April 23-24

Had lunch with Jenny on Monday morning, we don't usually do Mondays but this was a makeup date since we missed out on Saturday. After supper I went over to the ballpark, the Barnstormers were playing their final preseason game. The opponent was Lancaster Bible College, a well-known local institution founded in 1933. The Stormers unsurprisingly won the game easily but for the college guys it's an opportunity to play a professional team in a professional environment, an experience many of them will enjoy perhaps only once. On Tuesday we began the Spring dek hockey league at Reservoir Park. This is our 78th championship season since we started there in the fall of 1979 and for the first time since that very first season we have just one division. Over the past several years we've had two teams that were heads and shoulders above all others in terms of talent, as a result none of the other teams wanted in their division because the perception (warranted or not) was that they had no chance to win. Although we played a full crossover schedule the two so-called "upper" teams began each season knowing that they would automatically meet for a separate championship while the remaining teams had a true competition for playoff spots and a title of their own. Neither of the "upper" teams has returned for the spring season due to lack of players, the remaining six are now in what we call the "Club Division". Each club plays fifteen games, three against each opponent with games played on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On this night the Misfits beat the Riot, the Owls defeated the Pub Dawgs and the Hammerheads downed the Kings via OT shootout. We played through some light rain in the latter part of the evening but it was nothing that was going to stop us. Plans are in the works for a "Draft Division" which would be set up like our most recent summer leagues with teams formed from individuals who sign up to play, the difference is that players would be allowed to play in both divisions (no crossover play whatsoever) and unlike the summer league a championship would be awarded. Early response to the proposal has been very strong, if all goes well the Draft Division could start in the next week or two. Take care, thanks for reading.