April 21-22

Atlantic League baseball season is just around the corner, on Saturday the Barnstormers held their annual Fanfest at the ballpark on North Prince Street. Stormers manager Ross Peeples is back for his second year as bench boss, Josh Bell is also back as hitting coach. The training camp roster features twelve players who spent time on the club in 2017, they include catcher Anderson De La Rosa, infielders Vladimir Frias and Rico Noel, outfielders Darian Sanford, Trayvon Robinson and Blake Gailen plus pitchers Joe Gardner, Tommy Shirley, Nate Reed, Kevin Munson, John Anderson and Scott Shuman. Infielder Tyler Bortnick and pitcher Matt Reynolds are also back with the club after spending all of the '17 season elsewhere. The Stormers' opponent on this day was a traveling team known as the Black Sox, they are part of a player development organization with the goal of earning opportunities in pro baseball. The season starts on April 26, the Stormers play the first week on the road before opening at home on May 4. On Sunday afternoon I was at the Lancaster Ice Rink for a charity hockey game featuring the Philadelphia Flyers Alumni. Back in November I worked a similar game at the Regency Ice Rink, many of the local players in that game were involved on this day as well and they contacted me about working it. This was the first time I'd been in the LIR in almost five years but not the first time I had announced there. Back in 2013 a friend of mine had a son playing in high school, they played their home games at the LIR and I would go to see them whenever I could. One night the guy who was supposed to announce didn't show up, I was there and stepped in on about ten minutes notice (and it mattered because it was the team's Senior Night with the usual parent introductions, etc.). Several of the Alumni who played in the November game were in the lineup on this day as well, among them were former Flyers Larry Goodenough, Terry Carkner, Riley Cote and Mitch Lamoureux along with Bryan Helmer, Chase Watson and Jeff Corey. They were joined by former Flyer Doug Crossman, one-time Philadelphia Phantom Dave MacIssac, veteran AHL goalie Frederic Cassivi and former pro Rob MacInnis. Popular original Flyer Joe Watson had planned to play but was slowed by injury, he was on the bench as the Alumni's head coach. The Alumni won the game but what mattered most was the money raised for the cause. Jenny and her mother were out of town for the weekend, they were at a family function in Maryland. Jenny called when they got in on Sunday night to let me know they were home safe. Take care, thanks for reading.