October 30-31

On the road on Saturday morning into northeastern Berks County for one final turn on the PA at Kutztown University. The Golden Bears played at home on the 16th (I was absent) and will again on November 13 (I will be absent again), this day was the last of four games for me in the Air Chair. It was Homecoming weekend and the atmosphere was a lot of fun to be around (although I've spoken before on how I enjoy the college gameday experience there to begin with, there's just something unique about it that is hard to describe). KU alum and Pro Football Hall-Of-Famer Andre Reed was in HIS house (the stadium was named for him several years ago), he was a special-guest participant in the pregame coin-toss. The halftime homecoming ceremonies were well-organized and very uncomplicated, something a guy in my position can always appreciate. The Golden Bears' opponent was Millersville University (from the Lancaster suburb of the same name) and it's interesting to note that although MU is in the shadow of my city I've never had any dealings there professionally or otherwise, for some reason our paths have simply never crossed. In the game itself the Bears were never seriously challenged in a 30-7 win, the victory clinches a berth for KU in the league championship game. Sunday dawned with rainy weather which was expected to continue well into the afternoon, it was decided to postpone the day's hockey schedule in Rothsville until November 7. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 25-29

There is a time-honored expression about "the best-laid plans", Monday night at the rink was the textbook example. There was rain in the forecast but for much later in the evening, we had the usual three-game slate starting at 6:30. The first game went just fine but the second was a completely different story altogether. It began to rain lightly during the second period, suddenly the winds picked up and the skies opened. Had the game been uncompetitive we could have stopped it after the second period and declared it official but the score was close and we knew the trailing team wasn't going to want to quit. We got it finished in regulation time (the idea of a shootout on a puddled surface would have been thoroughly ludicrous) but the third game was postponed, the teams agreed to play it on Wednesday as the last game of that evening. Monday's winners included LWG over HSC and the Misfits over Risky Business. On Wednesday we started at 6:15, the teams involved in the makeup played their scheduled games at 6:15 and 7:00 respectively before coming back for the makeup at 8:45. The Hammerheads beat Risky Business, LWG won over the Hustle and HSC defeated the Misfits, in the makeup the Hustle won over the Hammerheads. Each team plays its final regular-season game on November 1, the playoffs start on the 3rd. We've trying something different this time around, instead of the traditional best-of-3 and best-of-5 series format we're seeding the top four finishers into a double-elimination tournament. It's something we've discussed before and personally I like it because it affords some variety in terms of possible matchups. Jenny and I had lunch on Wednesday and Friday since I would be out of town on Saturday, on Friday afternoon another round of the wet stuff blew through and stayed into the evening hours. High school football season ended on this night, I saw on the internet where McCaskey lost its game (played in the driving rain) to finish their year at 2-8. The average margin of decision in the club's two wins was 43-13, in the eight losses it was 44-10 (draw your own conclusions) Take care, thanks for reading.

October 23-24

Saturday night in downtown Reading at the Arena for the Royals home opener, the start of our 21st year as a franchise and our 20th on the ice (a distinction that shouldn't need to be made but we all know the story). The Norfolk Admirals were the opponent, the clubs had met in Norfolk the previous night where the Ads won in overtime. On this night the Royals avenged that loss with a hard-fought come-from-behind 6-4 victory before a crowd of better than 5500. Norfolk led 3-2 after one period, at the second intermission it was 4-4 before the Royals pulled ahead for good in the third.  Patrick Bajkov led the way with a hat-trick, the club also got scores from newcomers Joshua Winquist (nine-year pro from St. Albert, Alberta) and Patrick McNally (seven-year man from Glen Head, New York), the game-winner came early in the third period courtesy of Matthew Strome (a '19-20 Royal recently assigned from the AHL Phantoms). Kirill Ustimenko got the start in goal but struggled early on, Pat Nagle picked up the win in relief. It was a very physical game, at the final horn Norfolk frustrations boiled over resulting in three game misconducts being issued (two Ads and one Royal). The Admirals visit a total of seven times with five of those coming within our first seven home games overall, the clubs match up again on November 10 when the Royals return home from a four-game road trip. There was some rain overnight into Sunday but the morning's games at Lions Park went on without issue. On this day Ephrata beat Township and Hillside defeated Warwick, the regular season wraps up on the 31st. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 18-22

The new week followed a familiar pattern: Monday and Wednesday night hockey at Reservoir Park, Tuesday and Thursday with little else but the morning errand run. LWG won on both nights with decisions over Risky Business and the Hammerheads, the Hustle also went 2-0 for the week with wins over HSC and the Misfits. Monday's third game featured the Misfits over the Hammerheads via shootout, on Wednesday Risky Business beat HSC in regulation. At this point we're right where we should be, every club has twelve games in the books with three to go. Friday was the final home football game at McCaskey for the season, the Red Tornado lost to Manheim Township 62-21. It was Hall-Of-Fame/Homecoming weekend, the ceremonies at halftime were almost as much of an endurance test as the previous week's pregame had been. The game itself was reasonably competitive for most of the first half, after the break MT turned it up a notch and JPM simply couldn't keep up. All three touchdowns came on the ground, Josiah Gray scored twice from 25 and 59 yards and Basir Epps added a 33-yard TD run with Dale Sallie going 3-3 in the extra-point department. With one road game remaining the record stands at 2-7 which may not sound like much but two wins is two more than the program has had lately. It takes time to build a program especially when it's virtually from rock-bottom but progress is slowly being made. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 16-17

Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother, in the afternoon we were all together on the road Northeast for the first time in Forever. After eighty-four weeks pro hockey was finally back in downtown Reading, the Royals hosted the Adirondack Thunder in an exhibition game at the Arena. The clubs had met on Friday in Glens Falls where the Royals won 4-0, on this night they completed the sweep with a 4-2 win. Kirk MacDonald is back as the club's head coach, former Adirondack player James Henry is the new assistant coach. Familiar names on the roster include goaltender Kirill Ustimenko, defensemen Garrett Cecere, David Drake and Mike Crocock plus forwards Brayden Low, Frank DiChiara and Thomas Ebbing. The Royals took a 2-0 lead in the first period on scores from Grant Cooper (rookie from Clarkson University) and Patrick Bajkov (pronounced "BY-kahv", a fourth-year pro from Nanaimo, British Columbia) but the Thunder rallied to tie it midway through the second. Frank DiChiara put the Royals back up 3-2 at the intermission, in the final period Jacob Pritchard (fourth-year pro from UMass-Amherst) scored the game's final goal. Veteran goaltender Pat Nagle (most recently in the AHL with Grand Rapids) earned the win in his Royals debut. It was only an exhibition game but the crowd was into it all night and there is no question it felt good to be back in the Air Chair at the Arena. The club's home schedule features divisional opponents Adirondack, Worcester, Newfoundland, Maine and new entrant Trois-Rivieres (Quebec) plus non-division opponents Norfolk and Wheeling. The season starts on Friday the 22nd in Norfolk, the Royals host the Admirals on Saturday the 23rd. On Sunday we convened at Lions Park in Rothsville for week #6 of Sunday hockey, winners on this windy day were Ephrata over Hillside and Township over Warwick. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 14-15

Not much going on Thursday outside of the morning run, Friday was football night at McCaskey. This was Senior Night for the players and the cheerleading squad, the pregame was supposed to start at 6:30 to allow for the game to go as scheduled at 7:00. The pregame began a few minutes late (typical), there were no less than twenty-one football players and twelve cheerleaders involved along with their families. Once we got it started it was like the theme song from the old TV western "Rawhide" (...Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'...), the whole thing was done in about twenty minutes. When it was finished I turned off the mic, took a deep breath and said to myself "Damn, that was GOOD". The game itself wasn't bad either although ultimately disappointing for the McCaskey faithful. At halftime visiting Penn Manor held a 7-3 lead, the JPM points coming on a Dale Sallie field goal. PM added a touchdown in the third quarter and carried an eleven point lead into the fourth, a Basir Epps TD carry brought the Red Tornado to within 14-10. In the closing minutes JPM took the lead on a Matthew Remash TD pass to Zyaire Corteguera, with 1:30 on the clock it was 17-14. None of that seemed to faze Penn Manor, on the ensuing kickoff they marched straight down the field and into the end-zone with forty seconds left to win it 21-17. Any coach will tell you there is no such thing as a moral victory but the fact that it was competitive is a good sign, close games have been in short supply in recent years. The club stands at 2-6 with two games left, Manheim Township visits on the 22nd. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 11-13

The start of a new week both on the calendar and for dek hockey at Reservoir Park, winners on Monday included the Hammerheads over Risky Business, LWG over the Hustle and the Misfits over HSC. On Tuesday I was on the road in late afternoon, the first stop was a popular tavern located just south of Reading. The long-awaited return of ECHL hockey at the Arena is almost here, this occasion was the annual preseason party for the Royals' season ticket holders. In past years it had been at the Arena with the team in attendance but current league player protocol prevents that, the gathering at the tavern was strictly fans-only. I stopped by to get the ticket package Jenny and Helen use and to touch base with everybody, the event started at 4:00 and seemed to be well-attended. From there I was downtown at the Arena proper, the game-operations crew (of which I am a member) was meeting at 5:30. Every years we have new people involved including college students working as interns, the meeting was probably more for their benefit than mine although it was still good to be back and get acquainted. It was the first time I'd been in the building since before the BS started in March of The Year We Don't Mention and it felt good to be back. Had lunch on Wednesday in Quarryville, in the evening we reached the two-thirds mark of the season at the rink. The Hammerheads beat HSC, LWG won over the Misfits and the Hustle defeated Risky Business. One of the captains commented on how quickly the season is going, the fact that we've had no major weather issues (only four games postponed and all have been made up) has played a big part in that. Let's Keep It That Way. Take care, thanks for reading. 

October 9-10

Up and at it early on Saturday morning, at 10:00 the McCaskey girls soccer team played its annual Senior Day game in the stadium and I handled the PA duties. The program has struggled in recent years but on this day they put it all together for a one-sided 10-1 victory and by all accounts everybody (except maybe the opponent) went home happy. After the game I headed south for lunch in Quarryville, in the evening Jenny and Helen were along for the game at the ballpark. They like to come on Saturdays but the hot summer weather often plays a role, this was only their third game of the season. High Point took an early 3-0 lead, in the bottom of the third Kelly Dugan's solo home run put the Stormers on the board. In the fourth Blake Allemand walked and scored on an error making it 3-2, in the sixth Allemand walked again and touched home on Cleuluis Rondon's RBI double to tie the game at three. In the ninth the Rockers scratched out a run and won it 4-3, Logan Sawyer (a 2019 Stormer recently added from the Frontier League) took the loss in relief of Zach Smith. Sunday was a hockey day in Rothsville, there were some puddles on the rink from an overnight rain but we got them cleared with leaf blowers and the games went on without issue. Warwick beat Ephrata and Township won over Hillside, we were done shortly before 1:00. I came back to town and went immediately to the ballpark, I arrived just as the game's second batter was coming up. I'm well-known for eschewing day games because of the afternoon heat but that was not a factor on this day, it was overcast and breezy with temperatures in the low-60s (and besides, it was the last game of the season and you HAVE to go to the last game). On this day the Barnstormers won easily 9-1 putting the game to bed with a five-run seventh inning. Offensive highlights came from Alejandro De Aza with three hits, two runs scored and two RBI, Devon Torrence with two hits and two RBI, Blake Gailen with a double and two RBI, team MVP Caleb Gindl had two hits and scored twice and Melvin Mercedes picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Augie Sylk went six innings for the win with relief from newcomers Kyle Johnson (former New York Yankees property). Tyler LaPorte (Southern University product) and ex-MLBer Ryan Eades. The Stormers finish at 56-63 (with one road rainout cancelled), over in York the Revolution finished 56-64. Long Island and Southern Maryland meet in the North Division playoffs, Lexington and West Virginia pair up in the South. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 6-8

Wednesday morning lunch with Jenny and her mother in Quarryville, in the evening we were back at the rink at Reservoir Park. Winners on this night were LWG over HSC, Risky Business over the Misfits and the Hustle over the Hammerheads. Four weeks are in the books, all outstanding postponements have been made up and every team has played eight games with seven to go. On Thursday we were back at the ballpark for the third game of the series with Long Island. The visiting Ducks had evened the series with a win on Wednesday, on this night they made it two-out-of-three. The Barnstormers trailed 4-0 in the fourth, Kelly Dugan began the inning with a walk and Blake Gailen doubled him to third. Devon Torrence followed with a two-run double to bring the Stormers to within two but Long Island put it away with a five-run sixth inning. The final was 9-2, Brent Teller started for the Stormers and suffered the loss. On Friday the High Point Rockers visited from North Carolina for the final series of the regular season. The game was scoreless into the fourth inning, Blake Gailen's solo home run over the picnic tents in right field gave the Good Guys a 1-0 lead. In the sixth the Stormers loaded the bases with none out on a walk and two errors, Caleb Gindl scored on a double-play groundout and Kelly Dugan touched home on Trayvon Robinson's RBI single making it 3-0. Nile Ball started for the Barnstormers and carried a shutout into the ninth but the Rockers finally broke through and tied the game 3-3. In the bottom of the ninth Nick Shumpert singled, advanced to third and scored on a wild pitch (of all things) to give the Stormers a 4-3 walkoff win, Scott Shuman was the pitcher of decision in relief of Ball who certainly deserved the win. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 4-5

Monday night at Reservoir Park for the start of week #4, this night featured an unusual circumstance. On September 15 the last game of the night was postponed by rain, the teams agreed to reschedule on this night since they were already playing each other. The makeup game was at 6:15 with the rematch at 8:00 and the other games falling in at 7:00 and 8:45. LWG swept the "doubleheader" from the Hammerheads, in other action Risky Business beat Hambones SC and the Misfits defeated the Hustle. On Tuesday the Barnstormers returned home for the start of the season's final homestand, the Long Island Ducks were the opponent. Caleb Gindl's solo home run gave the Stormers a first-inning lead, in the second Blake Allemand singled and scored on Trayvon Robinson's RBI double to make it 2-0. The visiting Ducks tied the score in the third and took a 3-2 lead in the fourth, in the sixth the Stormers forged ahead. LeDarious Clark started the rally with a walk, back-to-back hits from Blake Gailen and Allemand tied the score at 3-3. An RBI double by relief pitcher (and University Of Miami product) Ben Wanger scored the lead run, Anderson De La Rosa followed with a two-run single giving the Barnstormers a 6-3 advantage. Long Island replied with three runs against Wanger in the seventh to tie it 6-6 but in the bottom half the Stormers put together a six-spot to go ahead for good. Clark got it going with a leadoff double, Gailen singled and Allemand doubled to score Clark with the go-ahead run. Back-to-back walks to De La Rosa and Cleuluis Rondon scored run #8, a Melvin Mercedes RBI groundout made it 9-6. Gindl walked to load the bases for Alejandro De Aza, his bases-clearing triple put the Stormers up by the final score of 12-6. Augie Sylk started but was long gone by the time the late-inning fireworks took place, newcomer Jake Mulholland (from Oregon State University) was the winner in relief. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 2-3

On the road northeast on Saturday morning for a game day at Kutztown University, the Golden Bears hosted division rival East Stroudsburg (from the northeastern Pennsylvania borough of the same name). Kickoff was at noon at Andre Reed Stadium, KU jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter but ESU got on the board in the second with a touchdown making it 14-7 at the half. With ten minutes left in the final quarter East Stroudsburg evened the score but in the closing moments the Golden Bears put together the game-winning drive. A sixty-seven-yard pass play set up a first-and-goal from the three-yard-line, from there the Bears scored with forty-four seconds left to pull out a heart-stopping 21-14 win. KU's next home date is on October 16 but I'm out of the mix that day, my next game in Kutztown is on the 30th. On Sunday we were back in Rothsville at Lions Park for week #4, the games on this day were rematches from week #1. Ephrata beat Township and Warwick defeated Hillside, we started at 11:00 and were finished right around 1:00. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 27-October 1

The final week of September was week #3 of dek hockey at Reservoir Park, winners on Monday included LWG over the Misfits, the Hustle over Risky Business and HSC over the Hammerheads. Had lunch with Jenny and Helen on Wednesday, in the evening at the rink the games were rematches from opening night. The Hammerheads defeated the Misfits, the Hustle beat HSC and LWG won over Risky Business. Thursday was the makeup date for the games postponed on the 22nd, on this night the winners were LWG over the Hustle, the Misfits over HSC and Risky Business over the Hammerheads. Friday was the first day of the final quarter of 2021, we were all together again for lunch in Quarryville since I was going to be out of town on Saturday. I spent the evening at home on a Friday for the first time since August 13, no complaints on my part since I'll be on the road early in the morning. Take care, thanks for reading.