December 29-31

Saw on the internet where JPM won the tournament consolation game over L-S, the record stands at 4-5 overall with the next game on January 3. Friday night at the Arena in downtown Reading, the Royals hosted the Worcester Railers for the opener of a three-in-three. The club had a 3-0 record on the most recent road swing but on this night the magic was noticeably absent. Two scores for the visitors in the first period were followed by a second-period three-spot, in the third the only tallies were those in the penalty column. The teams combined for fifty-four penalty minutes on the night with forty-two of them coming in the last five minutes, when it mercifully ended the Royals were on the bad end of a 5-0 final with Nolan Maier suffering the loss. In game #2 on Saturday the Royals again fell behind early, midway through the first Tag Bertuzzi lit the lamp to tie it 1-1. In the second the Railers retook a one-goal lead, late in the period Shane Sellar drew the Royals even. Matt Brown gave the Home Team a 3-2 lead in the third but Worcester answered in kind, into overtime we went tied at 3-3. Midway through the extra session the Royals got a 2-on-1 break into the offensive zone, Bertuzzi fed Brown for the top-shelf game-winner and a 4-3 overtime decision for Parker Gahagen. The rubber match was at 3:00 on Sunday afternoon, the Royals trailed 1-0 into third period before Saturday night hero Matt Brown tied it. Midway through the period Worcester reclaimed the lead and made it stand up, Nolan Maier took the 2-1 loss and deserved a better fate. The Royals finish the 2023 portion of the schedule at 11-14-2 overall and 7-6-1 at home, the first home game in the New Year is on January 12. Talk about endurance tests: three games of basketball at McCaskey on Thursday followed by three hockey games in less than forty-eight hours at the Arena. It's been decades since New Years Eve was a party date for me and it certainly wouldn't be after this weekend, I'm more than happy to stay in and relax. Thanks for reading, see you on the Other Side in 2024.

December 25-28

The final week of 2023 began with "the big day" itself, I was at Jenny's place for supper. Helen made an excellent meal of ham, scalloped potatoes and Brussel sprouts with pumpkin pie with whipped cream for dessert. This is a time of year that I personally care little for and the reasons are very deep-rooted and long-standing, Jenny's presence is my life is the only thing that keeps it from being a complete steaming pile of nothing. On Thursday we were at McCaskey for the opening day of the annual holiday tournament featuring perennial participants York and Harrisburg, suburban neighbor Lampeter-Strasburg also appeared for the second straight year. The day started at 2:00 with a junior varsity game, JPM lost to L-S. York defeated the L-S varsity in the first semifinal, in the nightcap the Red Tornado lost to Harrisburg 82-70. We trailed by nine and the quarter and three at the half but the second half was like running in mud, for everything we did Harrisburg had an answer. Jared Kumah had a huge night with 28 points, De'Andre Jones had 16 and Aiden Burgess added 13 but as we often say it means very little without the W at the end. The boys stand at 3-5 overall, they meet L-S in the consolation game on Friday. Every year I seem to miss one night of the tournament thanks to hockey and this time around is no exception, I'm out on Friday because the Royals are at home for the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 18-24

The week leading up to the alleged holiday weekend was of little import save for two nights of basketball, one involving McCaskey and one not. On Wednesday we boarded the bus for the ride north on route 72 across the county line. Lebanon is historically one of the league's most successful programs, their nine championships are second-most only behind McCaskey's fourteen and they won it as recently as 2021.After another playoff appearance in '22 the program fell off severely, they were 0-22 the next year and entered this night on a winless streak approaching thirty. All of that seemed to matter little once this game started, Lebanon rallied from a four-point deficit entering the fourth quarter to force overtime on a three-point goal at the buzzer (for the night they scored thirty points on "threes" and twenty-six on "twos"). In the OT JPM outscored Lebanon 7-2 and finally claimed victory 66-61. De'Andre Jones led the Good Guys with 23, Jared Kumah hit double figures with 14. Aiden Burgess had seven, Kamryn Pugh and Ja'Loney Porter added six each, Cesar Peguero scored five, Nemias Tirado had three and Kaiden Russell rounded out the book with a field goal. This game was just another example of how there is no such thing as easy money, as the late Steve Powell often said "against us, the crippled can walk and the blind can see". The win draws the club even in league play at 1-1 and the overall mark to 3-4, the next action is in the annual holiday tournament starting on the 28th. On Thursday night we were at Stevens College here in town, old friend Jerry Johnson's squad from La Academia Charter School played the first of their three home dates. L.A. has no spectator-friendly gym of its own and plays most of its games on the road, whenever Jerry can secure a facility for a home game he asks me to help out if I'm available. From the It's a Small World Department: the opponent was from Quakertown (about fifteen miles south of Allentown), their head coach works at Alvernia University in Reading and is a member of the Berks County Convention Center Authority, the overseeing body for the Arena. He recognized my voice and approached me after the game to say hello. La Academia won the game 69-40, they play at Stevens again on January 8. Take care, thanks for reading. 

December 15-17

Friday night hockey on Penn Street, the Royals played the first of what will eventually be four straight home games versus the Worcester Railers. It was "Taylor Swift Night" as the organization celebrated the world-famous Berks County native. The visitors from Massachusetts took a 1-0 lead into the second period, the Royals tied it and took the lead on goals by Shane Sellar forty-four seconds apart. At the period's midpoint Sellar finished his natural hattrick making it 3-1 at the intermission. Tag Bertuzzi upped the advantage to three early in the third but the Railers answered in kind, an insurance marker from Brayden Guy late in the game put away a 4-2 Royals win. Parker Gahagen was the goalie of record as the Royals improve to 7-12-2, 6-4-1 at home. The club plays its next three on the road, after the holiday recess Worcester returns for a three-in-three starting Friday the 29th. The basketball team traveled to Penn Manor on Friday in my absence for the first game of league play and lost badly, on Saturday afternoon they climbed right back into the saddle with the short bus trip just over the city line into the neighborhood of Rossmere. Freddy was the JV coach at Lancaster Catholic before he came to McCaskey, it's always been a goal of his to establish an annual game between the two schools. The JV squads played stand-alone games for two seasons before the first JV/varsity date happened at McCaskey in December of '22, on this day at LCHS it was a tripleheader with the freshman teams meeting at 1:00. It was a clean sweep for JPM with victories for all three teams, the JV evened their mark at 3-3 and the varsity won as well but it wasn't easy. We trailed by five at the quarter and three at halftime, after a dead-even third quarter the club exploded for twenty-seven points in the fourth and won 64-56. De'Andre Jones had the big day with sixteen, Jared Kumah and Kaiden Russell had eleven each. Nemias Tirado and Cesar Peguero each scored seven points, Aiden Burgess had five, Eddie Bencosme had four big points in the final quarter and Kamryn Pugh rounded out the book with three. The record stands at 2-4 overall, league play continues on the 20th with a bus trip to Lebanon. Take care, thanks for reading. 

December 11-14

Stopped by basketball practice on Monday to get the JV scorebook, the team had played on Saturday afternoon in a stand-alone game and defeated Manheim Central. The coaching staff wanted to schedule the JV squad for as many games as allowable, as a result there are some dates like this on the schedule with opponents the varsity may not necessarily play. On Wednesday Jenny was in Willow Street for a medical appointment, as is per usual I took her home and picked up lunch along the way. In the evening we were at McCaskey for a traditional JV/varsity night, the Red Tornado hosted Northeastern (from Manchester, York County). We played NE in their building in December of '22, on that night the JPM JV lost by one point and the varsity won by one at the buzzer. This time around it was a case of tit-for-tat, the JV improved to 2-2 with a two-point win, the varsity dropped to 1-3 with a 40-37 loss. The defensive effort was there but the offense looked very disorganized, after the game those matters were discussed at length in the locker room. De'Andre Jones led with 14 and Jared Kumah had 11 but from there the next leading scorer had only four points and it's tough to win without the support underneath. League play begins on Friday the 15th with a trip to Penn Manor (I'm absent for the Royals) followed by a quick-turnaround Saturday afternoon non-leaguer with Lancaster Catholic (I'm there). Take care, thanks for reading. 

December 8-10

Friday evening in downtown Reading (as opposed to the high school). the Royals were back in town for a two-game set with the Trois-Rivieres Lions. TR was the opponent on opening weekend back in October, these two games marked their final visit for the regular season. Friday was an example of the frustration the Royals have played through thus far as they suffered a 1-0 loss, the first time they were shut out at home since the second round of playoffs the previous spring and the first regular-season home zero since 2019. The lone goal came late in the second period and the Lions made it stand up, Parker Gahagen was goalie of record and deserved a better fate. On Saturday the offense came alive in resounding fashion on Military Appreciation Night, it was also the annual "Teddy Bear Toss". It didn't take long for the fur to fly, Shane Sellar scored the teddy bear goal just over three minutes after the openig faceoff. That 1-0 lead carried into the second period where the Royals scored four times in an eleven-minute stretch. Mason McCarty lit the lamp six minutes in making it 2-0, just over five minutes later newcomer Brayden Guy (on loan from Springfield/St. Louis) upped the advantage to three. Devon Paliani made it 4-0 before Sellar potted his second of the night to give the Royals a five-goal edge. Trois-Rivieres broke the shutout early in the third period but that one goal was all they got, Nolan Meier was in net for the 5-1 victory. The record stands at 6-12-2 and 5-4-1 at home, the boys host Worcester on Friday the 15th. For a second consecutive weekend it rained on Sunday, the precipitation arrived early in the morning and stayed around all day. It was a good day to stay in and stay dry, with nothing on the calendar that is exactly what happened. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 4-7

Quiet start to the new week except for Tuesday with Jenny, she was in town for an appointment and I took her home with a stop for lunch along the way. On Thursday we convened at McCaskey for the season's first road game and another ride north on 222. I talk a great deal about the value of playing a strong non-league schedule and on this night the gauntlet continued with a visit to Reading High. Any time we play in Berks County I invariably run into someone I know, this night was no exception. The basketball pedigree at RHS is known statewide, the program is the current "6A" state champion and they also won it in 2021. A large chunk of the '23 team is gone as is its head coach but as they often say "tradition never graduates". The JPM JV team lost to fall to 0-2, the varsity game followed a similar path. We were down fourteen at the quarter and by twenty-two at the half, the final was 74-54. De'Andre Jones was high scorer with 19, Nemias Tirado also hit doubles with 14. Aiden Burgess and Jared Kumah had seven each, Kamryn Pugh scored four, Kaiden Russell had a field goal and Eddie Bencosme recorded his first varsity point at the foul line. The record stands at 1-2, the varsity next plays at home on Wednesday the 13th. The JV has a stand-alone game at home on the 9th, I'm out of it since the Royals are at home. Take care, thanks for reading. 

December 1-3

The first weekend of December marks the start of high school basketball season, for me personally it marks the start of year #36 on the mic at McCaskey. Friday was the first night of a weekend tipoff tournament at JPM, I was able to be present since the Royals had played the night before. In the evening's first game Warwick (our old friends from Lititz) defeated Chichester (from suburban Philadelphia), in the nightcap the Red Tornado lost to Coatesville 77-55. We were up 18-11 after one quarter, from there Coatesville kicked it into another gear and JPM couldn't keep up. There is a reason why we have always played a challenging non-league schedule, it's about learning from the experience and finding out how good you really are. Eleven players were in uniform, they all played and eight got into the scoring column. Jared Kumah (back at JPM from a year at prep school in Florida) led with 21, Cesar Peguero had 12, Kamryn Pugh added six, DeAndre Jones had five, Aiden Burgess scored four points, Nemias Tirado nailed a three-ball, Kaiden Russel and Ja'Loney Porter had a field goal each. The tournament continued on Saturday, the day started with the JPM JV squad losing its season opener to Warwick. In the consolation game McCaskey pulled even at 1-1 with a win over Chichester, Coatesville defeated Warwick for the championship. All of that happened in my absence, I was back at the Arena for the back end of the Royals two-game set with Kalamazoo. On this night the Royals atoned for the Thursday loss with a spirited 5-3 win. Matt Brown gave the Good Guys a 1-0 lead in the first period, in the second the K-Wings scored two goals in twenty-three seconds to go up 2-1. Midway through the period the Royals replied accordingly, scores from Tag Bertuzzi and Devon Paliani separated by ninety-four seconds of clock time put the Royals ahead 3-2 at the intermission. Joseph Nardi lit the lamp early in the third to make it 4-2 but the Wings didn't fly away without a fight, they scored with two minutes left to draw within one. Tag Bertuzzi's empty-netter in the final seconds nailed down the win for goaltender Nolan Maier, after the final horn emotions boiled over and two men on each club were penalized for their involvement. The record stands at 5-10-2 (4-3-1 at home), the Royals host Trois-Rivieres for a two-gamer starting on Friday the 8th. Sunday a dark and rainy day, in late afternoon the McCaskey football team held its annual awards assembly at a local dining hall. It lasted for about two hours with a good meal included. Take care, thanks for reading. 

November 29-30

A rare Thursday hockey game at the Arena which came about thanks to another event. After the league schedule was released in May the Arena had an opportunity to book a concert for December 1, as a result the game for that date was pushed back to the day before. On this night the Kalamazoo Wings visited from southwestern Michigan for the first time since November 2018. The Wings are in the league's Western Conference and are infrequent visitors but they and the Royals have a playoff history, the clubs met in the postseason in 2010 and 2011. The Royals' early-season struggles continued on this night in the form of another frustrating one-goal defeat. New addition Tag Bertuzzi (son of former NHLer Todd Bertuzzi) gave the Royals a 1-0 lead midway through the first period, after the K-Wings tied it Brendan Hoffmann scored the 5000th goal in Royals franchise history to make it 2-1 at the intermission. The Wings went ahead 3-2 in the second, late in the period Bertuzzi struck again to knot the game at 3-3. Kalamazoo took the lead back in the second minute of the third period and made it stand up for the 4-3-win, new goaltender Parker Gahagen (on assignment from the Phantoms) made his Royals debut and suffered the loss. The teams get an (originally unscheduled) day off before the rematch on Saturday the 2nd. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 20-28

Another quiet week in the books with the Royals on the road and little else on the calendar, on Wednesday the 22nd we had our usual lunch visit in Quarryville. From there I took Jenny and Helen to the relative's house in Parkesburg for their annual Thanksgiving Day visit. High school winter sports practices began the previous Friday, on the way home from Parkesburg I stopped in at McCaskey. Freddy Ramos is beginning his sixth year as head basketball coach, the rest of the staff is back intact as well. The boys had scrimmages at Susquehanna Township on the 25th and Wilson on the 28th, I rode along on the bus to Berks County on Tuesday just for the hell of it (it's always a strange feeling traveling on 222 between Lancaster and Reading in a vehicle I'm not driving). The JV team scrimmaged at the district's middle school, the varsity was at the high school itself. Right now the organization has twenty-five total players, thirteen on the Varsity roster. Three are returnees from '22-23, six others played on the JV squad, two are brand-new to the program and two others are returning from a season's absence. The season starts with a tipoff tournament at McCaskey on December 1 and 2 (I am absent on the 2nd for the Royals), the 22-game schedule also features the annual holiday tournament at home in the last week of December. At the Junior Varsity level most teams usually play only sixteen or seventeen games since the varsity plays tournaments and showcase events where the JV is not involved, in a rarity the JPM JV has a full 22-game schedule of its own. It's very unusual and somewhat ambitious but it's not a bad thing, the more games a JV player can play gives him all the more opportunity to develop and that's the whole purpose behind it. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 18-19

November 18 is an anniversary of sorts, this blog debuted on this site on that date in 2010. The blog had started elsewhere the previous January, I moved it here when the former hosting site became incompatible. That blog no longer exists online but I preserved it in print in case I ever decide to write a book (not that anybody would actually read it but you never know). Back at the Arena on Saturday night for the return match with Newfoundland, this game transpired in a fashion which is becoming very familiar. The Royals led 2-0 in the first fifteen minutes on scores by Alec Butcher and Matt Brown before the visiting Growlers got the board, in the second period the Royals were outscored 4-1 with Yvan Mongo accounting for the lone goal for the home team, at the horn it was 5-3 Newfoundland. Late in the third Shane Sellar lit the lamp to pull he Royals within one but a Growlers empty-netter in the final minute sealed the deal at 6-4, Will Cranley took the loss but deserved a better fate. The club drops to 3-7-2 overall and 3-2-1 on home ice, the next home date is on Thursday the 30th. Sunday morning was the Grand Finale for the season in Rothsville, Warwick defeated Hillside for the "bronze medal". In the championship game Township trailed Ephrata 3-0 in the second and 4-1 entering the third, they scored five times in the last period to win 6-5 with the winning goal coming with eighteen second left. It's interesting to note that we've played six seasons at Lions Park, through the first four each team won a championship with Township being the last to do so in the autumn of '22. This win was their third consecutive as they successfully defended in the spring of '23 and again in the now-completed fall season. A total of fifty-two players participated including nine who had not played previously. We've often admitted that the league is perhaps not the most prestigious one around but it exists for a specific purpose and that purpose is served. If all goes well we'll be back in April of '24. Take care, thanks for reading. 

November 13-17

A typically stagnant mid-November week led into what was to be a busy weekend, on Friday the Royals continued their four-game homestand with a visit from the Newfoundland Growlers. The Growlers have been the bane of the Royals' postseason appearances in each of the last two seasons, both teams have a lot of new faces this time around but the history is still there. Those in attendance at the Arena on this night may have been forgiven for thinking they were watching a television rerun, as the well-known baseball player Yogi Berra might have said "it's deja vu all over again". Will Zmolek gave the Royals a 1-0 lead five minutes into the game, that held until the Growlers tied it in the first minute of the second period. A late-period score by Yvan Mongo and a third-period marker from Joseph Nardi gave the Royals a 3-1 advantage but the visitors from The Rock weren't going away easily. Newfoundland cashed in on a power play with five minutes left to draw within one and scored an extra-attacker goal with fifteen seconds on the clock to send it into overtime at 3-3. The extra session lasted all of thirty-one seconds before Darren Brady got a break into the offensive zone and blasted home the game-winner. Nolan Maier (back from the Phantoms) was the winner in net as the Royals earn their third home-ice win, two of them coming in OT with the other decided in the last minute of regulation. The homestand finishes with the clubs lacing them up for the rematch on Saturday the 18th. Take care, thanks for reading. 

November 10-12

When the fall sports season ended at McCaskey I thought I was done with football for the year but as the old expression goes: Not So Fast. Earlier in the week I had a call from our old friends at Lancaster Catholic, they were hosting a district playoff game on the 10th and in need of my services. LCHS has a new athletic director who is a former assistant football coach at McCaskey, he told me my contact info was on file and he was accustomed to hearing me on the mic. High school athletics in Pennsylvania are divided by enrollment into six classes ("6A" for the largest schools down to "1A" for the smallest), LCHS is in the "3A" bracket. This was a rematch of a 2022 district semifinal, the Crusaders hosted West Perry (from Perry County, about seventy miles northwest of Lancaster). LCHS was seeking revenge for a defeat the previous year but WP had other ideas, they scored early and often on the way to a 49-20 win. I was around LCHS on a somewhat regular basis from 1996 to 2017, not so much anymore but I'm always open to filling in when needed. Saturday night was hockey night on Penn Street, the Royals hosted Norfolk in the back end of the two-game set. The club's early-season struggles continued on this night with a 2-1 loss in regulation, Yvan Mongo scored the lone goal with Will Cranley taking the tough-luck loss. The Royals stand at 2-6-2 overall which is obviously not what anyone would like but the season is still young, it's often said that how you finish matters more than how you start. Case in point: a few years back a team in our league started 16-2-1, they went 18-32-3 the rest of the way and missed the playoffs entirely. The homestand continues with the Newfoundland Growlers visiting on the 17th and 18th. Sunday morning was clear and chilly for the last week of the regular season at Lions Park in Rothsville, a planned nine-week schedule was chopped down to seven thanks to the weather. These were makeup games having the most bearing on the standings, Warwick defeated Hillside and Ephrata beat Township. As it shakes out we will have the same matchups on the 19th, Warwick-Hillside in the Third-Place Game and Ephrata-Township for the championship. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 6-9

Wednesday night at the Arena, the Royals returned home from an 0-3 road trip for the opener of a two-game set with the Norfolk Admirals. Injuries at the higher levels within the Flyers organization have affected the Royals roster, the absence of several defensemen and two goalies between Philadelphia and Allentown forced the Royals to dip into the Southern Professional Hockey League for reinforcements. The most notable addition came courtesy of the NHL St. Louis Blues, with Nolan Maier on recall to the Phantoms the Royals added goaltender Will Cranley on loan from the Blues' AHL affiliate in Springfield. On this night Cranley made his home debut as a Royal and picked up the win but it wasn't easy, this game was scarily reminiscent of the game against Trois-Rivieres on October 29. Darren Brady gave the Royals an early 1-0 lead but the Admirals replied just eleven seconds later, Matt Brown's score late in the first period put the Good Guys up 2-1 at the intermission. In the middle frame each team scored twice with Ryan Chyzowski and Koletrane Wilson lighting the lamp for the Royals, entering the third it was 4-3. Midway through the third Adam Brubacher cashed in on a 5-on-3 power play to give the Royals a two-goal edge but Norfolk didn't go quietly, two goals in the final three minutes of regulation drew the Ads even at 5-5. The overtime period lasted less than two minutes, Chyzowski stole the puck in the defensive zone and scored his second of the night on a breakaway to nail down Sweet Victory for the Royals 6-5. The win improves the overall mark to 2-5-2 and 2-0-1 at home, game #2 with the Admirals is at the Arena on Saturday the 11th. Take care, thanks for reading. 

November 2-5

The first few days of November were as quiet as the last few of October had been, on Saturday we had the semi-annual clock adjustment where the hour of sleep we lost in March was returned. It always messes up my body clock and it takes about a week for me to adjust especially with sunset coming better than an hour earlier. Sunday was a very comfortable day with brilliant sunshine, it was also a street hockey day at Lions Park in Rothsville. What was originally scheduled to be the ninth and final week of the regular season was actually the sixth thanks to three weeks of rainouts, on this day Hillside defeated Township and Ephrata won over Warwick. So far (and strictly by pure happenstance) each team has played the others twice, all of the weeks rained out were a different set of games. Four of the six potential playoff tiebreakers have been determined, since the October 29 postponements have the most bearing on the final standings they have been rescheduled as makeups for the 12th with the consolation and championship games on the 19th. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 28-November 1

Saturday night in downtown Reading for the official beginning of the 23rd year of Royals hockey. In October of '22 the club started on the road and went 0-2-1, this time around the schedule and the record after three games was exactly the same. The Trois-Rivieres Lions were the opponent for Opening Weekend at the Arena, the Saturday night result was eerily similar to the exhibition game on the 12th. The Royals held leads of 2-0 and 3-2 and were caught both times, the visitors from North Of The 49th prevailed in the OT shootout 4-3. Yvan Mongo, Joseph Nardi and Ryan Chyzowski (son of 1990s NHLer Dave Chyzowski) scored for the Royals, Nolan Maier took the decision in net. Sunday was supposed to be much busier than it turned out to be, a persistent morning rain ruined street hockey in Rothsville. At 3:00 at the Arena the Lions and Royals reconvened for the back end of the weekend set, the theme for the day was Halloween. They say strange things happen on Halloween and this day was all of that plus a little bit more. It was 1-1 after the first period with Ryan Chyzowski lighting the lamp for the Royals, in the second stanza Tyson Fawcett and Adam Brubacher gave the Home Team a 3-2 lead entering the third. In the final period the teams combined for eight goals with Austin Master, Solag Bakich and Joseph Nardi combining to give the Royals a late 6-5 lead. Trois-Rivieres cashed in on a powerplay to tie the game but the last shot belonged to the Royals, Devon Paliani's score with fifty-five seconds left in regulation made it 7-6. The Lions went with the extra attacker but could not get the equalizer, Jacob Kucharski earned the victory in his Royals debut. The club finishes its first weekend at home with a mark of 1-0-1 (overall 1-2-2), another three-game road trip is on the schedule before the Norfolk Admirals visit on November 8. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 23-27

For many years the Royals have done periodic radio/streaming broadcasts from a local sports bar, the shows feature interviews with players and others within the organization. On Monday morning I had an e-mail from Erik Jesberger, our current broadcaster who has been with us since 2021. He asked me if I could make it for the season's first show on Tuesday night, since we're in a relatively quiet time right now I was able to take him up on the invite. The show ran from 6:00 to 7:00, I was on for the first half-hour chatting with Erik about the team itself and my background and experiences with the club since it started in 2001. When we finished Erik seemed very pleased and told me I "killed it", I personally was just happy not to sound like a rambling fool (for the record the live audience seemed to enjoy it as well so I guess I did something right). The rest of the week was very slow, on Friday night football season ended for McCaskey with a loss on the road. The final record of 2-8 is one win better than 2022 and equals the program's record in 2021. The two wins were by a combined score of 74-41, the eight losses were by an average of 42-13. The last winning season the club enjoyed was in 2010, since then the mark is a combined 27-102. Basketball season will be here in another month or so, the first game there is on December 1. Take care, thanks for reading. 

October 20-22

Friday night football at McCaskey for the final time in 2023, before the game we had the traditional Senior Night recognitions for fifteen players and five cheerleaders (the band did its recognitions at halftime with their regular emcee handling that duty, I understand there were twenty-two band members altogether). There was rain expected, it arrived right before kickoff and stayed for the duration allowing for what some people my age might call "REAL football" The result was unfortunately all too familiar, Wilson visited from Berks County and walked away with a 47-20 win. Wilson is historically one of the best programs in the state, this was their 22nd consecutive victory over JPM in an alleged rivalry that has been the very definition of one-sided. The Red Tornado scored three touchdowns in three different ways: DeAndre Jones caught a 12-yard TD pass from Jalen Cintron, Luis Santiago rushed 87 yards for a score and Victor Rodriguez took a Wilson kickoff 80 yards to paydirt (the club converted just one of three two-point attempts). The team finishes its season with one last road game on the 27th but for me the fall sports season at JPM is over. Saturday was a largely dry and windy day, on Sunday morning in Rothsville temperatures were in the mid-50s with a sharp wind from the northwest. Township beat Warwick and Ephrata outlasted Hillside, we'll be back at Lions Park for week #6 on the 29th. Take care, thanks for reading. 

October 16-19

A long-awaited turf field recently opened at McCaskey for soccer and field hockey, it was originally supposed to be ready back in the summer but various issues with the undersoil delayed its completion. The field is in the same spot the former varsity soccer field had been, work on it actually began as soon the 2022 season ended. On the 12th the boys' soccer team played its first game on the turf as part of its Senior Night, I was asked to work it but could not because of the Royals game at the Arena. On Monday the 16th the girls' soccer team held its Senior Night, the next night was the field hockey team's turn and I was able to be present for both. The soccer teams had played on a different field while awaiting their new home and the field hockey program has played elsewhere on the campus since I was in school so for them it was literally a brand-new world. For me personally I couldn't recall the last time I even watched a field hockey game and I know I'd never worked one but my part of it was no different than a game at the Arena, when it comes to starting lineups and goal announcements Hockey Is Hockey. Each game began "under the lights" at 6:00 and drew a respectable and enthusiastic turnout. Both nights were also successful on the field, the soccer team defeated Lebanon and the hockey squad beat Lancaster Catholic. Word is that the football stadium is next on the list, possibly as soon as 2024 but that remains to be seen. The football team plays its Senior Night on Friday the 20th, that is likely the last event of the fall season for me but basketball is just around the corner. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 14-15

An all-day rain was in the forecast for Saturday, true to form it arrived in the early morning and stayed around for the better part of twenty-four hours. By 9:30 I was on the road north to Kutztown for the last of my two special-guest-starring appearances on the mic at Andre Reed Stadium. The crowd was held down considerably because of the weather, had I been there as a fan I may have had second thoughts of my own because it was a legitimately miserable day. Those who braved the rain and the wind saw a sloppy game that became a classic, it reached the end of regulation time tied at 3-3. Visiting Shippensburg had the first possession in overtime and kicked a field goal to go ahead 6-3, the Golden Bears then took possession and scored a touchdown on their first play to walk it off at 9-6. In my years at McCaskey I can count on one hand the number of overtime football games I've seen there, how ironic is it to see an OT at both JPM and KU within a week's time? The Bears have two home dates left and both are on days when the Royals are home but if I'm needed again in 2024 I'll be only too happy to be there. The game kicked off at noon and ended around 2:45, I was home by 4:00 and very glad for it. According to the forecast the rain was supposed to be long gone by sunrise on Sunday, I put the word out that we were going to play in Rothsville if at all possible and any help with brooms or anything to clear the rink would be appreciated. The sun was out in the morning, when I arrived at Lions Park the rink was surprisingly dry. There were only a few small puddles which were quickly eliminated, by 10:30 faceoff we were good to go. Three new players debuted bringing the total to fifty-two, Warwick beat Ephrata and Hillside won over Township. This was supposed to be the sixth week but it was only the fourth thanks to postponements, there are three weeks left on the regular schedule plus one week of makeup games to be announced. At what is more or less the midpoint all four teams are dead even at 2-2. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 10-13

Good news on Wednesday afternoon, Helen was released from the hospital and sent home via access van. I was at their place for lunch on Thursday, except for still being tired from her episode she doesn't look any the worse for wear. She's 86 and has always been energetic for her age, it's just a matter of gradually building back her body strength and guarding against any reoccurrence. On Tuesday the Royals hosted their annual meet and greet event, for the first time since 2019 it was held at the Arena (in 2022 and '21 it was outdoors at a local restaurant and the year before that is not a topic for conversation). Jenny was originally not going to go because her mother was still in the hospital but Helen talked her into it, to be honest I also thought it would be beneficial for her since sitting around the house doing nothing wasn't good for anyone. A local eatery provided food and the players were available for autographs and photos. James Henry is back for his second year as head coach, the training camp roster features returning forwards Brendan Hoffmann, Alec Butcher, Shane Sellar, Devon Paliani and Yvan Mongo, defensemen Tyler Heidt, Mason Millman and Mike Chen plus goaltender Nolan Maier. On Thursday the club opened its preseason schedule at the Arena, the Adirondack Thunder visited from upstate New York. Jenny and Helen were absent for the obvious reasons, Helen simply isn't up to it yet and Jenny was staying at home to keep an eye on her. The Royals lost in the overtime shootout 4-3, scoring for the Good Guys were Alec Butcher, Yvan Mongo and Tyson Fawcett (a returnee-of-sorts, he played briefly for the Royals in 2019 and most recently played in England) with Nolan Maier as goalie of record. On Friday the teams met in Glens Falls, the Royals earned a split with a 3-1 win. The regular season starts on the road on Friday the 20th, the home opener is eight days later on Saturday the 28th. Take care, thanks for reading. 

October 6-9

There was news both good and bad over the weekend, the bad news was initially VERY bad. At 5:00 Saturday morning Jenny found her mother unresponsive on the floor in the bedroom, she immediately called 911 and the paramedics said that Helen had suffered a stroke. Jenny called me and left a message that I slept through, I heard it when I awoke about 6:30 for a nature call. Jenny's brother Gary lives in New Jersey, he was planning to visit on Saturday because of Helen's episode earlier in the week. Jenny got the word out to all concerned, when Gary arrived from Jersey he went straight to the hospital. I was with Jenny later in the day, she was completely shaken and didn't want to stay home by herself. I asked her if she wanted to come to the city and spend the weekend at my place, we got back to town about 7:00 or so. She had heard very little firsthand about Helen's condition, we called the hospital and were updated. When Helen got to the ER her speech was slurred and she was having trouble controlling hand movement, they ran tests and found a blood clot on her brain. The removal procedure was successful and they said she was doing much better, she was completely aware of where she was and what had happened. On Sunday we were there personally, when we walked in both Helen and Jenny became very emotional. Outside of simply being tired Helen was alert, talking with good diction and in full control of body movement, the nurse said she had improved markedly from Saturday. I took Jenny home on Monday, in the afternoon the latest update was Helen having an MRI and a breathing test. No idea when she'll be able to go home but by Monday it sure as hell looked a lot better than it did on Saturday. The good news came on Friday night, on Homecoming at McCaskey the Red Tornado won at home for the first time since week #3 of the 2021 season. It required overtime but a win is a win, the final over Reading High was 34-28. JPM led 14-7 at the quarter and 20-14 at the half, after a scoreless third quarter RHS outscored JPM 14-8 in the final period to force OT. In  regulation play Jalen Cintron threw four TD passes (two to DeAndre Jones and one each to Quimeak Talton and Josh Morales-Monzon) but the club was just 2-4 on two-point conversions. In the OT JPM had first possession, Cintron found Morales-Monzon for the lead but the two-pointer failed leaving the door wide open for RHS. On fourth-and-goal from the one the Tornado defense threw up The Brick Wall and nailed down Sweet Victory. The club improves to 2-5 overall with Senior Night upcoming on the 20th. On Sunday Jenny slept in at my place while I was in Rothsville for week #3 at Lions Park. Three new players brought the enrollment to forty-nine, Hillside won over Warwick and Ephrata beat Township. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 2-5

The Barnstormers held a championship celebration at the ballpark on Monday evening, several of the players who hadn't yet gone home were present. Team broadcaster Dave Collins (who I have known since 1993) conducted interviews and the League Championship Trophy was available for photos. This championship broke new ground for the franchise, it ended the every-eight-years pattern (the previous titles were in 2006, 2014 and 2022) and it's the first time club clinched it on the road. On Tuesday there was disturbing news, Jenny called to say her mother had been taken to the hospital. Helen has had heart problems in the past, this was a related incident. Needless to say Jenny was worried sick (so was I) but on Thursday she was released and came home. Jenny's niece Amber lives in the Quarryville area, she brought Helen home because I was out of town on Thursday evening. At the Arena on Penn Street in Reading we had the annual preseason run-through. It's a night where intermission activities are rehearsed and the new people get some orientation, it's probably more for them than it is for me but it's still good to get Back Home. The Royals play a preseason game at home on Thursday the 12th, the home opener is on the 28th. Take care, thanks for reading. 

September 29-October 1

Friday night football at McCaskey, the season's second half began with Manheim Township visiting from the northern suburbs. MT had beaten Hempfield convincingly the week before and entered this game undefeated as the ranked #1 team in the entire district, JPM entered in search of their second win at 1-4. It's no secret that the football program has been lean for better than a decade, the culture is beginning to change but it's still a very long process. One tries to view things positively but all the same this was a contest where Township could probably have named their score. At halftime it was 44-0, the entire second half was played under the mercy rule. There was just one score in the second half and it belonged to JPM, in the closing minutes Jalen Cintron found Josh Morales-Monzon over the middle for a 61-yard catch-and-run. The conversion attempt failed, the final was 44-6 and the Red Tornado will look to regroup for the Homecoming game on October 6. Saturday was a quiet day save for lunch with Jenny, on Sunday there was not a cloud in the sky as we reconvened for Rothsville for the first time in two weeks. This was week #2 for Sunday street hockey, it should have been week #4 but we all know that story. Eight new players joined up bringing the total to forty-six, Township beat Warwick and Ephrata defeated Hillside. The biggest news of the weekend came late Sunday afternoon from North Carolina where the Barnstormers won the Atlantic League championship for the second straight year. After splitting the first two games at home the Stormers lost game #3 in Gastonia but rebounded to win the final two. The final score in the deciding game was 7-1 with Andretty Cordero leading the attack with three hits and two RBI, series MVP Brent Teller pitched seven innings of four-hit ball with Ofreidy Gomez and Nick Duron nailing it down from there. It's the club's fourth league title in eighteen years of competition which matches Long Island for the most among active franchises and it's the first time anyone has gone back-to-back since the Ducks did it in 2012-13. Take care, thanks for reading. 

September 27-28

Back at the ballpark on Wednesday for game #2 of the Championship Series. The weather was somewhat similar to Tuesday with one major exception: there was no precipitation anywhere in the area, we actually had a peak of sunshine right around 6:30 gametime. The Barnstormers entered the game on an overall ten-game winning streak dating back to September 10, at home the club had won thirteen straight dating back to August 29. Sooner or later It Had To Happen and this night was apparently as good a time as any. In the North Division Series the Stormers were aided by nine Long Island errors in the three-game sweep, in the opener of this round three Gastonia errors played a major role in the Stormers' win. On this night the visiting Honey Hunters committed just one error and the Barnstormers had only six hits while Gastonia's bats came alive with a vengeance. The score was 2-2 entering the fourth inning where the Hunters scored three to break the tie, a four-run sixth and three more in the later innings blew the game wide open. The final was 12-3 with the Stormer tallies coming in three separate innings thanks to a Wilson Garcia RBI hit in the first, an Andretty Cordero sac fly in the third and a Garcia RBI groundout in the eighth. Matt Swarmer worked into the sixth inning and suffered the loss. One other item of interest involved a debut, Lehigh University product Luke Rettig (added to the roster on the season's last weekend) made his first professional appearance and pitched a scoreless ninth inning. A crowd of better than 4900 took in the last game of 2023 on North Prince Street, the series moves to North Carolina for what is now essentially a best two-of-three. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 25-26

The dreary weekend weather carried over into the new week, Monday was relatively dry but Tuesday was a different story. There was rain around the area in the morning and into the early afternoon but at the ballpark The Show Went On as scheduled. This was the opening game of the Atlantic League Championship series, the Barnstormers hosting the South Division champion Gastonia Honey Hunters. At game time it was 58 degrees with a ten-mile-an-hour wind to left and light mist in the air. On this night the Stormers mustered only three base hits but were aided by three Gastonia errors in a 3-2 win. The visitors from North Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, in the bottom half the Stormers replied. Ariel Sandoval and Chad Sedio both reached on errors, back-to-back RBI singles by Jack Conley and Trace Loehr put the Home Team ahead 2-1. In the visiting fifth Gastonia pushed home the tying run, that 2-2 deadlock remained in place until the bottom of the eighth. With one out Sandoval drew a walk and attempted to steal second base, the throw went into center field allowing him to advance to third. After the second out a wild pitch to the backstop sent Ariel home with the lead run. In the ninth Nick Duron set down the side in order to earn the save, Ofriedy Gomez was the pitcher of record in relief of starter Brent Teller. A crowd of better than 3100 was in the park on a less-than-ideal night to see the Stormers take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series, game #2 is back at home on Wednesday the 27th. Take care, thanks for reading. 

September 22-24

For a number of years the athletic director at Hempfield HS was a gentleman named Steve Polonus, a former assistant basketball coach and AD at McCaskey. On occasion Steve would ask me to work a game at Hempfield when needed and I would never turn him down if I was available. Steve retired in 2022 and was succeeded by Ryan Landis, a Warwick alum who played and coached basketball there and was their most recent AD. When Hempfield visited JPM on the 15th Ryan asked me if I'd be able to work their game on the 22nd, since McCaskey was on the road I took him up on it. In a strange oddity JPM hosted Hempfield on the 15th and is scheduled to host Manheim Township on the 29th, on this night in Landisville I saw the two against each other. This was my fourth time on the mic at Hempfield since 2018 and there were a few "Frenchy, what are you doing here?" reactions but at the same time nobody seemed to mind that I was. The game itself was never much in doubt, Township is one of the league's stronger clubs and they won handily 48-7. There was good news on Friday night from Long Island, the Barnstormers won 4-2 and took the ALPB North Division championship in a three-game sweep. The ballclub meets either Gastonia or High Point for the league title, the first two games are at home on the 26th and 27th. It was just as well the series ended on Friday, the rest of the weekend would have been very doubtful. A tropical storm was pushing its way up the coast and arrived on Saturday in the form of a steady rain. It was still coming down on Sunday morning, I was awake around 8:00, took one look out the window and the week's hockey games in Rothsville were immediately postponed. In the fall of '22 three of the first four weeks were rained out, so far this time around we've lost two of the first three and we do NOT need the pattern to repeat. Take care, thanks for reading

September 20-21

Wednesday lunch with Jenny and Helen, in the evening we were back at the ballpark for game #2 with Long Island. In the Tuesday opener the visiting Ducks committed four errors, on this night the Barnstormers took full advantage of three more to build an early 4-0 advantage. Melvin Mercedes doubled to start the first inning, he would come home on Andretty Cordero's single to give the Stormers the quick lead. In the second Long Island threatened to even the score on a base hit but the throw from right by Trayvon Robinson and Jack Conley's tag cut down the would-be tying run. The Barnstormers extended the lead to 2-0 in their half of the second when Robinson drew a walk, took third on a Shawon Dunston single and came home on an error. In the fourth Wilson Garcia singled and Ariel Sandoval walked, both runs would score on errors growing the Barnstormer lead to 4-0. The Ducks got on the board with a run in the fifth but they would come no closer, an eighth-inning bomb over the picnic tents by Garcia put the period on a 5-1 Barnstormer victory. Matt Swarmer started and went five for the decision with Brian Marconi, Garrett Granitz, Mike Adams, Ofreidy Gomez and Nick Duron closing it out. The Stormers lead the best-of-five series 2-0, it continues with the final three on the Island beginning on Friday the 22nd. Take care, thanks for reading. 

September 18-19

Tuesday night playoff baseball in Lancaster, the Barnstormers hosting the Long Island Ducks in the opening game of the North Division championship series. The league has always used a "halves" format which sometimes penalizes overall performance, 2023 is a good case in point. The South Division championship series features the teams with the top two regular season records, Long Island finished fourth overall at 66-58 and the Stormers were sixth at 62-62 (each team had two games cancelled by weather). Over in York (where I never made it to after June) the Revolution finished third overall at 71-54 but missed the postseason because they finished second in both halves. On this night in game #1 the Stormers struck first on a Yeison Coca solo home run to right in the first inning. The visiting Ducks tied it in the third inning, the Stormers replied in the bottom half when Melvin Mercedes walked and scored on an error. RBI singles by Andretty Cordero and Wilson Garcia gave the Home Team a three-run advantage in the fifth but Long Island showed their mettle with a three-run sixth to knot matters at 4-4. In the bottom of the sixth the Stormers took the lead back for good in one of the stranger ways you may ever see. Ariel Sandoval was batting with one out and the bases loaded, his groundball to the first-baseman was converted into an inning-ending double play. Barnstormer manager Ross Peeples immediately approached the homeplate umpire, after the entire umpiring crew conferred it was determined that the catcher had interfered with Sandoval as he was leaving the batters box. The double play was nullified, Sandoval was awarded first base on the interference and each runner advanced one base forcing home the lead run. Garcia batted next and rifled a double into the alley in right-center clearing the bases and giving the Stormers a sudden and stunning 8-4 lead. An insurance run was added in the seventh on a Cordero sac fly, Long Island scored a two-out run in the ninth but it mattered little as the Stormers took it 9-5. Brent Teller started and worked in to the sixth inning, Garrett Granitz was the winning pitcher with Mike Adams and Ofreidy Gomez splitting the last two innings. The teams reconvene for game #2 at the ballpark on Wednesday night. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 16-17

A busy weekend continued with an early start on Saturday, at noon we were in Kutztown for the university's home-opener football game. I sit in on the mic at KU whenever I'm needed, I worked three games in 2022, four in '21 and two the season before that. On this day the Golden Bears hosted Mercyhurst (from Erie, the northwestern Pennsylvania city that sits on the shores of the Great Lake of the same name) and won easily 47-14. The game was over about 2:40 or so, I was back home before 4:00 for supper and a degree of rest before heading over to the ballpark. The Barnstormers hosted the Staten Island FerryHawks in a game largely meaningless since the ALPB playoff pairings are now fully established. On this night the Stormers scored ten runs through the first three innings and added single tallies in the fifth, sixth and seventh, a six-spot in the eighth capped a one-sided 19-4 victory. The club unleashed a twenty-two-hit attack for forty-one total bases including three home runs, two triples and six doubles. Trayvon Robinson led the assault with a home run and five RBI, Chad Sedio went yard and had four RBI, Shawon Dunston also hit a round-tripper and added three ribbies. Jaret Lakind was the winner with Bret Clarke, Garrett Granitz and newcomer Chandler Breirley working out of the pen. There was afternoon rain forecast for Sunday, in the morning we were at Lions Park in Rothsville for the belated opening week of fall street hockey. Thirty-eight players participated, thirty from the spring plus eight new additions. Township won over Ephrata and Warwick defeated Hillside, during the second game it began to rain lightly but we managed to get everything done. I came immediately back to town and went to the ballpark, the last game of the regular season was scheduled for 1:00. I arrived about ten minutes before gametime, the field was uncovered but the start was being delayed because of the impending forecast. The Stormers announced the team award winners, Trayvon Robinson took home community-service honors and Ariel Sandoval was the fan-voted team MVP. The rain arrived as expected around 1:15, after a delay of better than an hour the game was cancelled outright. The division playoff with Long Island starts at the ballpark on Tuesday the 19th. Take care, thanks for reading. 

September 15

September 15 is Jenny's mother's birthday, we marked Helen's 86th with lunch at the same place we visited for Jenny's birthday in August. In the evening I was at McCaskey, the Red Tornado hosted Hempfield in week #1 of divisional play. Both teams entered at 1-2 against non-league opponents, the JPM victory coming in Elizabethtown on September 1. On this night JPM trailed 13-0 at the half but scored three touchdowns in the second half before running out of gas in the fourth quarter. The final score was 41-20, Jalen Cintron threw scoring passes to DeAndre Jones (51 yards) and Quimeak Talton (two yards), Josh Morales-Monzon rushed three yards for the last TD, the team was 1-3 in two-point conversion attempts. The club was much more competitive on this night but there is still a lot of work to do, it won't get any easier when Manheim Township visits on the 29th. The better news on the night came from the ballpark where the Barnstormers defeated Staten Island 6-3, the win clinches the second-half division title and a playoff date with first-half champion Long Island. The first two games of the best-of-three series are at home on the 19th and 20th. Take care, thanks for reading.  

September 13-14

Wednesday night at the ballpark for game #2 with Long Island and a contest that played remarkably similar to Tuesday. Once again the visitors scored four runs in the first inning and built a 5-2 lead in the third before the Barnstormers battled back and took command. The Home Team scored in the first on Wilson Garcia's two-run double, a five-run third put the Stormers ahead for good at 7-5. Ariel Sandoval picked up a ribbie on a fielders choice, Yeison Coca stroked an RBI single, Chad Sedio doubled to push home another run and Chris Proctor put the punctuation on the inning with a two-run home run over the picnic tent in right. Two more were added in the fourth on an Andretty Cordero RBI groundout and a Long Island error but the Ducks weren't going away quietly, a three-run fifth brought LI back to within one at 9-8. The Stormers equaled those three runs in the bottom half on a wild pitch and Trace Loehr's two-run single to go up 12-8, after the Ducks closed to within two in the seventh the Stormers salted it away in the eighth on back-to-back doubles by Sandoval (two RBI) and Garcia (one). The football-like final score was 15-10, Nile Ball started and struggled through three innings with Dominic DiSabatino awarded the decision in relief. The Stormers completed the sweep on Thursday with a pedestrian-by-comparison 3-1 victory. On this night the Stormers scored first, Melvin Mercedes walked with the bases loaded in the second inning. The Ducks replied to tie it 1-1 in the third, it stayed even until the bottom of the sixth. Arel Sandoval singled and scored the lead run on Wilson Garcia's double, Joseph Carpenter followed with an RBI hit sending Garcia home with the game's final run. Recently-added Brady Tedesco made his home debut and pitched seven innings for the win, Ofreidy Gomez and Nick Duron (save) finished it with an inning each. The series sweep puts the ballclub on the verge of the second-half division title, one more victory will clinch it with Staten Island coming in for the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading. 

September 11-12

A typical start to the new week on Monday, the next night saw the start of the season's final homestand on North Prince Street. In 2022 the Barnstormers were subpar during the first half but rebounded with a strong second half to earn a postseason berth, in '23 the script has played out in a similar fashion. Entering the homestand the Stormers held the division's top spot, on this night the Long Island Ducks were the opponent for this possible playoff preview. The start was not promising for the Stormers as the Ducks put four on the board in the first inning, after the Barnstormers scored a single run in the third LI added two in the fourth to go up 6-1. From there the game did a complete 180, the Stormers sent fourteen batters to the plate in a nine-run fourth inning and added a single run in the fifth and three more in the eighth, the Ducks could muster only two more the rest of the night as the Good Guys won it going away 14-8. The Stormer run in the third came on Andretty Cordero's sac fly, in the fourth the nine-run salvo included a Trace Loehr RBI groundout, run-scoring singles from Cordero, Melvin Mercedes, Jack Conley and Trayvon Robinson, Conley picked up a second RBI on a sac fly and three more scored on Wilson Garcia's bases-loaded double. Another sac fly by Cordero plated the fifth-inning run, Conley's three-run home run to left in the eighth wrapped up the scoring. Brent Teller started on the hill and went six innings for the decision, Brian Marconi worked the seventh and Mike Adams finished it. The series continues on Wednesday and who knows what will happen next. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 6-10

Wednesday evening at the ballpark for game #2 with Staten Island and another wacky night in the Atlantic League. The visitors from New York City's southernmost borough took a 1-0 lead in the second inning before the Barnstormers replied with a four-spot in their half. Back-to-back singles by Wilson Garcia and Joseph Carpenter started the rally, Trayvon Robinson's RBI double tied the game 1-1. Chris Proctor's infield groundout scored Carpenter and moved Robinson to third, Trayvon trotted home on Jack Conley's sac fly putting the Stormers up 3-1. Trace Loehr was hit by the pitch and moved up on a Melvin Mercedes base hit, a throwing error allowed Loehr to touch home with the inning's fourth run. The unphased FerryHawks came right back with three in the third to tie the game at 4-4, in the home fourth Loehr doubled and scored on Andretty Cordero's base hit to give the Stormers a one-run lead. It stayed that way until the eighth when the Hawks scored the tying run but in the ninth the Barnstormers won it on base hits by Garcia (run), Carpenter and Proctor (GWRBI). It was the ballclub's first walk-off win of the season and the first since Jake Hoover's game-winning home run in the 2022 playoffs. Nick Duron was the winner in relief of starter Brent Teller with Garret Granitz (two innings) and newcomer Ofreidy Perez (one inning) bridging the gap. The series was scheduled to end on Thursday but it never happened. Around 4:30 or so a hard storm passed through, the field had been covered and was in good shape but at 6:30 there was lightning in the area and the field was cleared. The infield was exposed since the tarp had been removed, once the next storm arrived it was only a matter of how bad it would get and it didn't take long to find out. Staten Island returns on the 15th for the season's last weekend, the game will be made up then if it is needed. The stormy weather conditions continued off and on through the weekend, on Sunday we had planned on opening the fall street hockey season in Rothsville. The morning forecast called for thunderstorms during the time we'd be there, we postponed the games for safety and absolutely NOTHING happened. To say it's frustrating would be putting it mildly, all we can do is hope for better luck on the 17th. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 4-5

The higher temperatures were out in force on Labor Day Monday, I did what I had to do in the morning and gladly spent the rest of the day at home in the AC. On Tuesday I read online where several schools around the area where dismissing early because of the heat, in my day we were in school in the heat with no air conditioning and we sweated like pigs. On Tuesday evening the Barnstormers opened a series on North Prince Street, the Staten Island FerryHawks were the opponent. At 6:30 gametime it was 94 degrees with only a hint of a slight breeze coming in from center. The Stormers took a 1-0 lead in the first, Melvin Mercedes reached on an error and scored on a double by Wilson Garcia. The visitors struck back with three in the second but from there it was all Barnstormers. Trace Loehr started the third inning with a base hit, a walk to Mercedes and a Yeison Coca single loaded the bases with nobody out. Andretty Cordero's sac fly made it a 3-2 game, Garcia followed with an RBI hit delivering Mercedes with the tying run. Chad Sedio drew a walk reloading the bases for Trayvon Robinson who laced a three-run triple into left-center putting the Stormers ahead 6-3. In the fourth the ballclub added three more, Loehr reached on a one-out error and scored on a Coca base hit. Cordero singled to drive Coca home, after Garcia walked Sedio plated Cordero with an RBI hit making it 9-3. There was no further scoring over the last four-and-a-half innings, Dominic DiSabatino pitched into the sixth inning on a hot night for the win with Brian Marconi and Bret Clarke finishing it out of the pen. The series continues on Wednesday and Thursday with the heat continuing right along with it. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 30-September 3

Back at the ballpark on Wednesday for game #2 with Charleston, on this night the offensive display on both sides was minimal. The game was scoreless into the sixth inning, in the home half the Stormers broke the ice when Trace Loehr reached on a base hit and scored on an error. The West Virginians tied it in the eighth but the Stormers replied quickly in their turn, Anthony Peroni drew a walk and came around on Andretty Cordero's RBI double. In the ninth Mike Adams closed it out for winning pitcher Zach Warren, Dominic Disabatino had started and worked five innings of shutout ball but wasn't around for the finish. On Thursday the Barnstormers completed the three-game sweep although it was once again a battle. Base hits by Melvin Mercedes (run) and Joseph Carpenter (RBI) gave the Stormers a 1-0 lead in the first, after Charleston tied it in the second the Home Team retook the lead in the bottom half on a double by Jack Conley and an RBI hit by Loehr. The Dirty Birds didn't fly away quietly, they pushed the tying run home in the seventh but the last word belonged to the Stormers. After the stretch Conley started the rally with a walk and took second on a bunt single by Loehr, a throwing error allowed Conley to score the lead run. Loehr was retired attempting to advance on the error for the first out, Mercedes followed with a base hit and Cordero followed that with a two-run shot to right-center putting the Stormers up 5-2. That home run was a milestone for Andretty, he becomes the first player in ALPB history to post two separate 100-RBI seasons. There was no further scoring as the Barnstormers took it 5-2, Zach Warren pitched the final three innings and was the WP for the second straight night with Jeff Bain working the first five and Nile Ball making a one-inning appearance out of the bullpen. The weekend was quiet except for the usual Saturday lunch visit with Jenny, on Sunday daytime temperatures reached in to the 90s and the heat is expected to hang around for most of the coming week. Take care, thanks for reading. 

August 28-29

The comfortable temperatures and lower humidity were still in evidence at the start of the new week, on Tuesday night the Barnstormers continued the homestand as the Charleston Dirty Birds visited from the depths of the darkest mines of West Virginia (sometimes I think there must be some sort of competition within Minor League Sports to see who can come up with the strangest and most convoluted identity). On this night the Stormers put together a filthy first inning, after leadoff hitter Melvin Mercedes was retired Yeison Coca and Andretty Cordero posted back-to-back singles, a fielding error on Cordero's hit allowed Coca to score the inning's first run. Ariel Sandoval followed with a double to plate Cordero with run #2, after Wilson Garcia was hit by the pitch Joseph Carpenter stroked an RBI single scoring Sandoval with the third run. Chad Sedio skied to left for out #2, Shawon Dunston JR batted next and homered down the line in right to make it 6-0. That lead held up until the sixth when Charleston posted a single run, two more in the eighth made it a 6-3 game. In the home eighth the Stormers answered with three of their own, Garcia started it with a solo shot to right. Sedio was hit by the pitch and Dunston singled, Jack Conley's RBI double scored Sedio and sent Dunston to third, a wild pitch allowed Shawon to score the inning's third run. Charleston scored a cosmetic run in the ninth but it was nowhere near enough as the Stormers took it 9-4. Matt Swarmer earned the win with fine innings of no-hit ball, relief support came from Brian Marconi, Garrett Granitz and Nick Duron earing the save. The game started at 6:30 and was over before 9:00 largely thanks to the new "speed-up" rules being used throughout pro ball these days. Much was made of them when they were first implemented but now that everyone has become acclimated it never seems to be much an issue anymore and the games in general are moving at a much better pace. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 26-27

Saturday night baseball on North Prince Street, the Barnstormers hosted the Gastonia Honey Hunters in game #2 of the weekend series. The Stormers had lost on Friday in my absence, on this night they evened the series with a come-from-behind win. The visitors from the Tar Heel State carried a 2-0 advantage into the bottom of the fourth, Wilson Garcia reached on an error and scored on Trayon Robinson's two-out double putting the Stormers on the board at 2-1. Andretty Cordero's solo home run in the sixth tied the game at 2-2, a four-run Stormer seventh gave the club all the insurance it would need. Chris Proctor (back from an extended injury absence) doubled with one out and Melvin Mercedes drew a walk, after a Gastonia pitching change Cordero doubled to left-center scoring both runners to give the Stormers the lead. Ariel Sandoval batted next and sent a laser-beam onto the picnic pavilion in right putting the finishing touches on the 6-2 victory. Brandyn Sittinger worked two innings and won it in relief of starter Jaret Lakind, Nick Duron finished it with a scoreless ninth. On Sunday afternoon the teams convened for a 3:00 game, I elected to make another rare day-game appearance. Gametime temperature was 85 degrees, the same as Friday night at the football game but the differences were (1) much lower humidity, (2) a beautiful breeze blowing from right to left and (3) since I had missed Friday it was a makeup game of sorts. On this afternoon each team scored in the second, the Stormers' run coming on a double by Garcia and Robinson's RBI groundout. Gastonia went ahead 4-1 in the fourth, in the home half Joseph Carpenter went yard with a man on to make it 4-3, Robinson followed with a base hit and scored on a Shawn Dunston sac fly to even it at 4-4. It stayed that way until the ninth when the Honey Hunters pushed across the lead run and held it for a 5-4 win. Nile Ball started and went six, Mike Adams took the loss in relief. The club stays home for a series with Charleston starting on Tuesday. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 21-25

Another relatively quiet midweek led into a busy and very HOT Friday evening. This was opening weekend of my thirty-sixth year on the mic for football at McCaskey (already?), the Red Tornado hosted John Bartram (from Philadelphia) in a non-league game. In 2022 JPM won one game, that was over Bartram in overtime in Philly. The last time the program had a winning season was 2010, in the twelve years since the mark is just 25-94. The game on this night began at 7:00, gametime temperature was 85 degrees and there was ABSOLUTELY NO AIR in that stadium. The lack of anything that remotely resembled a BREEZE made the press box a sauna bath and the fact that the game lasted better than two-and-a-half hours made it all the more uncomfortable. When I work a football game I watch the plays develop through binoculars, when the lenses fog up from the heat and my eyeglasses are already fogged up from sweating it makes a tough job all the more a challenge. JPM lost the game 26-12, both scores for the Red Tornado coming on TD passes from quarterback Jalen Cintron to wideout Quimeak Talton. Neither team apparently had much confidence in its kicking game, Bartram scored four TDs and went for two after each with one successful conversion while JPM was 0-2 in two-point tries. The club plays its next two on the road, the next home game is September 15 versus division rival Hempfield. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 16-20

August 16 is always an important date on the calendar, it's Jenny's birthdate, When I first knew her she would look forward to her birthday but in recent years not so much, I guess she feels there is a stigma of some kind attached to "getting older". We marked the occasion with a visit to an Italian-style restaurant in Willow Street, the same place we'd been to the year before. At the ballpark in the evening, the first order of business was the competition of the suspended game from Tuesday. When last we left the long Island Ducks and the Lancaster Barnstormers the visitors had rallied from a two-run eighth-inning deficit to take a one-run lead. The resumption on Wednesday was anticlimactic, it only took about twenty-five minutes with no further scoring for Long Island to win it 7-6. Jaret Lakind had started the game on Tuesday, Zach Warren pitched the fateful eighth and took the loss. The regular game started right on time at 6:30 and for the Stormers the offensive highlights were in short supply. The club had only three base hits while the Ducks scored an equal number of runs for the 3-0 win. Nile Ball worked into the eighth inning and deserved a better fate. The series (and the homestand) finished on Thursday night with the Stormers again falling behind by two runs early, Ariel Sandoval got one of them back with a first-inning RBI single. Long Island extended the lead to 3-1 in the second, in the home third the Stormers tied it on solo home runs by Yeison Coca and Wilson Garcia. Each team scored twice in the fourth, the Barnstormer runs coming on a Jack Conley RBI single and an Andretty Cordero sac fly. In the sixth the Good Guys took the lead for good when Conley reached on a fielders choice and scored on a Melvin Mercedes single, after Coca drew a walk he and Mercedes pulled off a double-steal with Melvin scoring from third to make it 7-5. The Ducks kept it close with a run in the seventh but the Stormers added two in their half on RBI hits by Conley and Mercedes. The final was 9-6, Jeff Bain went six for the win with Brandyn Sittinger and Mike Adams (save) in relief. The weekend was uneventful except for the standard lunch with Jenny on Saturday, the ballclub is back home on Friday the 25th. Take care, thanks for reading. 

August 14-15

A typical Monday off-day in the Atlantic League was followed by the start of a new series at the ballpark on Tuesday. The Long Island Ducks (first-half North Division champion) were in town for a game that started slowly and ended unresolved for at least another day. Through five innings the score stood 2-0 in favor of the visitors but from there the runs (and eventually the weather) came fast and furious. A two-run single in the home sixth by Wilson Garcia drew the Barnstormers even at 2-2, in the top of the seventh the Ducks answered in kind with two of their own to reclaim the lead. After the stretch it was the Stormers turn, Yeison's Coca' two-out two-run single with the bases loaded evened the score at 4-4. Andretty Cordero batted next and lined a double into left-center to score two more putting the Stormers up 6-4. In the eighth the madness reached its peak as Long Island scored three two-out runs to go ahead 7-6. Just as the lead run crossed the plate it began to rain lightly, within the next thirty seconds the skies opened and it was a deluge. The tarp crew rushed to get the field covered but the rain was coming too quickly, by the time the tarp was down the infield had been thoroughly wiped out. After the required wait time the game was ruled suspended to be completed ahead of the scheduled game on Wednesday beginning at 5:00. The storm only lasted for about ten minutes or so, it was gone just as quickly as it arrived but it hung around just long enough to do its damage. Take care, thanks for reading. 

August 12-13

Saturday night at the ballpark for game #2 with the ALPB club By Any Other Name from Frederick, Maryland. The team actually began the season with no nickname, they were the "Frederick Baseball Club" and wore generic uniforms with question marks all over them (? indeed) while ballyhooing The Big Reveal in late June. Right now it appears the "Spire City" Ghost Hounds are sticking around for 2024 and beyond, with neighboring Hagerstown scheduled to join up as well the league may look a little different when April rolls around. On this night the visiting Hounds scored two runs each in the second, fourth, fifth and eighth innings, a six-run ninth ripped it wide open as SC won it going away 14-4. The Stormers scored twice in the third on an RBI triple by Melvin Mercedes and a wild pitch, single runs came in the fourth and eighth on run-scoring hits by Joseph Carpenter and Shawon Dunston JR. Berks County native Matt Swarmer (former big-leaguer with the Chicago Cubs) made his Barnstormer debut and took the decision. The series ended on Sunday afternoon with an unusual 5:00 start, the later game time allowed me to make an equally unusual Sunday appearance. Wilson Garcia's RBI hit in the first put the Stormers on the board, after Spire City scored twice in the second the Home Team tied it 2-2 on a Dunston double and Trace Loehr's RBI groundout. A four-run sixth put the Stormers in charge, Anthony Peroni drove in two of them with a double, Loehr had an RBI single and the fourth came home on a wild pitch. A solo home run to right by Dunston in the eighth put the ribbon on a 7-2 win, Brent Teller went six innings for the win with Zach Warren and Brandyn Sittinger in relief. The homestand continues on Tuesday with the Long Island Ducks visiting. Take care, thanks for reading. 

August 7-11

Not much happening through the early part of the week since softball season in Willow Street is over, on Friday the Barnstormers returned home for the start of a six-day homestand. The Spire City Ghost Hounds were visiting from western Maryland for the third and final time in 2023, on this night they took an early 2-0 lead in the first but would not score after that. The Barnstormers got on the board in the third, Jack Conley drew a walk and advanced to third on a Trace Loehr single, Andretty Cordero's sac fly scored Conley making it 2-1. In the fifth back-to-back singles by Loehr and Melvin Mercedes put runners on the corners with one out, Mercedes was caught stealing but Loehr would score on a wild pitch to tie the game 2-2. Yeison Coca (not noted for the longball) went yard onto the picnic pavilion in right giving the Stormers a one-run advantage, Cordero kept the rally going with a double and Ariel Sandoval followed with an RBI single plating Codero to make it 4-2. There was no further scoring as starter Jeff Bain earned the win with six innings of work, relief support featured an inning each from Zach Warren, Nick Duron and Mike Adams for the save in the ninth. The series continues on Saturday with a rare 5:00 game on Sunday. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 4-6

A quiet Friday and a relatively lazy Sunday provided the perfect bookends for a busy Saturday. At the ballpark the gates opened at 11:30 for the second annual Battle Of The Unions. On-field activity began straight up at High Noon, as it did in 2022 the day featured a round-robin softball tournament with the city police, firefighters and municipal workers. The president of the municipal workers union is the man who organized the event, he had contacted me to work the mic in '22 and I was more than willing to be back on this day for the second go-round. The day was a fundraiser for the local homelessness coalition, close to $4000 was raised for the cause. A good number of vendors were present with many offering the chance to win door prizes and there was live music outside the ballpark and in the food court area for most of the day. The firefighters won the championship over the police in the inaugural event, this time it was the other way around as the police took home the trophy with a win over the firefighters. We were finished around 5:15 or so and by all accounts everybody went home happy. Jenny and I had lunch on Sunday since we had missed out the day before, there really isn't much difference between the two and it's always good to get out of the house on a Sunday. Take care, thanks for reading. 

August 2-3

Softball playoffs at Garrett Park have been completed, the losers bracket semifinal and final were played on Tuesday night. Memorial beat Riverside and subsequently lost to Kelly's, on Wednesday in the championship Peach Bottom eliminated Kelly's to win the title. Fast-pitch softball these days isn't as big as it once was during the Conlin Field era but it was fun hanging out in Willow Street, I'll miss it until it starts again next May. Wednesday night in the city on North Prince Street for game #2 with Charleston, the Barnstormers took a quick lead in the first on Joseph Carpenter's two-run single. The West Virginians cut the lead to one in the third, in the home sixth Jack Conley went yard with a man on giving the Stormers a 4-1 advantage. A two-run Charleston eighth made it 4-3 but the Stormer bullpen held the fort from there, Brent Teller went six for the win with Zach Warren, Brandyn Sittinger and Mike Adams (save) working an inning each. In the rubber game on Thursday it was just about all Stormers from the proverbial word Go, the club unleashed a six-homer salvo and won handily 14-4. It was eerily reminiscent of that game against Spire City on July 8 when the Stormers won by thirteen runs, every man in the starting nine was involved in the scoring. Wilson Garcia had the biggest night with two home runs, a double, three runs scored and three RBI, Andretty Cordero had three hits including a home run, two runs and three ribbies. Shawn Dunston had a long ball, a triple, two runs and three RBI, Joseph Carpenter went yard with two runs and two RBI. Anthony Peroni rounded out the Home Run Derby with a solo shot, Yeison Coca had two hits and scored twice, Ariel Sandoval had an RBI double and scored a run, Trayvon Robinson reached base three times and scored once, Trace Loehr rounded out the book with a sac fly RBI. On the mound Jaret Lakind went five for the decision with bullpen support from Sittinger, Garrett Granitz and newcomer Nolan Long. The Stormers are back home on Friday the 11th. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 31-August 1

The first day of the new week was the final day of the old month, softball playoffs continued on Monday night at Garrett Park. These were the games rescheduled from the previous Thursday, the first game was the winners bracket final between Kelly's and Peach Bottom. PB rallied from 3-0 down in the third with a single run in the fourth and three with two out in the seventh to win 4-3. The nightcap was a lower bracket elimination game, Memorial advanced with a 6-3 decision over LCM. That set up the Tuesday night schedule with Memorial meeting Riverside, the winner of that game immediately facing off with Kelly's for the right to meet Peach Bottom for the championship on Wednesday. On Tuesday I was in town at the ballpark, the Barnstormers continued their homestand with a visit from the Charleston Dirty Birds. The visitors from West Virginia scored once in the first and thrice in the second, they would not score again but they wouldn't need to. The Stormers got on the board in the sixth on Ariel Sandoval's RBI single, another run scored in the seventh on an RBI double by Trayvon Robinson but the ballclub came no closer in a 4-2 loss. Dominic Disabatino went the first five and took the loss with Bret Clarke, Brian Marconi, Nick Duron and newcomer (and former big-leaguer) Cody Stashak working an inning each in relief. The series continues on Wednesday and Thursday. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 28-30

The month of July has been historically warm, there was an article in the paper recently claiming it could go down as the hottest July on record around here. Earlier in the week the blast furnace opened up in earnest, daytime temperatures have averaged in the 90s. On Friday the Barnstormers returned home for a weekend series with the Staten Island FerryHawks and the events played out much like Thursday. There were dark clouds forming to the west, at 6:30 it was announced that the game would start at 6:45. As 6:45 arrived the tarp was being rolled out and the rain arrived, at 7:10 the game was postponed and reset for Saturday as a doubleheader (shades of that weekend in June with Long Island). The doubledip on Saturday started at 5:30 and proceeded almost without incident, during the first game there was a quick rain squall that delayed the game for about three minutes (the grounds crew actually had the tarp rolled out into fair territory, when the rain disappeared as quickly as it had arrived it was put away in mid-roll). The Stormers scored first in the opener on a second-inning home run by Wilson Garcia, a second run was added in the third on one of the strangest plays you may ever see. Yeison Coca hit a chopper back to the mound, the throw sailed high at first base and rattled around in the Stormers bullpen. By the time the ball was recovered the speedy Coca was headed home, he narrowly beat the tag at the plate to give the Stormers a 2-0 lead. In the sixth three more runs scored, one on a wild pitch and two on bases-loaded walks to Coca and Melvin Mercedes. Starting pitcher Nile Ball surrendered a run in the seventh but as otherwise in complete control of the 5-1 victory. It only took two hours to play the opener, game #2 started in good order at 8:05. Each team scored in the first inning, the Stormers' run coming on a Garcia RBI hit. The visiting Hawks took a 2-1 lead in the fourth but the Stormers equaled it on a fifth-inning RBI double by Andretty Cordero. In the eighth (the first extra inning of a doubleheader game) SI scored twice to go up 4-2, the Stormers got one back on an Ariel Sandoval RBI double but could not find the equalizer. Zach Warren took the 4-3 loss in relief of starter Jaret Lakind. Sunday marked another birthday on the calendar, Jenny's friend Courtney's oldest daughter turned nine. The party was outdoors at a county park just south of town, we were there for about two hours in the late afternoon. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 26-27

Wednesday night at the ballpark but not for a professional game, this night featured the County Midget League playoff semifinals. The city school district did not field a team in 2023, back during high school season the coaches told me they didn't have enough player commitment to make it go. Since the Lancaster Jr. Tornado was dormant this time around I didn't follow the league very closely but I was aware of when the tournament was happening. The top eight regular-season finishers qualified, in the quarterfinals on Monday and Tuesday the top four were all eliminated. On Wednesday Hempfield defeated Lititz in the opener, Ephrata took the nightcap over Cedar Crest. Softball playoffs were scheduled to continue on Thursday night at Garrett Park but Mother Nature decided to play rough. Around 5:00 or so a strong storm passed through the area, it didn't last long but just long enough to ruin the night in Willow Street and have the games moved to Monday the 31st. At the ballpark the championship game was still on for 7:00, I arrived right around game time and learned the start was delayed. The field had been completely tarped but the track areas behind the plate and outside the dugouts were very wet. With it all the game didn't start until shortly after 8:00, Hempfield claimed the title with a 9-1 win over Ephrata. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 21-25

A very quiet weekend with only Saturday lunch with Jenny on the docket. The Southern End Softball League regular season is over, the postseason playoff tournament began on Monday evening at Garrett Park. The top five finishers were seeded into a double-elimination bracket, on Monday the only game was the 5 vs 4 matchup at 7:00. Riverside won over LCM 12-0 in three innings via the mercy rule, that result consigned LCM to the lower bracket and placed Riverside into the winners bracket semifinals on Tuesday. The Tuesday opener at 7:00 was the 3 vs 2 pairing featuring Memorial and Kelly's and it was a thriller just about all the way. Kelly's erased a 2-1 deficit with a five-run fourth inning, Memorial scored once in the sixth and twice in the seventh to force extra innings. In the bottom of the eighth Kelly's had the bases loaded with nobody out but Memorial managed to escape, the game finally ended when Kelly's pushed home the winner in the bottom of the tenth. The second game was scheduled for 8:30 but didn't start until almost 9:15, #1 seed Peach Bottom beat Riverside 9-0 in five innings via the mercy rule. The tournament continues on Thursday the 27th, the winners bracket final with Kelly's vs Peach Bottom is scheduled at 7:00 followed by LCM and Memorial in a lower bracket quarterfinal with the loser eliminated. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 19-20

Wednesday lunch in Quarryville, Jenny was feeling better but still not 100%. At the ballpark in the evening for game #2 with Lexington, the Barnstormers exploded for twelve runs in the first three innings and won handily 16-7. The Stormers batted through the lineup six times, leadoff hitter Melvin Mercedes had seven plate appearances. Joesph Carpenter had a huge night reaching base all six times up with a home run, two doubles, three runs scored and five runs batted in, he also walked twice and was hit by the pitch. Wilson Garcia was on base five times on two singles, a double, a walk and an error, he scored three runs and had two RBI. Anthony Peroni had a single, a double, a run scored and two RBI, Trayvon Robinson had two hits, scored a run and batted in two. Trace Loehr singled three times and picked up an RBI, Mercedes had two hits and scored twice from the leadoff spot. Yeison Coca and Andretty Cordero had a single, two runs scored and an RBI each, Shawan Dunston and Chad Sedio each had a base hit and a run scored. Nile Ball started and went seven for the win, Tyler Laporte and Garrett Granitz finished it with an inning each. On Thursday night the Stormers completed the three-game sweep with a more conventional 8-6 win. The early innings were once again productive, in the first Coca walked and Cordero singled ahead of Ariel Sandoval's RBI hit scoring Coca and a sac fly by Carpenter plating Cordero. In the second a double by Dunston and a Mercedes sac fly made it 3-0 Stormers but the visitors struck back with three in the third to tie it 3-up. In the home fourth Dunston singled and Loehr drew a walk, Mercedes followed with a two-run double into the gap putting the Stormers ahead 5-3. In the fifth a two-out rally added two more runs, Carpenter singled and Jack Conley walked ahead of Dunston's two-run triple. In the seventh Conley singled, stole second and scored on Dunston's RBI hit making it an 8-3 ballgame, Lexington scored one in the eighth and two in the ninth but it mattered little to the end result. New addition Jeff Bain made his first start for the Stormers and went five innings for the win, Brandyn Sittinger, Zach Warren, Nick Duron and Mike Adams got an inning of work each. The Stormers hit the road for a week, they're back home on the 28th. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 17-18

The new week started with some distressing news, right before midnight on Sunday night Jenny's mother called. Helen said Jenny was on her way to the ER in an ambulance, she has been having discomfort in her legs recently and apparently the pain became unbearable. Helen was upset because the ambulance crew wouldn't allow her to go along and she had no other way into town, I told her to try to relax and stay close to the phone. I will admit to not sleeping very well myself overnight, when I awoke on Monday morning and there were no messages I called Helen to see if she knew anything. She said Jenny was home and asleep, the hospital ran some tests and x-rays, prescribed some medications and sent her home in a taxicab at 5:00 that morning. They said it was some sort of muscle spasm but it was still worth checking out, you never know when it could have been something much worse. Monday night softball in Willow Street, LCM played a doubleheader losing the opener to Peach Bottom and winnng the late game over Memorial. On Tuesday the Barnstormers opened a new series, the Lexington Counter Clocks were making the last of their three regular-season visits. Both teams had unimpressive first-half records, thus far in the new half the Stormers have been doing well while the Clocks are still running in reverse. On this night the Stormers posted five runs in the first inning, a walk and two singles loaded the bases with nobody out. Ariel Sandoval waked to force home Melvin Mercedes with the first run, after one out Joseph Carpenter doubled to score Yeison Coca and Andretty Cordero. Jack Conley drew a two-out walk putting two men on base, he and Carpenter came home on Trace Loehr's two-run single to make it 5-0. The Clocks struck for single runs in the fourth and fifth, in the home fifth newcomer Chad Sedio doubled and scored on a Wilson Garcia sac fly making it 6-2. A Lexington run in the eighth was offset by a three-run Stormer eighth, all three scoring as a result of Lexington fielding errors. 9-3 was the final score, Jaret Lakind started and went five innings for the win with Bret Clarke, Brian Marconi and newcomer Nick Duron in relief. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 15-16

Saturday night on North Prince Street for game #2 with Spire City aka Frederick. Hagerstown, Maryland is slated to join the ALPB in 2024, there are those who claim that the club in Frederick is a placeholder and will be moving to Hagerstown while others are saying that Frederick is in permanently with Hagerstown joining to form a geographic rivalry. The two cities are less than thirty miles apart (much like Lancaster and York), it would be a great situation for both and on a personal level I'd like to see it happen. On this night at the ballpark the Stormers and the visiting Ghost Hounds traded single runs through five innings, the Stormers run coming in the third on Anthony Peroni's double and Melvin Mercedes' RBI single. In the sixth the Hounds put four on the board to go up 5-1, in the bottom half the Home Boys got three of them right back. Trace Loehr started the rally with a base hit, after one out Ariel Sandoval followed with a double scoring Loehr to make it 5-2. Consecutive singles by Wilson Garcia, Joseph Carpenter (RBI scoring Sandoval) and Trayvon Robinson (RBI scoring Garcia) brought the Stormers within one at 5-4. In the seventh Mercedes drew a one-out walk and scored the tying run on Andretty Cordero's double, Sandoval followed that with an RBI hit plating Cordero putting the Stormers up 6-5. An insurance run was added in the eighth on a Carpenter double and a Peroni RBI hit, the final score was 7-5. Brandyn Sittinger won it in relief of starter Dominic DiSabatino, Andrew Lee worked out of a ninth-inning jam and picked up the save. The series finished with a Stormer win in the afternoon heat on Sunday but I was fashionably absent, with street hockey done in Rothsville until September I spent the days in the comfort of the AC at home. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 14

Things that make you wonder: the Barnstormers played three midweek games at Long Island and won all three, this coming exactly one week after they were torpedoed in three games at home by the same opponent (YOU figure it out). On Friday the Spire City Ghost Hounds were back in town, the first order of business was the completion of that suspended game from July 9. The visitors from Frederick, MD held a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning when the rains came, on this day play resumed from that point at 3:15. The Hounds added onto that lead and were never caught, the final score was 8-4. The Stormers scored in the fifth on a Jack Conley sacrifice fly, an Ariel Sandoval RBI hit in the sixth and Wilson Garcia's two-run home run in the eighth. Bret Clarke had started the game on Sunday and continued on this day since he was on regular rest, he pitched eight innings the hard way and suffered the loss. The game wound down at 5:00, it was announced that the scheduled game would be a seven-inning game beginning at its advertised time of 6:30. Most of those in attendance elected to stay in the ballpark, I had a rare supper there since it happened to be that time of day. In the regular game Spire City once again took an early 3-0 lead, the Barnstormers got two of them back in the third on Andretty Cordero's two-run double. A solo home run by Garcia tied the game in the fourth but the Hounds went back up by one in the fifth and made it stand up for a 4-3 win. Spencer Johnston started and went six innings, Mike Adams finished it with a scoreless seventh. The game only took an hour and forty-five minutes, by 8:15 the night was over and the sun was still up. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 10-13

The Atlantic League's "First Half" ended over the weekend, Long Island and High Point qualified for the postseason as the respective division champions (thanks to this goofy schedule we don't see High Point in Lancaster at all but that story is already well-known). The Barnstormers finished 25-38, over in York the Revolution went 37-26. The early part of the new week was quiet save for three nights in Willow Street and a Wednesday afternoon trip to Berks County. On Monday at Garrett Park LCM split a doubleheader, winning over Riverside and losing to Memorial. Tuesday night featured Kelly's in a doubleheader, they defeated the Marlins in the opener and took the nightcap over Peach Bottom. On Wednesday it was hockey season in Reading (for one night, anyway), the Royals hosted an open house at the Arena. The purpose was to promote ticket sales and introduce some new perks for season-ticket holders, there was also a clearance sale at the team store. I dropped in for about ninety minutes or so just to let everyone know I was still alive and also because it simply felt good to be "back home". The opener at the Arena is October 28, the thirty-six games on the home schedule feature familiar division opponents Worcester, Newfoundland, Adirondack, Norfolk, Trois-Riveries and Maine plus non-divisional games with the Wheeling Nailers, Kalamazoo Wings and Orlando Solar Bears. Thursday was an off-day for the SEL but there was still activity at Garrett Park, the over-60 league played its regularly-scheduled game on the lower field and a makeup on the upper field since it was available. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 8-9

Back at the ballpark on Saturday night, after four straight losses on the homestand (including that blitzkrieg at the hands of Long Island) the Barnstormers finally broke out offensively with a 17-4 win over Spire City. The ballclub unleashed a 23-hit attack and scored in each of its first seven at-bats including six home runs from six different players. Everyone in the starting nine got into the act, Melvin Mercedes led the way with four hits, a home run, four runs scored and three RBI. Yeison Coca was 4-6 with a round-tripper, three runs and three ribbies, Shawon Dunston went yard as one of his two hits, he scored twice and knocked in two runs. Jack Conley went 2-4 with a longball, two runs and two RBI, Ariel Sandoval had two hits including a solo shot and an RBI single, Trayvon Robinson rounded out the home run derby with a solo homer and two runs scored. Andretty Cordero went 5-6 with two RBI, Wilson Garcia had two hits, a run scored and two ribbies, Trace Loehr rounded out the book with a base hit and two runs scored. On the mound Nile Ball went five on another hot night for the decision, Brandyn Sittinger and Garrett Granitz worked two innings each in relief. On Sunday morning we were in Rothsville for the spring hockey season's championship games, Ephrata beat Warwick for the "bronze medal" and Township downed Hillside for the league title. This was the second straight championship for Township, in five seasons at Lions Park it marks the first time any team has won it twice. Fifty-three players participated in the twenty games played, the fall season should start the Sunday after Labor Day. There were rainstorms in the forecast, we had a brief shower during the second game but it was nothing that stopped us. Later in the afternoon a massive storm passed through and disrupted proceedings at the ballpark, the game was suspended until Friday the 14th when the Spire City Ghost Hounds return. Take care, thanks for reading.