it). The Dawgs were winless in the spring of '16 and only won two games in the fall, they entered play on this night at 0-13 and out of the playoff picture so it was nice to see them finish on a positive note. We start playoffs on Tuesday the 6th with the East Division Finals (Steamers/UniLords) and the West Semifinals (Kings/Riot and Hammerheads/Misfits). On Friday the Barnstormers continued their homestand as the York Revs traveled across the river for the first installment of the Atlantic League's War Of The Roses. The winner of the season series receives the Community Cup, the Stormers are the current cupholders with consecutive wins in 2015 and '16. On this night on North Prince Street it was all Barnstormers from the word Go. In the first inning Darian Sandford singled and stole second base, Rico Noel followed with a walk. Caleb Gindl's RBI groundout scored Sandford, K.C. Hobson's base hit plated Noel for a 2-0 lead. Trayvon Robinson went yard in the second to extend the advantage to three, in the fourth the Stormers added two more. Garrett Weber started it with a triple, consecutive walks to Robinson and Anderson De La Rosa loaded the bases. Sandford drew a walk to force Weber home, Robinson scored on a Noel groundout to make it 5-0. The Stormers posted another two-spot in the sixth, Robinson walked and scored on a Sandford RBI single, a two-base hit by Noel plated Sandford to up the lead to seven. K.C. Hobson's solo home run in the seventh put the lid on an 8-0 Stormers victory, Jarret Leverett went six inning for the win while Rev starter Frank Gailey suffered the loss. The clubs meet again on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, the series finishes with a "wraparound" game on Monday the 5th. Take care, thanks for reading.