August 28-31

The final days of August had little to recommend them, since summer dek hockey is over and there was no baseball anywhere the usual morning routine was about all that happened. On Tuesday my mother had an eye doctor appointment at the health campus, she recently turned 83 and decided to give up driving so I was her transportation to and from. Jenny and I had our midweek lunch date on Wednesday, on Thursday night we had an organizational meeting for the fall hockey season at Reservoir Park. We had eight clubs in the spring league, seven of them were represented and we know the eighth will be in as well so we may have the exact same setup as we had in the spring (it would make doing the schedule easier since the template from the spring could be reused virtually unchanged). Time will tell. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 25-27

The race for the second-half division titles in the Atlantic League is in high gear, as the weekend began the four clubs in the Freedom Division were separated by just seven games in the standings. On Friday the Barnstormers traveled west across the Susquehanna for a head-to-head series with the Revolution, the York ballclub holding first place with the Stormers two games behind. In the Friday opener the Barnstormers rallied from two runs down in the ninth to tie and ultimately won in extra innings 5-4. The next night marked a rare Saturday appearance in York for me, this was Jenny and Helen's annual visit (I get them there one game each year preferably when the Stormers are the opponent). On this night the visitors struck first, Sean Halton's RBI single in the third scored Garrett Weber putting the Stormers up 1-0. In the fourth the Stormers took full advantage of a bases-loaded nobody-out situation, one run scored on a wild pitch before Anderson De La Rosa'a two-run single and an RBI hit from Cole Garner made it 5-0. In the home fourth Isaias Tejeda got the Revs on the board with a two-run home run, in the fifth the Stormers got them back on RBI hits by De La Rosa and Beau Amaral to go up 7-2. In the home sixth Telvin Nash (former Rev recently returned from the Chicago White Sox organization) went yard with a man on, two batters later Dayron Varona hit a solo shot to bring the Revolution within 7-5. The Barnstormers' bullpen shut it down from there, Tommy Shirley went six innings for the win with support from Kevin Munson, ex-Pittsburgh Pirate property John Kuchno and Scott Shuman (save). Victor Mateo started for the Revs and struggled through four innings of work taking the loss. The teams entered the Sunday finale tied for the top spot in the division, the Revolution salvaged it to go back ahead by one game. The league season ends on September 17 and there is a lot of ball left to be played including one last Stormers-Revs series in York on the final weekend. From here on out the only thing for sure is nothing is for sure. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 21-24

Monday evening at the ballpark, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were in town for the opener of a four-game series. This was my first chance to see the Crabs in Lancaster in 2017 (they played a series here in May but I was absent completely), I was at a game they played in York in June. That game was played despite rainy conditions, the Stormers and Crabs played that controversial tiebreaker game which was twice postponed by weather and on this night in Lancaster the teams were plagued in similar fashion. The game started on time at 6:30, in the middle of the first inning there was a twenty-minute lightning delay. The rain arrived in earnest in the top of the third inning, after the Crabs finished their at-bat the game went into another delay. After a wait of about an hour the game was called and reset as a doubleheader for Wednesday night (what is it with the Blue Crabs and lousy weather, it seems to shadow them no matter where they go). On Tuesday night the Stormers won 7-0 but I was not there, we finished up the summer dek hockey season at the rink with Blue vs Gold and Orange vs Green. The aim of the summer season is fun and recreation, we try to set the rosters as evenly as possible. Two teams finished 5-4, the other two were 4-5 and that's about as even as it could be. We set a league meeting for August 31, the fall season should start in mid-September. On Wednesday Jenny and I had our midweek lunch date, in the evening I was at the ballpark for the makeup twinbill. In the opener Trayvon Robinson singled to start the fourth inning and scored on an RBI double by Nate Coronado. Cole Garner's single advanced Coronado to third, he would score the inning's second run on Garrett Weber's sac fly. Josh Bell's RBI hit plated Garner to make it 3-0 but that was all the Stormers would get, Southern Maryland rallied to tie and and won in extra innings 5-3. Joe Gardner started on the mound with Daniel Moskos taking the loss in relief. The second game didn't start until just after 9:30, I elected to head home because I lived that life for thirty-five years. Saw on the Internet where the Stormers scored four runs in their last at-bat to win 5-4, they weren't done until almost 11:45 (been there, done that). The series wrapped up on Thursday with a 6-0 Southern Maryland win, the Stormers had little going offensively and never mounted a threat. Luis Gonzalez got the start and took the loss. The ballclub plays its next seven on the road, the trip begins on Friday night in York. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 16-20

August 16 is always a red-letter day on the calendar because it is Jenny's birthday, for the first time since I've known her she had very little enthusiasm for it. She was born in 1972 and I guess she feels there is some sort of stigma attached to turning 45. She didn't ask for anything specific in terms of a gift but I used my best judgment on something I knew she would like. I've known her for close to twenty-five years, we've been together for almost sixteen years and I challenge any man on the planet to love his woman as much as or more than I love her. We had our usual lunch date on Wednesday, the establishment we visited gave her lunch for free because it was her birthday. In the evening I was over at the ballpark, the Barnstormers hosted the Bridgeport Bluefish in the middle game of a three-game series. The Stormers won the opener on Tuesday, on this night the Bluefish returned serve with a 7-3 win. The Barnstormers did not dent the scoreboard until the ninth inning, Steve Clevenger's three-run home run broke up the shutout. Jarrett Leverett started for the home team and suffered the loss, he was followed in relief by Kevin Munson and newly-acquired Luis Gonzalez (one-time LA Dodgers property). The series ended on Thursday night with another Bridgeport victory but I was absent for summer dek hockey at the rink. Night #8 featured the last go-around for Blue vs Orange and Gold vs Green, we finish it up on Tuesday the 22nd. The weekend had little going on save for Saturday lunch with Jenny, the Barnstormers were on the road but they return home to meet Southern Maryland on Monday the 21st. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 14-15

Little going on Monday except for morning lunch at the mall, in the evening I tuned into the internet broadcast of the Barnstormers' ballgame in Waldorf, MD. This was the celebrated and twice-postponed "first-half game #70", the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs won it 8-3 to claim the first-half division title and the playoff spot that goes with it. If the Stormers make the postseason it will be either as the second-half division champion or as a wild-card entry and needless to say there are no guarantees. The thing that most will remember about this night in Waldorf is how it all transpired: the game was originally rained out in May and reset for July 28 when the Barnstormers next visited. The weather on that day was not encouraging, in the afternoon the league had stated that the game if postponed would be played on the 29th as part of a day/night doubleheader. Later in the evening the game was called and reset for the open date on August 14 which caught many by surprise given the league's earlier statements. Had the Stormers won this game nobody would care anymore but the entire circumstance was very peculiar and we may never know why it went down the way it did. All we know is it took until midway through the second half to get the first half finished (which is patently ridiculous no matter how you look at it). On Tuesday we were at Reservoir Park for night #7 of summer dek hockey, Orange met Gold and Green faced Blue for the third and last times each. The season continues on Thursday the 17th and wraps up on the 22nd. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 12-13

Saturday morning in Quarryville for lunch with Jenny, in the evening we were at the ballpark. All day long they were calling for a chance of thunderstorms, we went over to the ballpark for the 5:30 gate opening and the rain started just as we were going in. I told Jenny and Helen that we would walk as far as the end of the concourse on the third-base side and wait it out, that's where I usually sit when I'm there and the ushers know me so it wouldn't be a problem. The grounds crew knew what was coming, the tarp was on the field before the rain ever started. With it all the game got underway an hour and fifteen minutes past the scheduled start time, once it did the Somerset Patriots scored single runs in the first and third. The Barnstormers posted three in their half of the third, Josh Bell and Nate Coronado started it with back-to-back walks before Anderson De La Rosa reached on an error, Bell scoring on the miscue to make it 2-1. Beau Amaral's RBI groundout plated Coronado to tie the game, Cole Garner's base hit cashed in De La Rosa to put the Stormers up 3-2. The lead was extended in the fourth when Steve Clevenger singled and Garrett Weber doubled him to third, Clevenger scored on Bell's RBI groundout and Coronado followed with a two-run home run to make it 6-2. The Pats got one back in the fifth but the Barnstormers matched it in the sixth on a Weber triple and a sac fly RBI by Coronado. Sean Halton's two-run home run in the seventh made it 9-3, in the eighth Amaral doubled and scored on another Garner RBI hit to put the Stormers up by seven. Somerset scored three innocuous runs in the ninth to bring the final to 10-6, Rommie Lewis started on the mound and went five innings for the win. The series wrapped up on Sunday in the typical afternoon heat, the Patriots victorious to take three of the four games in the series. The Barnstormers travel to Southern Maryland on Monday the 14th for that long-awaited makeup game, they come back home to host Bridgeport from the 15th to the 17th. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 7-11

The early part of the new week was quiet except for the usual morning errand runs, Wednesday lunch with Jenny and two nights of summer dek hockey at the rink. On Tuesday it was night #5 of the summer schedule featuring Green vs Gold and Orange vs Blue, they meet again for the final time on the 17th. Thursday night marked the two-thirds mark of the season with Green meeting Orange and Gold facing off against Blue, those matchups close out the schedule on the 22nd. On Friday we were at the ballpark, the Barnstormers hosted the Somerset Patriots in game #2 of a four-game series. The Stormers lost the opener on Thursday 9-3 and did not fare any better on this night. The Patriots led early 2-0 and were never headed winning easily 8-2. Garrett Weber accounted for both Barnstormer runs with a second-inning RBI double and a solo home run in the ninth. Jarrett Leverett got the start and took the loss. There are thunderstorms in the forecast for Saturday which is the usual night of the week when Jenny and Helen come to town for baseball so OF COURSE the weather forecast is discouraging but maybe we'll get lucky. Who knows at this point? Take care, thanks for reading.

August 5-6

Saturday lunch with Jenny and Helen in Quarryville, in the evening they made their first appearance at the ballpark since July 8 (Jenny's surgery prevented her from being at the game on the 22nd). On this night the Barnstormers scored in double digits for the second consecutive game and the visiting Sugar Land Skeeters followed suit, the result was a wild roller-coaster ride of a ballgame. The Skeeters came out of the gate with five in the first inning, the Stormers got one back in their half when Beau Amaral doubled and scored on Trayvon Robinson's RBI hit. In the second Nate Coronado singled and came home on Lastings Milledge's double, Milledge scored on an Amaral RBI single to make it 5-3. A two-run home run from Sean Halton in the third tied matters at 5-5, in the fourth Sugar Land answered with two of their own to retake the lead. In the bottom of the fourth Cole Garner went yard with a man on to square the score once again but the Skeeters hung three on the board in the fifth to go up 10-7. In the home fifth Josh Bell hit a two-run shot to bring the Stormers within one, the Skeeters added a single run in the seventh to make it 11-9. The final salvo on this night belonged to the Barnstormers and it evolved in unusual fashion. With two out in the seventh and the bases empty Anderson De La Rosa reached on a strikeout/passed ball and Bell followed with a base hit. That set the stage for Amaral who hit a line drive tight to the line in left field. The Skeeters' leftfielder dove for the ball and could not make the catch, it got by him and rolled all the way to the corner. Amaral's speed allowed him to circle the bases for an inside-the-park three-run homer putting the Barnstormers ahead 12-11. The Stormers bullpen took it home from there with Daniel Moskos the winner in relief of Jarrett Leverett and Anthony Carter posting the save. The series finished in my absence on Sunday afternoon with the Skeeters salvaging the finale, the Barnstormers host Somerset for a four-gamer starting on the 10th. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 3-4

Thursday night at Reservoir Park for night #4 of the summer season, the pairings from opening night met for the second of three times. Gold met Orange and Green opposed Blue, they'll match up again on the 15th. We had some light mist falling here and there thanks to a storm system that thankfully stayed north of the city but we were never in any danger of being unable to play. On Friday night we were back on North Prince Street, the Barnstormers hosted Sugar Land in the second game of the weekend series. The Stormers took the Thursday opener 4-3, on this night they scored early and often and won going away 10-3. Lastings Milledge walked to start the second inning, Tyler Clark singled and Josh Bell's RBI hit scored Milledge to make it 1-0. Clark came home when Trayvon Robinson reached on a fielders choice, Cole Garner's RBI double scored Bell to up the lead to three. Steve Clevenger's two-run double put the lid on a five-run inning, in the fourth Garner went yard to make it 6-0. A two-run home run by Clark in the fifth was followed by a two-RBI shot by Sean Halton in the sixth to extend the lead into double digits, the visiting Skeeters put three on the board in the seventh to round out the scoring. Starting pitcher Tommy Shirley earned the win, he is a former Houston Astro property who has spent a large part of the season on the disabled list. The series continues on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 1-2

Jenny was in town on Tuesday morning for a followup appointment on her surgery, according to the doctor everything looks great and they couldn't be more pleased with the healing. The access van brought her and Helen into town, I took them home and we did our midweek lunch a day early. In the evening we were at the rink for night #3 of summer hockey, the games featured Blue vs Gold and Orange vs Green. Those matchups happen again on the 10th and 22nd (the last night of the season). On Wednesday night we were back at the ballpark, the Stormers hosted New Britain in the rubber game of the three-game series. Over the weekend the Seattle Mariners had signed Barnstormers pitcher Bryan Evans, on this night the "Prince Street to MiLB" pipeline was in motion once again as Rico Noel got the call from the Houston Astros. He becomes the eleventh member of the ballclub to return to affiliated ball in 2017 which is impressive no matter how you view it. On this night the Stormers came out quickly with a three-spot in the first inning. Beau Amaral started it with a single and Trayvon Robinson reached on an error, Cole Garner's RBI hit plated Amaral. Sean Halton followed with a two-run single scoring Robinson and Garner to put the Stormers up 3-0. In the third the visiting Bees scored twice, they added three in the seventh to move ahead 5-3. In the home eighth the Barnstormers mounted the winning rally. Garner doubled to start the inning, Steve Clevenger walked and Garrett Weber's RBI single scored Garner to make it 5-4. Nate Coronado singled to score Clevenger with the tying run, one batter later Lastings Milledge reached on an error to load the bases. Amaral came to bat and watched as a wild pitch scored Weber from third with the lead run. Anthony Carter worked a perfect ninth to earn the save, R.J. Hively was the winning pitcher in relief of recently-added starter Joe Gardner. Gardner pitched for the Stormers in 2014, '15 and '16, he was signed as a free agent and started in Evans' spot in the rotation. The homestand continues with the Sugar Land Skeeters visiting over the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.