September 25-30

The early part of the week was quiet except for morning errand runs, a Tuesday lunch visit with Jenny and evening work parties at Reservoir Park. By the end of the week the major work was all completed, the season starts on October 3. We play on Tuesdays, Thursdays and some selected Mondays since we're starting two weeks later than expected, the regular season is scheduled to end on November 9. On Friday the high school football season reached its midpoint, I was on the mic at McCaskey for the game versus Wilson (from suburban Reading, the second straight week I worked a game involving a Berks County school). Over the years Wilson has been a football factory, the program has not had a losing season in over fifty years and in league play they have not lost to a divisional opponent since 2007. On this night the streak continued as the Red Tornado fell victim 33-7. JPM actually led early on, they received the opening kickoff and scored in the game's second minute. Quarterback Tallian Lehr found wideout Jamiere Gray in the end zone for a TD, placekicker Francois Zahno added the PAT. From there it was all Wilson, they led 20-7 at halftime and closed it out with a 13-0 second half. JPM's record drops to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the division, they play at home again on October 6. On Saturday morning I was back at the stadium for a boys/girls soccer doubleheader, it was the teams' annual Senior Day and the lone time the soccer teams play in the stadium. I'm always asked to work these if I'm available, this was the first time they were played it as a twinbill which made it much more manageable. We started with the girls game at 10:00, JPM lost to Solanco 2-0. The boys hosted York at 12-noon, they won their game 5-1. It was all over around 2:00 or so, I headed from there to Jenny's place for a late lunch/early supper. I had planned to going to York in the evening but there was no reason to, the Atlantic League's championship series ended on Friday night. The Revolution defeated Long Island in three straight games to claim the franchise's third title in its eleven-year history and the first since 2011. As a Lancaster resident I obviously see more games on North Prince Street than in York but I have friends over there as well, if the Stormers couldn't win it I'm glad the Revs did. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 21-24

The latter part of the week was relatively quiet except for a noteworthy Friday evening, I was at Lancaster Catholic for the start of my 22nd year on the mic (when available) and the first football game at brand-new Crusader Stadium. The school's soccer and field hockey teams play there as well but this was the first "high-profile" event in the new facility. The venerable Rossmere Stadium had been around since the early 1960s, in the off-season it was razed completely and the new stadium was built on the same spot. The only feature of the old yard that remains is the field house where the team locker rooms are located. The playing field was reoriented to run north-south instead of east-west, the field house formerly sat behind the east end zone but it is now behind the bleachers on the visiting side of the stadium. The old press box was two stories with the PA booth on the second floor, the new box is one floor with my spot in the middle and it's noticeably smaller than its predecessor. It's a whole new experience but it's one that was needed and it won't take long for it to be completely accepted. The debut of the stadium was unfortunately the highlight of the evening as LCHS lost to Berks Catholic (from Reading) 38-8. The Crusaders struggled offensively all night long amassing only 88 total yards from scrimmage. The lone score came in the third quarter when defensive back Nate Bryson picked up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown, Phillip Bomberger added the two-point conversion on a quarterback keeper. They play at home again on the 29th but I am absent for the game at McCaskey, I'm not back at LCHS until November 3. The Atlantic League division playoffs ended on the weekend, the York Revs ousted Southern Maryland in four games and Long Island defeated Somerset in four as well. The championship series is a rematch of the 2011 finals which the Revs won, they also won the league title in 2010. Long Island was in the finals in 2016, they last won the gold in 2013. The series starts on the Island on Wednesday the 27th. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 18-20

We had planned on starting the Fall dek hockey season by mid-September but everything is on hold for the time being. Work is underway and ongoing involving rink repairs to dasherboards, the team benches and the penalty bench. When the rink was built in 1979 there was no shelter of any kind at the benches or the penalty box, in 2002 they were rebuilt with walls, roofing and floors elevated several inches from the ground. Over time they have decayed badly and the appropriate repairs are being made, exactly when the league will start is up in the air. I was at the rink after supper on Monday and Tuesday helping out as best as I could but I freely admit I'm not much of a handyman, I'd have trouble nailing two boards together. On Wednesday I made a late-afternoon drive west across the river for game #1 of the Atlantic League playoff series in York, the Revolution hosting Southern Maryland. The home team took an early 1-0 lead in the first, Alonzo Harris singled and scored on an RBI triple by Rubi Silva. In the second the Revs added two more: Isaias Tejeda walked to start the inning, Travis Witherspoon doubled him to third and Ryan Dent was hit by the pitch to load the bases. A sac fly by Harris plated Tejeda, Jared Mitchell's RBI single scored Witherspoon to make it 3-0. The Blue Crabs picked up a run in the fourth, a two-spot in the eighth tied the score and set the stage for extra innings. In the home tenth Silva doubled with two out, Telvin Nash followed with a two-run shot to left-center giving the Revs the 5-3 walk-off win and a 1-0 lead in the series. Rev starter Jay Gause pitched six innings of two-hit ball but wasn't around at the end, reliever Grant Sides (who began the season in the Arizona Diamondbacks system) worked a spotless top of the tenth and took the decision. Game #2 is in York on Thursday with the series shifting to Waldorf for the duration on Friday. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 15-17

Jenny's mother turned 80 on Friday, she celebrated by spending part of the day receiving medical attention. Helen was walking home from an errand when she fell on the sidewalk, she suffered a cut above her right eye. I saw her on Saturday when I visited for lunch, she is OK but she definitely looks like she went fifteen rounds with the champ. The Atlantic League season ended on Sunday with the Barnstormers on the outside looking in, the ballclub was eliminated from postseason contention with a Saturday night loss in York. The Revs claimed the Freedom Division second-half title, they meet Southern Maryland in the first round of playoffs starting Wednesday the 20th. The Barnstormers finished tied with Bridgeport for the league's best overall record at 76-64 but neither club qualified for the postseason (Somerset and Long Island meet for the Liberty Division pennant). The split-season format has its supporters and its detractors but the ALPB has used it for all twenty years of its existence and everybody knows going in what needs to be done to qualify for the postseason. It's interesting to note that the clubs playing for the Freedom Division title each finished 28-42 in the half they did not win, the Revolution went 40-30 in the second half to finish 68-72 overall while the Blue Crabs were one game off the pace at 67-73. Each division series is a best-of-five played in a 2-3 format, The Revs host the Crabs for the first two games of their series. I was not at any of the games in York over the weekend but I plan to make at least one of the two playoff games depending on my personal schedule. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 12-14

Tuesday night on North Queen Street as the Barnstormers began their final home series of the regular season, the Long Island Ducks (fresh from the Monday makeup game in York) were the opponent. Minor League Baseball season is over, the Barnstormers' roster received some reinforcements with the return of Caleb Gindl and Darian Sandford. In the Tuesday opener the Stormers pulled out a tough 3-2 win. The Ducks took a 1-0 lead in the third, Josh Bell's solo home run in the fifth knotted the score. In the seventh the Stormers loaded the bases with two out, Beau Amaral's base hit scored one run and another came home on Cole Garner's bases-loaded walk. Long Island got one back in the eighth but Anthony Carter worked a spotless ninth to earn the save, R.J. Hively won it in relief of starter Tommy Shirley. On Wednesday the Ducks squared the series with a win that from the Stormers' standpoint could only be called disheartening. The Ducks led 2-0 in the third, in the bottom half Sean Halton's RBI double got the Stormers on the board. In the sixth LI extended the lead to 3-1, Caleb Gindl's two-run home run in the home half tied the score. Each team tallied in the eighth, the Stormers's run coming courtesy of a Gindl RBI hit to set the stage for extra innings. In the tenth the wheels fell off the cart as the Ducks took advantage of two fielding errors to score five runs and win it going away 9-4. Starting pitcher Scott Sebald (ex-Texas Ranger property recently added from the Frontier League) went six innings in his home debut, Kaohi Downing suffered the loss in relief. Thursday was the final regular-season home game, the Barnstormers handed out their team awards. Trayvon Robinson received the Community Service Award and Sean Halton was named via fan vote the team's MVP. The Ducks continued their momentum with a three-run first inning but from there it was all Stormers. In the second Halton singled and scored on Steve Clevenger's RBI hit, that 3-1 deficit held until the bottom of the eighth. Josh Bell doubled and scored on a Lance Zawadzki single, two batters later Cole Garner's RBI hit plated Zawadzki to tie the game. In the bottom of the ninth the Barnstormers loaded the bases, a two-out single by Darian Sandford scored Clevenger from third with the game-winner 4-3. Rommie Lewis started and worked into the seventh. Anthony Carter pitched the ninth inning and picked up a rare "closer's win". The Stormers' victory allows the club to stay within striking distance of a playoff berth, that will be decided over the weekend in York. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 11

Monday lunch at the mall got the new week started, in the evening I made a trip west of the Susquehanna for baseball in York. The Long Island Ducks were the opponent, this was the leftover makeup game from the rain-plagued series the week before. The Ducks are in the running for the second-half title in the Liberty Division while the Revolution entered the night in first place in the Freedom with the Barnstormers and Sugar Land in close pursuit. On this night in York the game was scoreless into the fifth inning when the Ducks scored on an error to go up 1-0. In the bottom of the inning the Revs tied it on a solo home run from newcomer Rubi Silva (former Chicago Cub property who spent most of the season in the Can-Am League). In the sixth the home team took the lead when Ryan Dent doubled and scored on Alonzo Harris' RBI single, from there the Rev bullpen shut it down for the 2-1 win. Victor Mateo started for York and went five innings, Joe Van Meter picked up the decision with Chase Huchingson earning the save. The regular season is in its home stretch, every club in the league has six games remaining. Long Island is in Lancaster for three games Tuesday through Thursday while York hosts Southern Maryland, the Stormers and Revs wrap up the season with three in York over the weekend. As they say on television: Stay Tuned. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 9-10

Saturday night baseball on North Prince Street for the final time (at least for the regular season) in 2017, the Barnstormers hosted Southern Maryland. The Stormers won the series opener on Friday but the rest of the weekend would prove to be an exercise in frustration. On Saturday the visiting Blue Crabs batted around in the second and scored five runs, in the third the Barnstormers returned the favor and scored six of their own. Back-to-back singles by Cole Garner and Trayvon Robinson started the rally, Steve Clevenger's RBI hit plated Garner to put the Stormers on the board. Nate Coronado doubled to score Robinson and Clevenger, after Lance Zawadzki walked Josh Bell went yard onto the picnic deck to put the Stormers ahead 6-5. The momentum did not last as SM scored two in the fourth and three in the sixth to go up by four. In their half of the sixth the Stormers added a run when Bell drew a walk and scored on Beau Amaral's RBI double but that would be the final tally in a 10-7 Blue Crabs win, Joe Gardner started for the Stormers and took the loss. On Sunday the series ended on a cool and breezy day, the ballclub held its Fan Appreciation Day with a team photo poster giveaway. In the game itself the Stormers trailed 3-0 in the sixth inning before recording their first base hit, the lone run in the 3-1 loss came in the ninth on a Sean Halton RBI single. Brad Bergesen started on the mound and was the pitcher of record. The Barnstormers have a day off on Monday before Long Island comes to town for a three-game set. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 5-8

Another round of dreary weather passed through in midweek, I had planned in going to York for a ballgame on Wednesday night but the weather did not cooperate. The Revolution was scheduled to host Long Island for a three-game set, both Tuesday and Wednesday were rained out. They did a doubleheader on Thursday and reset the extra game for Monday the 11th (a mutual off-day), I may make that one if the weather is good. The extreme conditions were particularly notable on Tuesday, a late-afternoon thunderstorm with high winds caused a power outage in our neighborhood that lasted better than two hours. On Friday it was a football night at McCaskey, I began my 30th year on the PA as the Red Tornado hosted York (not the Revs, the high school). My first football game at JPM was on September 10, 1988 and it's hard to believe it was that long ago. The club lost its week #1 game on the road against one of the better teams in the state, on this night they lost 36-30. JPM trailed 8-0 after one quarter before posting sixteen straight points in the second, the momentum was short-lived as York responded with fourteen of their own to lead 22-16 at halftime. The scoring in the second half was equally divided as JPM battled to the end but could not get over the hump. McCaskey scored four touchdowns, all on pass receptions: Jamiere Gray, Anthony DeLeon and Tallian Lehr caught scoring passes from quarterback Ante Robinson, Lehr played briefly at QB when Robinson left with leg cramps and found Isiah Speller for a TD (Lehr and Speller are familiar names as members of the basketball team). Elyizer Ortiz kicked two PATs and the defense got into the scoring column by recording two safeties on tackles in the end zone. The club plays its next two on the road, the next home game is on Friday the 29th. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 3-4

The miserable rainy conditions were gone by Sunday morning, the afternoon was cool and breezy with temperatures in the low 60s. I'm well-known as a non-fan of day games but that's largely because of the heat and humidity during the peak summer months, on this day there were no such issues so I was at the ballpark for the makeup doubleheader. The Barnstormers and Patriots played a pair of seven-inning games and scored a grand total of seven runs between them. In the opener the Stormers won 2-0, the only runs courtesy of a Cole Garner two-run home run in the fourth inning. Joe Gardner pitched six innings of three-hit ball for the win with Anthony Carter earning the save. That game started at 2:00 and took just over an hour-and-a-half (nobody will EVER complain about that), in the second game Somerset led 3-0 in the first inning and were never headed in a 4-1 decision. The lone run for the Stormers came on a Josh Bell round-tripper in the fifth, Jarret Leverett started and suffered the loss. The entire day took just four hours and twenty-one minutes from start to finish, as one who has lived that life I could certainly appreciate it. Monday was the annual Labor Day holiday which I have always considered the end of summer, when I was a kid we almost invariably went back to school the very next day. The Pats and Stormers finished the weekend wraparound with a 3:00 single game, on this day it was much warmer but a good breeze and sitting in the shade made it tolerable. Somerset put five on the board in the third, in the fourth Josh Bell's three-run shot brought the Stormers to within 5-3. In the fifth the home team tied the game, one run scoring on an error and the other on an RBI hit by recently-reacquired fan favorite Lance Zawadzki (Lance lives in Texas, he was dealt to Sugar Land for family reasons in July of 2016 and has spent most of '17 battling injuries). The 5-5 tie was broken in the eighth when Somerset scored two runs, Garrett Weber's solo homer in the ninth made it close but not close enough as the Patriots left town with a 7-6 victory. Starting pitcher Brad Bergesen worked into the fifth inning with Scott Shuman (the fourth of six relievers used) taking the loss. The Stormers are on the road for the next three days, thney return home on Friday the 8th. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 1-2

The first day of the new month fell on a Friday, it was opening week for high school football season and the weather was appropriate: cool and breezy. Both McCaskey and Lancaster Catholic were on the road for their openers so I spent the evening at the ballpark as the Barnstormers hosted Somerset. The Patriots won the first-half title in the Liberty Division, the Stormers are in the thick of the battle for the second-half crown in the Freedom. On this night offensive highlights were in short supply on both sides, the game was scoreless until the bottom of the seventh. Anderson De La Rosa and Beau Amaral recorded back-to-back two-out singles, after Garrett Weber walked Cole Garner's two-RBI single scored De La Rosa and Amaral to put the Stormers up 2-0. The Patriots got one back in the eighth but the Barnstormers held on for the tough 2-1 win. Rommie Lewis started and went six innings, John Kuchno was the pitcher of record with Anthony Carter picking up the save. The cooler temperatures ushered rain into the area overnight into Saturday, the entire day was a washout. The system was the remnants of a major storm that had wreaked havoc in the south-central part of the country the previous week, areas of Texas and Louisiana in particular suffered devastating damages. Jenny and I had our usual lunch date, I told her that even if they played at the ballpark I probably wasn't going to go and she said she'd just as soon stay home as well. Later in the afternoon it became a moot point, the ballgame was postponed and reset as a doubleheader for Sunday afternoon. Take care, thanks for reading.