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.