November 10-15

Another round of chemotherapy highlighted the new week (if such a thing can be considered a "highlight"), I had the lab work on Tuesday, the chemo on Wednesday, had the pump attached when it was done and had the pump removed on Friday. Lather, rinse, repeat. Saturday was a hockey night in downtown Reading, the Adirondack Thunder was in town for the first of their four regular-season dates. On this night the Royals scored first on a goal by Cam Cook, after the Thunder tied it The Good Guys took a two-goal lead on scores from Brandon Saigeon and Alec Butcher. The teams traded single scores in the middle period with Kyle Haskins finding twine for the Royals, a three-goal third period put the game away. Liam Devlin, Carson Golder and Butcher's second of the evening made it a five-goal advantage, a cosmetic ADK tally in the closing moments brought the final to 7-3 for winning goalie Yaniv Perets. Both Golder and Butcher recorded a "Gordie Howe hattrick" (a goal, an assist and a fighting major), Jenny and her mother were with me and after the game Helen asked who lit a fire under the team on this night. There won't be a lot of time for celebration, the weekend continues with the Wheeling Nailers coming in on Sunday afternoon. Take care, thanks for reading.

November 8-9

Saturday night at the Arena for the home opener and the twenty-fourth season of Royals hockey. The Trois-Rivieres Lions were the opponent fresh from wining the league championship in the spring of '25. Over 5000 were in the house on this night to see a tough and intense battle that saw the Royals come out on the short end 2-1. Brandon Saigeon scored the lone goal, Keith Petruzzelli was goaltender of record. Sunday was intended to be Playoff Day in Rothsville but the weatherman said no, morning rain ruined the plan and forced postponement until the 16th. That bought me an extra hour or two before leaving for the Arena and the afternoon rematch with Trois-Rivieres. Yaniv Perets started in goal for the Royals and allowed two goals in the first five minutes, head coach Anthony Peters replaced him with Vinnie Purpura and the Lions never scored again. Carson Golder lit the lamp on a power play late in the first to draw the Royals to within one, in the second period Golder struck again on the man-advantage to tie it 2-2. Seven minutes of sudden-death overtime failed to yield a winner, in the shootout Nolan Burke scored the only goal giving the Royals a tough 3-2 win and and an overall mark record of 6-2-1. It's often been said that a hockey rivalry is intensified when the teams have a playoff history, that certainly has become the case with these two teams. The Royals play at home on the 15th versus Adirondack and the 16th versus Wheeling, the Nailers stay in town for a school-kids game on the 18th . Take care, thanks for reading.

November 1-7

November began with another quiet week but as they say in the trade "business is about to pick up". On Sunday we convened at Lions Park in Rothsville for week #8 of street hockey. On this day Ephrata beat Township via overtime shootout and Warwick outlasted Hillside in regulation time. These results clinched the top two spots for the championship, we had makeup games set for the 9th which have been cancelled since they are now meaningless. It actually works out well because the makeup games were the same matchups we played on this day and they are also the same matchups for Championship Sunday. As it stands right now we'll play the postseason games on the 9th with Township facing Ephrata in the third-place game and Warwick and Hillside for the championship. The Royals finished their road swing on Sunday at 5-1-1, the boys open at home with a back-to-back with Trois-Rivieres on the 8th and 9th. In 2007 the Royals opened the season with a similar trip and went 4-3, the 5-1-1 mark this time around is much better than anyone reasonably had any right to expect. Let's hope it bodes well and sets the standard for the rest of the season. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 27-31

Another round of chemo was set for Wednesday but for a second time the session was cancelled. I was at the health campus on Tuesday for the lab work and much like the other time there were some readings that drew concern. I've had no adverse effects from the chemo thus far but the doctor felt that perhaps the dosages I've been receiving have been too much. We're going to continue the bi-weekly pattern but when I'm next there in November the dosage is going to be lessened by twenty-five percent and we'll take it from there. The week was otherwise very uneventful (especially since I wasn't lugging the blue pouch around), on Wednesday I had lunch with Jenny and her mother. On Friday high school football season officially ended, LCHS was on the road and lost their playoff game to finish at 6-5. In 2026 McCaskey is expected to be back in their stadium which may limit my availability for the Crusaders but we'll see how it shakes out in August. The Royals (remember them?) are in the midst of their season-opening seven-game road trip, after losing in overtime on opening night the club has won four straight games. Two more remain on the trip before the team opens at home versus our old friends from Trois-Rivieres on November 8. Take care, thanks for reading. 

October 20-26

Went to the garage on Monday afternoon to have the old car taken away, a salvage firm in Mount Joy did the honors and gave me $250 for it (which was $250 more than I expected). The company has a website with pictures of their inventory, on Wednesday I saw where the tires had been removed and it was up on cinder blocks. It's a "U-Pull-It" auto salvage business so in a way the car is geting a dignified retirement. Friday evening signaled the final week of high school football, at Rossmere the LCHS Crusaders hosted Schuylkill Valley (from Leesport in Berks County, about six miles north of Reading). Brandon Way scored two TDs on a 29-yard carry and a 24-yard reception from quarterback Rowan DeMarco, Simon Wickenheiser added a 29-yard field goal and was 2-2 on conversion attempts. The game came down to the final minute, SV trailed 17-10 and scored a touchdown to pull within one point. SV went for two points to try to win it, the runner appeared to score but was ruled down just short of the goal line. The Crusaders'' final mark of 6-4 qualifies them for district playoffs in the "AA" bracket, they play on the road on the 31st so this was undoubtedly my last football game for the season. McCaskey finished its season with a 48-0 road loss, the 0-10 record is the first without a win since that screwy 2020 season when the team went 0-9 and played four home games before a total attendance of zero. The team was outscored on average by 39-6 and along the way a lot of underclassmen gained a lot of experience. Since the last winning season in 2010 the program has gone 29-121 and obviously there is nowhere to go but up. On Sunday the skies were bright and clear for week #7 of street hockey in Rothsville, This was the third and final meeting for these matchups, Warwick defeated Township and Hillside beat Ephrata. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 17-19

Friday night at Rossmere for McCaskey's final "home" game, perennial league power Wilson provided the opposition. This game went the way just about everybody with a brain would have expected, Wilson scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and cruised virtually unchallenged to a 56-0 win. The fifty-six points are one fewer than McCaskey has scored for the entire season. JPM was held to three first downs and thirty-seven yards of offense (all on the ground), they gave back thirty-five of those yards on penalties. Through nine games the average margin of defeat is 34-6, the club has one road game left before the pads are put away until next fall. The highlight of the evening was the halftime Homecoming and the introduction of the newest Hall-Of-Fame inductees, among them as a unit was the 1999-2000 McCaskey boys basketball team. That year the club went 24-7 overall winning the school's first district title since 1946. The roster featured old friend Jerry Johnson as leading scorer, he was joined by Bobby Eberhart, brothers Tyron and Tyson McFadden, Perry Patterson, Anthony Gibson, Mark Keller, Robert Rosa, Joe Wysock, Shaun Alston and Herminio Ortiz. The team was coached by the late Steve Powell, he was assisted by Willie McDowell, Mike Mitchell and Earl "Papa" Boots. Had lunch with Jenny and her mother on Saturday, the next day the Black Beauty made its maiden trip to Rothsville for week #6 of street hockey at Lions Park. This was the third and final go-round for these particular matchups, Warwick won over Ephrata and Hillside defeated Township. Take care, thanks for reading. 

October 13-16

In December of 2016 my mother purchased a pre-owned car, when she gave up driving the following July I "inherited" it. On Monday morning it wouldn't start, the tow-truck driver gave the battery a jump and we took it to my garage. Later in the afternoon I got the word: the transmission was basically cooked and given the age of the car and its mileage they recommended I not bother with repairs given how prohibitive the cost would be. They referred me to a nationally-known pre-owned car dealership with a location here in town, on Tuesday I was there to look over the inventory. I called my broker to let them know what was happening, they told me to call back when I knew what the exact purchase price would be. On Wednesday I was there after supper to settle up on a 2014 hatchback/SUV with a little less than ninety thousand miles on the odometer. I've been telling people that "The Old Gray Mare" just wasn't what she used to be so we put her out to pasture and brought "Black Beauty" in to replace her (a reference to the colors of the respective vehicles). All of this was happening around another round of chemo, on Tuesday afternoon I had lab work which was more stable than the last time, the treatment itself went on as scheduled on Wednesday. On Thursday Jenny and her mother got their first look at the new wheels, they both commented on how much roomier the interior is. The old car had 180,000 miles on it, by the time I reach that mark with this car I may very well not even be driving anymore. Take care, thanks for reading. 

October 10-12

Live ice hockey on Friday evening at the Arena, the Royals hosted their annual preseason game with the Adirondack Thunder. The team is still very much a work in progress, this game came up after just four days of practice. Coach Peters utilized it to get a look at the guys who are on the bubble, as a results a number of the more experienced players did not play. The visiting Thunder scored once in each period and made them stand up for a 3-1 win, newcomer Brandon Saigeon (SAY-jin) accounted for the Royals lone score on an assist from Patrick Moynihan (MOY-nuh-han). Returning goaltender Vinnie Purpura and newcomer Yaniv Perets (Purr-ETS) split time with Perets taking the decision. The club starts with that celebrated seven-game road trip, the home opener is on November 8th. There was rain in the forecast for Sunday, we decided to err on the side of caution and postpone the day's schedule. The long-range forecast calls for beautiful weather on the 19th, we'll give it a go then. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 6-9

ECHL training camps began on Monday, on Thursday I was at the Arena in downtown Reading for the first time since April. This was our annual preseason run-through, we rehearsed several of the intermission activities and in-game contests. The Royals are beginning their 24th year as an on-ice entity with a brand-new coaching staff, new head coach Anthony Peters is a former goaltender with stops in the ECHL, the AHL and Europe. His assistants are Wes Wolfe and former Phantom Bruce Coles (and this is the first time I can recall the club having two assistant coaches). The training camp roster lists eight players who played for the Royals previously: goaltenders Vinnie Purpura and Keith Petruzzelli, defensemen Robbie Stucker and forwards Nick Capone, Cam Cook, Connor McMenamin and Yvan Mongo (in addition, forward Alec Butcher has returned after a two-year absence). The club plays thirty-six home games, Wheeling visits eight times with Norfolk coming in for seven. The brand-new Greensboro Gargoyles (!!!) visit five times, Adirondack and Worcester four times each. Maine and Trois-Rivières come in three times each and the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (from the league's Southern Division) round it out with a pair of games in February. The Royals begin with a seven-game road trip due to the Arena being heavily booked in October, the home opener is on November 8 vs playoff nemesis Trois-Rivieres. Take care, thanks for reading. 

October 3-5

A busy football weekend began on Friday night in the neighborhood of Rossmere, the LCHS Crusaders hosted Annville-Cleona. LCHS was a preseason favorite for the division title but it's been a disappointing season thus far, the club entered this week at 3-3. On this night the record dropped to 3-4 with a tough 21-20 loss, Brandon Way scored twice on runs of 61 and four yards while Chris Baumler added a 28-yard TD carry, Simon Wickenheiser was 2-2 in the PAT department but the game came down to a missed two-point conversion in the final seconds after Way's second touchdown. LCHS plays at home on the 10th (I'm out for the Royals), the season ends on the 24th when Schuylkill Valley visits from Berks County. On Saturday afternoon McCaskey returned "home" for Senior Day (and another round of biographies that read like War And Peace), Reading High was the opponent. This game shaped up as a regular "battle of the titans" (lower-case intended), both teams entered winless and on double-digit losing streaks. JPM scored first on a Quinnes Jones-Hawkins one-yard run but from there mistakes and penalties took over and RHS took full advantage winning 14-6. There is no question that the program is in disarray (the last winning season was in 2010) and it will take time to turn it around, through seven weeks the team's point total per game is 6,6,0,6,6,21 (?) and 6 while surrendering an average of thirty-four per game and that simply won't get it done. JPM plays one last home game on the 17th versus Wilson on Homecoming. Sunday was week #5 for street hockey in Rothsville, Township won over Warwick and Hillside beat Ephrata. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 29-October 2

Senior Week at McCaskey with four separate sports spotlighting their players, on Monday it was boys soccer followed by field hockey on Wednesday and girls soccer on Thursday (football gets its day on the 4th at Rossmere). The soccer and field hockey teams generally play afternoon games with no PA system, their Senior Night is the exception and they usually call me in to handle it which I'm more than happy to do even if some of the biographies the kids write for themselves read like an encyclopedia (seriously: you're a high school student who hasn't even graduated yet, what exactly have you actually accomplished in your life?). On Tuesday afternoon I was at the health campus for lab work in preparation for round #4 of chemo, the doctor told me I had some readings that were below normal and they felt that chemo on Wednesday could prove to be harmful so the session was cancelled. I'm next due on the 14th for lab work, I guess we'll find out more then. Take care, thanks for reading. 

September 22-28

The Atlantic League semifinals came to Lancaster on Tuesday evening with the York Revolution leading the best-of-five series two games to none. The Revs won twice at home over the weekend, both were of the comeback variety including a walkoff in game #2. On this night a strong storm blew through during the supper hour, when I arrived at the ballpark at 6:00 it was POURING. I knew every effort would be made to play especially since the ballpark has turf, the rain finally let up and the game began around 8:15. The Stormers got off to a good start, Yeison Coca's two-run single in the second and Joe Campagna's sacrifice fly in the third gave the Home Team a 3-0 lead. In the fourth the Revs began another of their patented comebacks, a solo home run by Kyle Martin was followed by a Chris Williams long ball in the fifth and another by Martin in the sixth to tie the game 3-3. In the eighth the wheels came off the cart for the Stormers, two costly fielding errors and a two-run single by Shayne Fontana gave the Revs a three-run advantage. In the ninth the Stormers loaded the bases with two out but could do no damage, the Revs took the series winning 6-3. Cam Robinson saved it for winner Josh Mollerus, Scott Engler suffered the tough-luck loss. The Revolution faces High Point for the league title, the first two games are in York with the remainder in North Carolina. The rest of the week was relatively empty until Sunday in Rothsville for week #4 at Lions Park. The games on this day were rematches from week #1, Warwick defeated Ephrata via shootout and Hillside won over Township. Take care, thanks for reading. 

September 18-21

Thursday night at the ballpark for the last game of the regular season. Before the game the Stormers announced their annual award winners, reliever Jackson Rees won the club's community service award and Nick Lucky was named via fan vote as the team's MVP. The game itself was about as anticlimactic as they come, Long Island scored five runs in the first two innings and coasted to a 5-1 win. The lone Stormer run scored on a one-out home run by Mason Martin in the ninth, Luke McCullough started and took the loss with relief help from newcomer Brock Bell, Brenden White and Kyle Johnson. The Stormers went 40-23 in the second half to claim the title with an overall mark of 71-55, over in York the Revolution won the first half at 39-24 and finished 74-52 overall (for those who debate the "halves" format Long Island finished second overall in the division at 72-54 but missed the postseason because they didn't win either half). It all sets up a rematch of the 2024 North Division playoff won by the Revs in four games, the first two games of the best-of-three are in York with the last three (or whatever is needed) in Lancaster. On Friday morning the visiting nurse was here to relieve me of my bi-weekly burden, Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother was followed by Sunday hockey at Lions Park. Three new players joined the fold raising the number to fifty (equaling the spring turnout), all but nine were present as Ephrata beat Township and Warwick won over Hillside. Take care, thanks for reading. 

September 15-17

Tuesday morning at the health campus for lab work, in the evening we were at the ballpark for the final series of the regular season. The Long Island Ducks were the opponent for what was a meaningless series, the Stormers had clinched the second-half division title on Sunday and with it a playoff date with the York Revolution for the second consecutive year. In the Tuesday opener the Stormers never led in an 8-5 loss.  After Melvin Mercedes scored on a wild pitch in the first the club rallied from down 5-1 to tie it in the fifth on a Mercedes sac fly and Sunday hero Quincy Hamilton's three-run home run. The Ducks broke the tie with one in the seventh and two in the eighth, Max Green suffered the loss in relief of Noah Bremer. On Wednesday I had round #3 of chemotherapy and had the The 46-Hour Albatross attached to my chest, in the evening it and me were back at the ballpark for game #2. On this night the Stormers again fell behind 1-0 before Danny Amaral's RBI groundout in the second tied it. LI led 3-1 in the sixth when Joe Campagna went yard to make it 3-2, in the seventh Nick Lucky's two-run shot gave the Stormers a 4-3 lead. The Ducks didn't go away quietly, a two-out run in the ninth made it 4-4 and set the stage for extra innings. In the tenth the Stormers walked it off on Scott Kelly's bases-loaded bloop single to left scoring Mason Martin with the game-winner, Michael McAvene pitched the top of the tenth and took the decision. The lame-duck finale (no pun intended) is on Thursday. Take care, thanks for reading. 

September 13-14

Helen's birthday is on September 15th, on Saturday we celebrated her 88th two days early with lunch at a local Italian-style eatery. In the evening I was at the ballpark, the Stormers were hosting the South Division's Lexington Legends in the middle game of a three-game series. The Stormers lost the opener on Friday, on this night they evened matters with a 6-3 win. It was 1-0 Lexington into the bottom of the fifth when the Stormers scored three runs on Melvin Mercedes' RBI hit and Luis Castro's two-run double. The Legends tied it in the sixth but the Stormers scored single runs in each of their last three at-bats, Joe Campagna went yard in the home sixth, a run scored on a passed ball in the seventh and Kevin Watson iced it with a solo shot in the eighth. Billy Sullivan was the winner in relief of Luke McCullough. On Sunday the Stormers took the series with an 8-7 win and clinched the second-half title in the process, newly-acquired Quincy Hamilton was the hero with a two-run walkoff homer in the tenth inning. I was in Rothsville for week #2 of Sunday hockey at Lions Park, on this day nine new players joined up bringing the total to forty-seven. Hillside defeated Ephrata and Township beat Warwick, we'll be back in Rothsville on the 21st. Take care, thanks for reading. 

September 8-12

A relatively quiet week led into what should be a busy weekend, on Friday evening we were at Rossmere. Lancaster Catholic hosted Columbia in a game that left many fans with their mouths hanging open. Columbia is one of the smallest school districts in the county, they entered this season on an eleven-game losing streak that grew to thirteen before it was finally snapped the week before this game. They came in with about twenty players in uniform to face a Crusader team that was a preseason favorite within the division. When the smoke cleared and the carnage was complete the final score read Columbia 43, LCHS 0. The Crusaders were held to two first downs and thirty-three totals yards of offense while on their side Columbia did just about anything they wanted. It's safe to say nobody had this result on their bingo card and if they did they won the mint. For me the next game is not until October 3, the Crusaders are at home that night and McCaskey plays at Rossmere the following afternoon. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 5-7

The visiting nurse was here at 11:30 on Friday morning to relieve me of the blue pouch, after a quick shower (which I hadn't had since Tuesday) I was at the health campus for a follow-up injection which is part of the procedure. When this all started they told me I could have the visiting nurse give me the injection or I could come to the health campus and get it there. If I elected to get it at home it would cost two thousand dollars a pop, the health campus could do it for a fraction of that cost. Since I only live six miles from the campus and I'm not exactly made of money what choice do you think I made (and besides, how can anybody justify charging that amount of money for an injection, give me the d@mn needle and I'll give it to myself). The weekend itself was very quiet save for Saturday lunch with Jenny and Sunday hockey in Rothsville. It rained overnight into Sunday but by morning the rain was gone, there were a few small puddles on the rink surface but nothing that was going to stop us otherwise. In 2024 we had ten weeks off between the spring and fall seasons, this time around we had only five weeks off for reasons that have been exceptionally well-documented. This was virtually a picture-perfect day for hockey, there was a good breeze with low humidity and just enough of a cloud cover to keep everybody comfortable. Thirty-eight players appeared on Opening Day including three who didn't participate in the spring league, Hillside beat Township and Ephrata downed Warwick. The league continues on the 14th, the regular schedule ends on November 2nd. Take care, thanks for reading.

September 3-4

At the health campus on Wednesday for the second of twelve rounds of chemo, they hooked up the pump at 1:30 which means it should come off at 11:30 on Friday morning. At the ballpark in the evening for game #2 of the most recent version of The War Of The Roses, on this night the game resembled "Home Run Derby", all we needed was the late Mark Scott from the vintage 1960 TV series to serve as emcee. The Revolution scored four times in the first on two-run home runs by Ryan Higgins and Chris Williams, the Stormers replied with five in the bottom half on Nick Ward's two-run homer and a three-run shot from Nick Lucky. Higgins' sac fly in the second tied the game 5-5 before a Mason Martin single restored the Stormers' one-run lead. In the visiting third Miles Simington went yard to tie the game at 6-up, Jeremy Arocho's sac fly in the fourth put the Revs ahead for good 7-6. Shayne Fontana's two-run in the seventh ended the scoring as the Revs took it 9-6. It was a bullpen game for both sides (neither starter made it out of the second inning), each team used six relievers with Nick Bennett earning the win and Max Green taking the loss. Had lunch with Jenny and her mother on Thursday with the chemo pouch in tow, later in the afternoon it began to rain. At the ballpark the game went on as scheduled but I elected to stay in, had it been just me I may have tried it but lugging the blue pouch around in lousy weather just didn't appeal to me. The Revs won the game to complete the sweep, the Stormers come back home on the 12th for the final homestand of the season. Take care, thanks for reading. 

September 1-2

September began with Labor Day aka The Last Day Of Summer, the following day I was at the health campus. It's an alternating-weeks lather-rinse-repeat deal: on Tuesday I get blood work done, Wednesday is the chemo treatment and the chemo pump is attached to the port in my upper right chest, forty-six hours later on Friday the pump is removed by a visiting nurse. In the evening we were back at the ballpark, the Stormers hosted their Old Friends from Across The River. The York Revolution was visiting for the first time since June, this was their third and final series in Lancaster (the only divisional opponent not to visit four times). On this night the Stormers jumped on top in the first on a Mason Martin RBI hit, in the third a solo home run from Brandon Lewis and Jeremy Arocho's RBI single put the Revs up 2-1. The Stormers tied it 2-2 in the bottom half on another RBI hit by Martin but from there the game was all Revs emphatically and without question. Solo home runs from Ryan Higgins in the fourth and Caleb McNeely in the fifth were followed by a Shayne Fontana RBI single in the sixth, another Higgins RBI hit in the seventh made it 6-2. William Simoneit's two-run homer in the eighth and a solo shot by Arocho in the ninth put away a 9-2 Rev win, Jimmy Burnette got the decision in relief of starter Braden Scott with Luke McCullough taking the loss for the Stormers. The series continues on Wednesday and Thursday. Take care, thanks for reading. 

August 29-31

Friday night football in Rossmere, the LCHS Crusaders hosted Delone Catholic (from McSherrystown, York County). The AD at Catholic is a former assistant football coach at McCaskey, with JPM playing there at least for the present he asked if I could work his games as well. On this night the Crusaders had it all their own way in a 47-20 victory. J.J. Boas threw for three scores, one each to Chris Baumler, Colton Hegener and Brandon Way (trivia: Brandon's father is an assistant coach at LC and a former McCaskey player from the early 2000s). Hegener also ran for a score and Way added three more on two rushes and a punt return. Will O'Malley was 4-5 in the PAT department, Simon Wickenheiser converted his lone attempt. The Crusaders are back home vs Columbia on September 12. On Saturday morning we were back at Rossmere bright and early, the Red Tornado hosted Conestoga Valley at 10:00 (the stadium at McCaskey never had lights until 1999, before then we played our home games at 10:30 and I wasn't wild about those either). On this day the opponent had it all THEIR own way, JPM lost 35-6. The lone score came on a six-yard TD toss from Liam Stinchfield to Quinnes Jones-Hawkins. The club next plays at "home" on October 4 with a somewhat more sensible 4:00 kickoff. In the evening at the ballpark the Stormers continued a weekend series with the Staten Island FerryHawks. The ballclub won the opener on Friday, on this night they won going away 15-4. The onslaught started on the second on a Danny Amaral triple, a Nick Ward single and Alex Isola's RBI groundout, a wild pitch scored the fourth run one inning later. A two-run double by returning fan favorite Melvin Mercedes in the fourth scored runs #5 and 6, back-to-back home runs by Joe Campagna and Nick Lucky put the Stormers up 8-1. Newcomer Luis Castro went yard in the sixth, in the seventh Campagna's two-run single and Lucky's wo-run triple made it 13-4. Ward's two-run home run in the eighth ended the scoring, Matt Swarmer (just back from a lengthy IL stint) was the winning pitcher. The busy weekend ended at the ballpark on Sunday afternoon, friend and colleague John Witwer was away at a family function and I sat in on the PA. The Stormers finished the sweep with a 5-1 win, the runs scoring on a Nick Ward two-run home run, a Joe Campagna RBI single and Danny Amaral's two-run triple. Noah Skirrow started and went five innings for the decision. Take care, thanks for reading. 

August 22-28

When I was in school (way back about a million years ago) the new year didn't start until the day after Labor Day and sporting events didn't start until the following weekend. The School District Of Lancaster was back in session on Wednesday the 20th, Friday was the first date of the new football season. The stadium at McCaskey is undergoing extensive renovations that will include a turf playing surface, as a result our good friends at Lancaster Catholic have made their facilities available for game nights. The program also has a new head coach, former JPM assistant Todd Mealy is the new man in charge. It's been a long time since the program has been relevant, Coach Mealy has previous head-coaching experience and been successful so maybe it's just a matter of giving it time. The club only won two games in 2024 and a lot was lost to graduation, on this night in Rossmere John Bartram visited from Philadelphia. This was One Ugly Game, the teams combined for 540 yards of offense but gave back 315 of it on thirty-eight total penalties. Bartram was up 20-0 in the closing moments before JPM broke the shutout on a one-yard TD carry by Quinnes Jones-Hawkins, the extra point failed bringing the final to 20-6. The club was supposed to have six home games (after hosting just four in '24) but two of them were switched because of seating concerns, the 2000-seat capacity at Crusader Stadium is about one-third of what we could accommodate at McCaskey. With it all the boys play next at LCHS on the 30th (a 10:00 kickoff vs Conestoga Valley) before a four-game road trip in September. The rest of the weekend and the following week was largely uneventful, all the better for me to recharge the internal batteries before what should be a full weekend of activity, Take care, thanks for reading. 

August 18-21

A quiet Monday set the stage for a tumultuous mid-week. On Tuesday I was expected at the local hospital at 8:50, at 7:40 they called and said they were ahead of schedule and I could come in earlier if I chose to. I was there within a half-hour, around 9:30 or so they took me into the OR for the placement of the chemotherapy port. I required a ride home and arranged for Don to help out, I was home by 12:30 and went directly to the recliner to sleep off the rest of the anesthesia. On Wednesday I had the first round of treatment at the health campus, it took about four hours to complete. They hooked me up to a portable pump about the size of a transistor radio which I must stay attached to and carry around until Friday morning, a nurse will be here to remove it until my next treatment when the process is repeated. That next session is on September 3 so it's two days with the pump and twelve without until the entire treatment is completed sometime in January. On Thursday I had lunch with Jenny carrying the pump in a blue pouch they provided, it's a pain in the a$$ but it has to be done. The Stormers were at home during the week but I was absent from all three games, Tuesday because I was recovering for the operation and the next two nights because of the "iffy" weather forecast. The ballclub is away until Labor Day Weekend when Staten Island returns. Take care, thanks for reading. 

August 15-17

Friday night at the ballpark, the Staten Island FerryHawks visited for the second time in the month of August. On this night the Stormers took a 1-0 lead in the third on a Mason Martin home run over the picnic tents in right field, in the sixth RBI hits from Joseph Carpenter and Nick Lucky made it 3-0. There were thunderstorms in the forecast, they finally arrived with one out in the ninth and forced a twenty-minute delay before the last two outs were recorded. Tim Brennan (in his last appearance as a professional, he announced his retirement after the game) went six innings for the 3-0 victory with Jackson Rees picking up the save. Saturday was August 16, always a big day on the calendar because it's Jenny's birthday. We marked the occasion with lunch at an Italian-style eatery in Quarryville, later in the day Jenny's friend Courtney took her and her mother to a restaurant in York County for supper. In the evening I was at the ballpark for a game that resembled a football score, the Stormers came out on fire scoring TEN runs in the first inning. The runs came courtesy of RBI hits by Joseph Carpenter, Joe Campagna and Yeison Coca, Kevin Watson's RBI double, a two-run double by Nick Lucky, Alex Isola's RBI triple and a rally-capping three-run home run by Nick Ward. Watson's round-tripper in the second scored run #11, in the third six more were added on a Ward sac fly, bases-loaded walks to Coca and Slater Schield, a Campagna RBI hit and a two-run home run by Carpenter. In the fifth three more came home on Ward's RBI hit, a hit batsman with the bases loaded and a Carpenter sac fly, in the seventh back-to-back doubles by Watson (one RBI) and Campagna (two) brought the Stormers' total to TWENTY-THREE. While all this was going on the FerryHawks were scoring twelve of their own on three two-run innings and a six-run frame but it was nowhere near enough. The Stormer run total ties a franchise record set on Opening Night back in 2022, Michael McAvene won it with relief from A.J. Alexy, Kyle Johnson and newcomers Maceo Campbell and Brenden White, The ballclub completed the sweep on Sunday, I was at home taking it easy in the air-conditioning. Take care, thanks for reading. 

August 11-14

Playoff championships at Garrett Park on Monday and Tuesday. The first round was one-and-done elimination, the semifinals and final were both best-two-of-three. Kelly's and Peach Bottom each dispatched their semifinal opponents in two straight games, the first two games of the championship round were played as a doubleheader on Monday. Kelly's eked out a one-run extra-inning win in the opener before Peach Bottom evened the series with a game #2 victory, in the deciding game on Tuesday Peach Bottom completed the comeback for their fifth consecutive league title. On Wednesday the surgeon was in town, he said my healing and recovery is going beautifully. They are going to do some chemotherapy in the coming weeks, even though I was pronounced cancer-free after the surgery there is always the chance of something microscopic sneaking through that could be a problem. As a famous television character of years past was fond of saying, the idea is to Nip It In The Bud. There were thunderstorms in the forecast on both Wednesday and Thursday, it's a good thing softball season is over because they would have never played either evening. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 6-10

Wednesday lunch with Jenny and her mother, in the evening we were back at the ballpark for game #2 with Hagerstown. The Stormers spotted the visitors a 1-0 third-inning lead before scoring three in the fourth on a two-run double from Nick Lucky and Evan Alexander's RBI single. That advantage held until the bottom of the eighth when "Lucky #7" (a reference to his jersey number) went yard with a man on to make it 5-1. On the mound Noah Bremer pitched seven innings of four-hit ball with eleven strikeouts for the win, Jackson Rees and Scott Engler finished it in relief. On Thursday in the rubber game the Boxcars again scored the game's first run and for a second straight night it would be the only one they would get. The Stormers tied it in the third and took a 2-1 lead in the fourth with both runs scoring courtesy of Nick Ward, an RBI groundout in the third and a sac fly in the fourth. In the eighth the Stormers added some valuable insurance on Yeison Coca's two-run double. In the ninth Cody Stashak closed out the 4-1 win, Tim Brennan started and earned the decision. The ballclub returns home on Friday the 15th. The weekend was very quiet and uneventful (not necessarily a bad thing given my recent circumstances), with the spring hockey season (finally) over I did little save for Saturday lunch in Quarryville. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 4-5

Playoffs began on Monday night at Garrett Park, in quarterfinal action Akatsuki eliminated Lancaster and the Silver Bullets ousted Memorial. The winners move on to the semifinals versus Kelly's and Peach Bottom, the semifinals are a best 2-of-3. Tuesday night at the ballpark, the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars were in town for their final series in 2025. The Boxcars have the worst record in the league by far but you'd never know it, for some reason they give the Stormers a battle night in and night out. On this evening Hagerstown took a 1-0 lead in the second, the Stormers matched it in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly by newly-acquired Kevin Watson Jr. The Boxcars led 4-1 in the fourth before Joseph Carpenter went yard with the bases empty, after the Boxcars went up 5-2 in the fifth the Stormers tied it on Nick Ward's RBI double and a two-run shot onto the picnic tents in right field by Mason Martin. The pesky Boxcars went back ahead 7-5 in the sixth and added two more in the eighth, the Stormers scored single runs in the seventh and eighth on sac flies by Martin and Alex Isola. The final was 9-7, Michael McAvene started and took the loss. Take care, thanks for reading. 

August 1-3

The new month began on Friday with the Staten Island FerryHawks on North Prince Street for the opener of a three-game set. This was one of those up-and-down back-and-forth kind of games the Atlantic League is so well-known for. Alex Isola's two-run single in the second gave the Stormers an early lead but the Hawks rebounded with five runs over the next four innings to lead 5-2 in the sixth. Isola came through again with an RBI hit but SI matched it in the seventh, in the bottom half the Stormers took advantage of a Hawk error and Nick Lucky's RBI single to pull within 6-5, In the ninth the visitors scored an insurance run, it proved to be the difference when Mason Martin hit a solo shot in the bottom half but the rally went no further. The final was 7-6, Tim Brennan (back from a stint on the IL) made his first start since mid-May and suffered the loss. On Saturday night in game #2 it was Staten Island virtually from the word GO, the Hawks scored three runs in the first and were never headed in an 11-2 decision. The Stormer runs scored on RBI hits by Joseph Carpenter in the third and Mason Martin in the fourth, Max Green started and was pitcher of record. The Stormers won the third game on Sunday but I was in Rothsville for the Grand Finale of the spring street hockey season. This was the ninth championship season we've played since we started there in 2021 and it was undoubtedly the most challenging. It seems like we have weather difficulties every season (that goes with the territory) but this was a whole different story. We had planned on starting on April 13, that was delayed for five weeks while we awaited new netting for the goals. We had three games postponed and ultimately cancelled which reduced the season to six games and of course my surgery and recovery further hampered the effort. With it all we ended five weeks later than in the spring of '24 and we're probably lucky it was that good. Warwick beat Hillside in the consolation game, in the championship Ephrata won over Township. Ephrata and Township have each won three titles, Warwick has two and Hillside has one. Forty-three of the league's fifty players qualified for the postseason, thirty-six were present. The off-season won't last long, we're back for the autumn season on the Sunday after Labor Day, Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 28-31

Another week, another g()ddam heat wave. The entire month of July has been absolutely brutal, if I don't see a newspaper article claiming it as one of the hottest in history I'll be stunned. You know it's bad when your clothing sticks to your body and you must literally peel it off like a banana skin. The Southern End Softball League's regular season came to an end during the week, on Monday Kelly's won a doubleheader over Lancaster and Peach Bottom. Tuesday saw Lancaster and Memorial split a pair and on Wednesday the Silver Bullets defeated Akatsuki in a single game. Playoffs should start the week of August 4 but the format isn't official yet. On Thursday I had an appointment with my PCP (they used to be called "family doctors", these days it's "primary care physician"), she has been following my progress since the surgery. There were storms in the forecast, in the afternoon they arrived with a vengeance and cooled things off considerably. By all accounts the weekend should be much more comfortable, good news with the Stormers coming home and street hockey in Rothsville on Sunday, Take care, thanks for reading.

July 25-27

A relatively quiet weekend save for Saturday lunch with Jenny and Sunday street hockey in Rothsville. The league last played on June 29, between a holiday weekend and my infirmity the scheduled nine-game season was cut back to six games with this day being the last. Since I'm temporarily banned from any heavy lifting we did not use the scoreboard clock or the power cords needed for it, I sat in a lawn chair provided by one of the players and kept time on a stopwatch. It was a shoestring-budget kind of day but we made it work. In the games themselves Ephrata beat Hillside and Township won over Warwick, on August 3 Hillside meets Warwick in the consolation game with Township facing Ephrata for the title. Thirty-five players were there on a brutally warm day with storms in the forecast, we were in the third period of the second game when the rain arrived. It made for a sloppy finish but we got through it without anyone getting hurt (and besides, as it hit the body the rain actually felt good). Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 23-24

Wednesday morning at the health campus, the surgeon and his chief assistant were in town from Philadelphia. They both examined the scar and said it's healing perfectly. In the evening at the ballpark for game #2 with Hagerstown, after the Tuesday loss the Stormers evened the series in shutout fashion. Nick Ward scored the game's first run on a wild pitch in the fifth inning, a three-run eighth put the game away. Back-to-back bases-loaded walks to Evan Alexander and recently-added Scott Kelly made it 3-0, Ward's RBI hit scored the final run. Noah Skirrow pitched six innings of five-hit ball with ten strikeouts with Scott Engler, Cody Stashak and Gerson Moreno finishing out the 4-0 win. On Thursday in the rubber game the Stormers scored twice in the first on a Joseph Carpenter base hit and Nick Lucky's sac fly, in the second inning the game's competitive aspect disappeared. Eight runs scored for the Good Guys on a Hagerstown error, base hits by Lucky and Yeison Coca, Nick Ward's RBI double and a grand slam home run by Alex Isola. The visitors got to within 10-4 in the fifth but another error and an RBI hit by Isola put the Stormers up by eight. The scoring ended in the sixth on back-to-back home runs from Mason Martin (two-run) and Carpenter (solo shot). The final was 15-4, Michael McAvene won it with relief help from A.J. Alexy, Billy Sullivan and Kyle Johnson, The ballclub hits the road until the first day of August. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 21-22

Since I came home from Philadelphia I've taken to sleeping downstairs in my mother's old recliner. It's narrower than my own (my mother was much smaller from a physical standpoint) and there is literally nowhere to toss and turn, I merely recline all the way back and lay flat all night long. After a week in the hospital (where nobody ever sleeps because all they do is run in and out all night taking blood, vital signs and giving you medications) I figure about a week's worth of solid uninterrupted overnight rest should do me a world of good. Had visiting nurses in on Monday and Tuesday plus a physical therapist and they all say the same thing: thus far I look and sound better than I have any right to under the circumstances. The therapist put me through some basic exercises, when we finished he said he doesn't believe he would need to come back because all my motor skills were in good order. Saw Jenny and her mother on Tuesday between home visits, in the evening I was at the ballpark. The Hagerstown Flying Boxcars were in town for the third of four visits, on this night they defeated the Stormers 5-1. The lone run for the good guys came in the fourth inning, Mason Martin singled and scored on a base hit from super-utilityman Slater Schield. Max Green went the first six and took the loss, the series continues on Wednesday and Thursday, Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 19-20

A home healthcare nurse visited on Saturday morning, all she knew about my case is that she was calling on a 68-year-old man who had abdominal surgery eight days earlier. When I opened the door she said she was stunned, she expected to see someone looking a lot more sickly than I did. We talked for a while and filled out some paperwork, after that she took my vital signs and gave my heart and lungs a listen. When she was finished she said I looked and sounded remarkable for someone who had been what I'd been through as recently as I had. When I was younger people always told me I looked older than I was, now that I'm older people tell me I look younger than my years. I don't know if it's heredity, my basic metabolism or just plain old-fashioned guts but whatever it is I hope it doesn't change anytime soon. Went to Quarryville to visit with Jenny and her mother, I asked them if they wanted to see the scar and Helen wanted no part of it. In the evening I felt good enough to go over to the ballpark, the South Division's High Point Rockers were in town for their lone visit. Stopped by the press box to give everyone the update, they were surprised to see me up and around so quickly. The Stormers won on Friday in my absence, on this night it was all Rockers from the start. Two High Point runs in the first and a five-spot in the fifth blew it wide open, the final was 9-3. Nick Ward accounted for all of the Stormers runs with a solo home run in the third and and a two-run double in the fifth, Noah Bremer started and took the loss. The Stormers took the rubber game in the afternoon heat on Sunday, I personally stayed home and spent the day taking it as easy as I possibly could. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 11-18

Returned home from a week in Philadelphia on the 18th, the surgery took place on the 11th. I needed a driver both ways, Don took me there and longtime family friend Melinda and her husband Sam brought me home. On the 11th I was expected by 9:30, between leaving at 7:00 and having favorable traffic Don had me there by 8:30. The facility is called The Hospital Of The University Of Pennsylvania, it's just off the Schuylkill Expressway at exit 346. It's about one block from venerable Franklin Field where the Eagles won the 1960 pro football world championship. They took me into the OR around 11:00 and the next thing I knew I was awakening in recovery, I was told the operation lasted about five hours. After sleeping off the rest of the anesthesia they took me to my room where I stayed until I was discharged. The surgeon and his team were regular visitors each morning, they said the procedure was a 100% success. Right now I have a scar on my stomach that looks ugly as sin but everyone from the surgeon himself to the hospital nurses tell me it's healing beautifully. Home healthcare has been arranged, visiting nurses will be here on a regular basis. I should be completely recovered in about six weeks, in the meantime I simply have to watch what I do (which shouldn't be too hard since this is a time of year where I do little to begin with). Take care, thanks for reading.

July 9-10

Another round of nasty weather passed through late Wednesday afternoon, on this night the ballgame on North Prince Street fell victim to the steady rain. It was immediately rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Thursday, the first game started at 5:00. The Stormers took a 2-0 lead in the third on a wild pitch and Nick Ward's sacrifice fly but from there Southern Maryland tied it in the fourth and used a four-run sixth to win it 6-2 Recently-signed Luke McCollough (from Villanova University) made his Stormers debut and went five innings, Billy Sullivan was the loser in relief. Game #2 started shortly before 8:00 and this time around the Stormers made short work of the Crabs in a 10-2 victory. An Ariel Sandoval two-run single, Nick Lucky's RBI double and a Danny Amaral sac fly made it 4-0 in the first, single runs scored in the third on an Amaral base hit and in the fifth on a sac fly by Lucky. A four-run sixth put it away with Lucky's second RBI double, a Mason Martin RBI hit, a Nick Ward sac fly and a Blue Crab error accounting for the runs. Max Green went five innings for the win with Jackson Rees and Scott Engler finishing it out of the pen. The ballclub hits the road for the next week, they're back home on Friday the 18th. I myself will also be "on the road", with any good fortune I may be back home by then as well. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 7-8

Monday night softball in Willow Street, on this evening there was a "pure" doubleheader with Kelly's winning over Akatsuki and Peach Bottom victorious over Lancaster. On Tuesday we had a quick-hitting thunderstorm in late afternoon that was gone almost as fast as it arrived. The damage was done at Garrett Park but on the turf at the ballpark the game went on as scheduled, it even started directly on time at 6:45. The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were in town for the second time in 2025, they are the only team from the South Division to appear more than once. On this night the Stormers spotted the Crabs a 3-0 first-inning lead before scoring eight of the next nine. A Danny Amaral RBI double and a run-scoring single from newcomer Joe Campagna made it 3-2 in the second but SM carried a 4-2 advantage into the fourth inning. The Amaral-Campagna connection clicked again in the fourth with RBI hits to tie the game, in the sixth a Nick Lucky triple and Amaral's sac fly RBI put the Stormers up 5-4. In the seventh Nick Ward went yard for an insurance run, the Stormers tacked on two more in the eighth on a solo home run by Lucky and a wild pitch scoring Amaral from third base. The final was 8-4, Jackson Rees won it in relief of starter Noah Bremer. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 4-6

Friday the 4th: the nation's 249th birthday, the Stormers were back home for a series with the South Division's Charleston Dirty Birds. A crowd of better than 6400 (largely for a gigantic postgame fireworks show) saw their fair share of pyrotechnics in the game itself. The Stormers went up 2-0 in the first on an error and an Ariel Sandoval base hit, after the West Virginians got on the board in the second the Stormers added four more in their half. Back-to-back bases-loaded walks drawn by Evan Alexander and Nick Ward made it 4-1, Mason Martin picked up a ribbie on an infield groundout and another run scored on a wild pitch. It stayed 6-1 until Charleston scored twice in the fourth, the Stormers answered back with a Joseph Carpenter two-run home run to lead 8-3. The Birds scored one in the fifth and three more in the sixth to close within a run, in the home half the Stormers replied on a Sandoval RBI hit and Danny Amaral's two-run single to go up 11-7. Charleston would not go away quietly scoring three in the eighth to close within 11-10, in the ninth Gerson Moreno slammed the door and earned the save for winning pitcher Max Green. As the game ended the big crowd settled in for the fireworks while I settled into the drivers seat of my car. After thirty-five years Up North I am utterly desensitized to fireworks shows, if you've seen one you've seen them all and the only way to watch them is in the rearview mirror. On Saturday night in game #2 the visitors struck early with a two-run first inning, the Stormers scored four in the second on an RBI double by Amaral and a Dave Matthews three-run homer. Charleston scored single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh, those were offset almost singlehandedly by Nick Ward with a two-run homer run in the fifth and an RBI single in the sixth. The 7-5 lead held up the rest of the way, Noah Skirrow won it with Jackson Rees picking up the save. The Stormers dropped the Sunday finale to finish the league's first half with a mark of 31-32, over in York the Revolution claimed the first-half championship in the North at 39-24 while the High Point Rockers took the South at 41-22. The new half starts on Tuesday the 8th, the Stormers stay home to host Southern Maryland. Take care, thanks for reading. 

June 30-July 3

The last day of June and the first day of July were virtually the same thing: hot and muggy through the afternoon with late-day thunderstorms lasting well into the evening hours. There were makeup games scheduled both nights at Garrett Park which obviously never got off the ground. On Tuesday afternoon I was at the local heart facility for an echocardiogram (did I spell that correctly?) and everything looked good. When I first met the surgeon on June 11 he said they would book me for the operation on July 11, the fact that they haven't called me to move the date up because they saw something distressing in one of my tests is a good sign. Right now there is nothing further until the big day itself and I'm in good professional hands for that. On Wednesday the weather held up all day, Jenny and I had afternoon lunch and in the evening they played ball in Willow Street. On this night Memorial played a doubleheader, losing the opener to Akatsuki and the nightcap to Lancaster. The league officially reached its midpoint with these games, twenty-three down with twenty-two to go. Take care, thanks for reading

June 27-29

A relatively slow Friday with no baseball on the docket, on Saturday Jenny, her mother and I were at (of all things) a baby shower. Jenny's older brother Frank has a son named Joe, he and his significant other (her name is April) were the beneficiaries. The event was held at a fire hall about five miles east of the city, there were about thirty people there. Jenny has another brother and a sister who live in New Jersey, they traveled together to be in attendance and it gave Helen a chance to spend some extended time with them. There was plenty of food, nobody went home hungry and by all accounts everybody had a good time. On Sunday morning in Rothsville it was hockey week #5 at Lions Park. The heat was nowhere as oppressive as the previous week but it was still warm, thirty-five players were in attendance. Warwick won over Hillside in the shootout, Ephrata won in regulation over Township. There are no games on July 6 for the holiday weekend and the 13th is also open since Don is on vacation and I will be otherwise involved. Right now the games on the 20th are the final regular season games, if I'm not home from Philadelphia we'll have no choice but to play them on the 27th. There is no question that this Spring season has been a mess, between starting five weeks late because we needed new netting and two additional dates being postponed it hasn't been the smoothest ride plus nobody figured on my personal situation. All we can do is go one step at a time in more ways than one. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 25-26

Back at the health campus on Wednesday morning for another visit with the surgeon, everything is on track for my mid-July "vacation" in Philadelphia. At the ballpark in the evening, after the Stormer win on Tuesday this night was all Revolution from the proverbial word Go. The visitors scored four runs in the second inning on a passed ball, Jalen Miller's two-run home run and a Frankie Tostado RBI double, they added four more in the sixth on a Marty Costes RBI single, a run-scoring single by Tostado and William Simoneit's two-run single. The Stormers got single runs in the sixth and eighth on home runs from Mason Martin and Nick Ward but it was nowhere near enough, the final was 8-2. The respective starters were of record, Foster Pace for the Revs and Keylan Killgore for the Stormers. On Thursday Jenny and I finally had our midweek lunch, it didn't happen on Tuesday or Wednesday for the obvious reasons. At the ballpark in the evening for the rubber match, the Revs again blew out to a quick 4-0 lead. A solo home run by Tostado in the first was followed by a Jeremy Arocho two-run shot and an Alexis Olmeda round-tripper in the second. Nick Lucky went yard in the bottom half to put the Stormers on the board but the Revs replied with a solo shot by Simoneit in the third to go up 5-1. In the home third Lucky's RBI double and Joseph Carpenter's two-run single brought the Stormers back to within 5-4. In the fifth an RBI double by Bubba Alleyne put the Revs up by two, in the eighth Lucky singled and scored on a wild pitch making it 6-5. In the ninth the Stormers loaded the bases with two out but could not score as the Revs took the series two games to one. Jordan Morales was the winner in relief of starter J.C. Ramirez with Cam Robinson working the ninth for the save, Michael McAvene started for the Stormers and took the loss. Take care, thanks for reading. 

June 23-24

Monday night softball at Garrett Park in Willow Street, on this night Akatsuki played a doubleheader. Peach Bottom rallied to win the opener, in the nightcap Akatsuki fell to Lancaster. On Tuesday I was at the health campus west of town for another test in preparation for the upcoming surgery, I see the surgeon on Wednesday and have another test on July 1 which should be the final hurdle. In the evening we were at the ballpark, the Stormers continued the homestand with a visit from our friends West Of The River. Although I'm a Lancastrian born-and-raised I have friends in York as well, I personally have never viewed the Revolution as The Enemy. On this night the Revs took a 3-0 lead in the third on a William Simoneit two-run home run and a solo shot by Jalen Miller, the Stormers got two back in the bottom half on home runs by Dave Matthews and newcomer Evan Alexander. In the fifth Alexander went yard with a man on putting the Stormers up 4-3, the lead expanded to 6-3 in the sixth on a Nick Lucky RBI hit and Danny Amaral's run-scoring double. The Revs closed to within two on Ryan Higgins' RBI double in the seventh but the scoring ended right there as the Stormers took it 6-4. Cody Stashak saved it for winning pitcher Noah Skirrow, Rev starter Michael Horrell went all the way and suffered the loss. The ALPB's own particular version of The War Of The Roses continues on Wednesday and Thursday. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 21-22

Earlier in the week there was talk of higher temperatures, on Saturday the blast furnace officially opened for business. In the afternoon I was with Jenny and Helen, we were at a public park in the southern end of the county for a birthday party. Jenny's friend Courtney has three daughters, Shania (the middle daughter) turned eight on the 19th. In the evening I was back at the ballpark in my usual guise as a spectator for game #2 with Long Island. On Friday there were several people who dropped by the window at the PA booth to comment on my presence, on this night I saw several others in the course of my travels. Touched base with John before the game, he appreciated that I had sat in for him as well. On this night the Stormers took advantage of three Long Island errors and a two-run single by Nick Lucky to build a 4-0 lead. The Ducks got one back in the third, in the bottom half the Stormers went up 6-1 on a balk and Lucky's sacrifice fly. Alex Isola's RBI double in the fourth made it 7-1, in the fifth Mr. Lucky hit the jackpot again with a solo home run putting the Stormers up by seven. Long Island made it close with three in the seventh and three more in the eighth, in the ninth Cody Stashak set the side down in order to preserve the 8-7 win for starting pitcher Noah Bremer. Sunday was a hockey day in Rothsville despite the heat, Township beat Hillside and Warwick won over Ephrata. Just about every team played shorthanded because it was just that uncomfortable, only twenty-eight players of the fifty enrolled were there. Hopefully it cools off before we're there again on the 29th. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 16-20

The new week began with damp and rainy weather, the entire week's schedule at Garrett Park was postponed. Had an EKG done on Tuesday at a local heart facility in preparation for what is to come in July, I had a silent heart attack back in 2014 from which there have never been any reoccurrences but they thought the EKG was a good idea anyway. Little else happened until Friday evening when the Stormers returned home from a three-city road trip, the Long Island Ducks were the opponent. Friend and colleague John Witwer has been the Stormers' PA announcer since the franchise began in 2005, on this night he was away on one of his extremely rare absences. The organization contacted me to sub in for him and everybody seemed to be satisfied, Stormers play-by-play broadcaster Dave Collins (who I have known since 1993 when we were both in the Eastern League) said my presence on the mic legitimately made him happy. I've been doing the ballgames at McCaskey for ten years but this was my first pro game since it all ended Up North in 2012 and I'll admit it was satisfying especially when you're working with good people in a place where THE GAME is what matters. In the game itself the Stormers won 8-2, Mason Martin's solo home run in the first was followed by two more in the second on a wild pitch and a Yeison Coca RBI single. Joseph Carpenter's RBI hit and a bases-loaded walk to Coca made it 5-0 in the sixth, Nick Lucky's three-run bomb in the seventh put the game away. LI broke the shutout in the ninth but it mattered little, Keylan Killgore won it with relief from Jackson Rees, Phil Diehl and newcomer Gerson Moreno. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 13-15

Friday the 13th (the lone such date on the year's calendar) in York for the first time in 2025, the Gastonia Ghost Peppers were the opponent. The Revolution won the Atlantic League title in 2024 defeating Charlestown in the Finals after eliminating the Stormers in the Semis. For Gastonia this was their lone appearance in York, we had seen them in Lancaster on Opening Weekend. The game was scoreless into the last of the fourth inning before Jeffrey Wehler's solo home run put the Revs ahead 1-0. Gastonia scored twice in the sixth and carried that 2-1 lead into the home eighth, with two out the Revs loaded the bases. Bubba Alleyne was hit by the pitch to force home the tying run, William Simoneit followed with a walk scoring the lead run. In the ninth Cam Robinson closed out the 3-2 win, Noah Denoyer won it in relief of starter J.C. Ramirez (an old friend from Days Past in Happier Times Up North at a place I never talk about anymore). The rest of the weekend was quiet save for Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother, there was no Sunday hockey in Rothsville. Mother's Day is usually the big issue but this time there was enough demand that we postponed for Father's Day. As it happened it rained overnight into Sunday, the games may not have happened anyway but we'll never know because it was a decision we were not forced to make. Take care, thanks for reading. 

June 9-12

Three nights of softball at Garrett Park from Monday through Wednesday. The Monday doubleheader featured Kelly's dropping both ends, the opener to Lancaster (no nickname, just the city) and the nightcap to Peach Bottom. Tuesday saw Akatsuki victorious over Lancaster in game #1, Memorial beat Akatsuki in game #2. On Wednesday it was the Silver Bullets' turn to play two, losing the opener to Peach Bottom and the nightcap to Akatsuki. On Wednesday morning I was at the health campus for a consultation with the specialist assigned to my case. When they did the biopsy on May 23 the blockage in my pancreas was relieved but the mass itself was not removed. The specialist is based in Philadelphia, in July I'll be there for surgery to have it removed. I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't at least a little worried but this is a procedure the specialist does several times a week and he doesn't foresee any major problems. I have some more tests coming up and we'll consult when he's in town again on the 25th (he's only in Lancaster every other Wednesday). Take care, thanks for reading.

June 6-8

Back at the ballpark on Friday evening as the Staten Island FerryHawks visited for the first time in '25. On this night the Hawks went up 1-0 in the first, in the bottom half the Stormers took advantage of six walks to score nine runs. RBI hits from Joseph Carpenter and Ariel Sandoval plus a fielders choice groundout by Yeison Coca and an error accounted for four runs, Dave Matthews and Nick Lucky each walked with the bases loaded before the rally was capped by Mason Martin's three-run double. A two-run home run by Matthews in the fourth made it 11-1, in the fifth Lucky went yard with a man on and Alex Isola hit a solo shot putting the Stormers up by thirteen. The Hawks put together a five-spot in the sixth and added one more in the eighth, in the Stormer half Danny Amaral's three-run home run and a solo homer by Martin put away an 18-7 victory. Noah Skirrow was the beneficiary of all the offense and picked up the decision with Michael McAvene, Billy Sullivan and Phil Diehl pitching in relief. On Saturday in game #2 the Stormers spotted the Hawks a 4-0 lead before scoring seven in the third. A Staten Island error, RBI singles by Danny Amaral and Alex Isola, a Mason Martin double and Ariel Sandoval's three-run homer did the damage in an inning eerily similar to the nine-run frame on Friday. After SI got one back in the fifth Martin's home solo home run and backup catcher Andrew Semo's RBI hit made it 9-5. In the home sixth Martin went yard again with a man on to put the Stormers ahead 11-5, the Hawks made it close with three in the seventh but the scoring ended there. Jackson Rees won it in relief of A.J. Alexy who came out of the bullpen for the spot start. The Stormers finished the series sweep on Sunday but I was not there, it was week #3 for street hockey in Rothsville. Two new players debuted bringing the enrollment to fifty, on this day thirty-four were in attendance. Both games were decided in the overtime shootout, Warwick beat Hillside and Township won over Ephrata. No games on the 15th (by popular demand because of Fathers' Day), we're back on the 22nd. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 4-5

Wednesday night at the ballpark for game #2 with Hagerstown, after an eight-run loss on Tuesday the Stormers fell on this night by a count of 13-0. The first two batters for the Boxcars went yard back-to-back in the first inning and the result was never really in doubt from that point, recently-returned Max Green started for the Stormers and suffered the loss. On Thursday the series wrapped up and on this night it was 100% a case of role reversal. After spotting Hagerstown two runs in the third the Stormers came back to tie it on Joseph Carpenter's RBI groundout and Brandon Wagner's solo home run in the fourth. In the sixth newcomer Dave Matthews (the ballplayer, not the musician) gave the Stormers the lead with an RBI hit, Yeison Coca's two-run shot made it 5-2. In the home seventh all hell broke loose, the Stormers sent fifteen men to the plate and the only three who didn't score were the three who were retired. By the time the smoke cleared it was 17-2, the club had nine hits in the inning including back-to-back home runs by Carpenter (a three-run drive over the picnic tents in right) and Ariel Sandoval (solo). Also in on the assault were Nick Lucky with a two-run single, Mason Martin with an RBI hit, Alex Isola with two hits and a ribbie and Brandon Wagner with a run-scoring single. Noah Bremer (another recent returnee from the '24 club) started and went the first six innings, Jackson Rees was the winner in relief. The homestand continues over the weekend with Staten Island coming to town. Take care, thanks for reading. 

June 1-3

The new month began on a Sunday with street hockey in Rothsville, several of the guys commented on how I'm looking better. Fourteen new players joined the ranks raising the total to forty-eight, on this day all but nine were present. Ephrata defeated Warwick and Hillside won over Township, we're back at Lions Park on June 8th. Monday night marked my first time at Garrett Park in Willow Street for the new season, the Southern End League finally had a night that didn't get rained on. The league has six teams playing fifteen games each, thus far better than half the schedule has been postponed. On this night Akatsuki played a doubleheader, losing the opener to Kelly's and the nightcap to Peach Bottom. On Tuesday the Stormers returned home from a week on the road, the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars were the opponent. The Boxcars have continued to struggle since they were last in town (they recently made a managerial change) but on this night you wouldn't have known it. The Stormers trailed 1-0 in the fourth before plating three runs on an infield groundout and two fielding errors, after the Boxcars tied it in the fifth the Stormers took a 4-3 lead in their half on an Ariel Sandoval RBI double. From there the game turned on a dime, two Hagerstown runs in the sixth were followed by two more in the eighth and a five-spot in the ninth bringing the final to 12-4. Keylan Killgore pitched into the sixth inning and took the decision. The series continues through Thursday with Staten Island coming in for the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 21-31

Over the last six weeks or so I've had a number of  people comment that I appeared to be losing weight although I'm not making any conscious effort to do so, others have noticed that my skin tone seemed less natural. It all came to a head on Sunday in Rothsville when several of the players (who haven't seen me since the fall season ended six months earlier) made similar observations. On Tuesday morning Don called and asked me as a friend if I was indeed OK because the guys in the league said I simply didn't look good. It made me think how if all these people are seeing something I DON'T see there could very well BE something wrong. In the afternoon I went to my doctor's office where they have urgent care facilities, they ordered blood work which was immediately fulfilled. On Wednesday I had lunch with Jenny and her mother, there was a phone message from the urgent care directing me to visit the local ER as soon as possible. I reported in when I got back to the city and they did a catscan, the ER doctor took one look at it and told me I had stage four pancreatic cancer, there was no hope and I'd be dead within a month. I was then admitted into the hospital (which had me wondering why, if I'm dying what's the point?), the doctors there told me they would do a biopsy to see exactly what they're dealing with. I told them what the ER doctor said and they said that was completely premature and way off base (I'd call it irresponsible myself) because they hadn't done the biopsy yet. That took place on Friday morning, they found a blockage in my pancreas that was allowing bile to build up (they called it "obstructive jaundice"). The blockage was removed, the system was cleaned out and I was told I could go home later if I felt up to it. After sleeping off the anesthesia in the afternoon and having supper I was granted my discharge and was home by 7:00 that evening. The Stormers were at home over the weekend but I stayed in by choice, the following week had little going on which allowed for more downtime to relax. I've had one follow-up appointment thus far with more to come, they said things are looking better but it's still not 100%. I guess it takes time to come all the way back especially when you're sixty-eight but at least I'm in good hands. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 19-20

Tuesday evening at the ballpark, the homestand continued with a visit from the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars. Hagerstown joined the league in 2024 via expansion, they had the league's worst record during their inaugural season and thus far 2025 hasn't been much better. On this night the Boxcars took an early 2-0 lead, in the bottom of the first the Stormers doubled that total. RBI hits by Nick Ward and Alex Isola tied it 2-2, after a Boxcar error allowed the lead run to score Brandon Wagner's sac fly plated run #4. The teams traded single runs in the third with the Stormers' run coming on Nick Lucky's solo home run, LeDarious Clark's RBI double in the fourth put the Stormers up 6-3. Hagerstown scored twice in the fifth to close to within 6-5 but in the seventh the Stormers for all intents and purposes ended the ballgame. Back-to-back home runs by Nick Ward and Mason Martin made it 8-5, an Ariel Sandoval fielders choice and Yeison Coca's RBI double put the Stormers ahead 10-5. In the eighth the Stormers scored four times more on a wild pitch and a three-run bomb by Alex Isola, the final was 14-5. Noah Skirrow went the first five for the win with Jackson Rees, Scott Engler, Phil Diehl and Kyle Johnson pitching an inning each out of the bullpen. The series continues on Wednesday and Thursday although there is rain in the forecast. Take care, thanks for reading. 

May 16-18

Friday evening at the ballpark, the Stormers were back in town for a three-series homestand. The Long Island Ducks were the opponent, in the opener on Friday offensive highlights were in short supply for the Stormers until the late innings. At the seventh-inning stretch the Ducks led 4-0 but suddenly and without warning the Stormer bats came alive in resounding fashion. Joseph Carpenter started the rally with a base hit, Nick Lucky followed with a two-run home run to right-center. Yeison Coca was hit by the pitch and scored on a error, newcomer Danny Amaral singled and scored the tying run on Mason Martin's RBI hit. In the eighth Ariel Sandoval doubled and rode home on newcomer Brandon Wagner's two-run shot over the picnic tents in right field. In the ninth Kyle Johnson struck out the side to preserve the 6-4 win, Michael McAvene got the decision in relief of starter Keylan Killgore. On Saturday in game #2 the Stormers took the lead in the second, Sandoval walked and came home on a groundball double play. In the third Nick Ward scored on an RBI hit from Carpenter, in the fourth Coca came in on a wild pitch making it 3-0. The Ducks countered with single runs in the fifth and seventh to close within one but the Stormers replied in kind. In the bottom half Ward's RBI double scored LeDarious Clark, Ward would later come home on an Alex Isola single. The final was 5-2, Tim Brennan pitched into the eighth inning for the win with Ryley Gilliam working the ninth for the save. Long Island salvaged the finale on Sunday but as usual I was absent, for the first time in twenty-seven weeks we were at Lions Park in Rothsville for the start of the Spring League. The league was about a month late starting because the goal nets were beyond repair (absolutely shot might be a better description), we had to wait for new netting to arrive. Thirty-four players participated on Opening Weekend, Township defeated Warwick and Ephrata beat Hillside. No games on the 25th for the holiday weekend, we're back in Rothsville on June 1, Take care, thanks for reading.

May 12-15

Saw where this blog recently surpassed 90,000 views since it started on this website back in 2010. I've always wondered who actually reads the pablum I write about around here but I obviously have an audience for which I am grateful. Rain moved into the area on Monday and hung around into Thursday, it effectively ruined any outdoor plans anyone may have had. The Southern End League began its season at Garrett Park in Willow Street on the 6th, after playing the first game on the first night the league had three straight dates rained out including Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. On Thursday the ECHL announced it schedule for the 2025-26 season, for the Royals Opening Night arrives later than usual. The club starts with seven straight on the road before coming home on November 8, one can only assume there are other events that prevent hockey in October. The North Division has a new team, for the first time since 2004 Greensboro, North Carolina is in the fold. The former franchise was a divisional opponent as the Greensboro Generals, the new club is known as the Gargoyles (no kidding). All told the Royals play eight home games versus Wheeling and seven vs Norfolk (too many on both counts in my humble opinion), five vs Greensboro, four each against Adirondack and Worcester and three each with Maine and Trois-Rivieres. The only non-divisional opponent to visit are the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, they come to town for the first time since February 2017 for a pair of games in February of '26. Every spring I always say that October isn't that far off, this time around we'll have a few extra weeks to get ready. Take care, thanks for reading. 

May 5-11

Tuesday night on North Prince Street, the Stormers continued the homestand with a visit from the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. The Crabs are the only opponent from the Southern Division who will visit more than once, they come back for another three-game set in July. On this night SM took a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning, in the bottom of the second Nick Ward went yard with two men on base to draw the Stormers even at 3-3. The Crabs scored four unanswered runs over the next two innings to take a four-run advantage, in the eighth Yeison Coca came home on a Kelly Dugan sacrifice fly for the game's last run. The final was 7-4, starting pitcher Tim Brennan took the decision with Michael McAvene and Kyle Johnson in relief. Wednesday night saw the Crabs go up 1-0 in the first, in their half Yeison Coca walked and scored ahead of Alex Isola's two-run home run putting the Stormers ahead 2-1. In the fourth Maryland forged ahead 3-2, an insurance run in the sixth gave the visitors a two-run lead. The Stormers got one back in the seventh when Joseph Carpenter walked and came home on Nick Ward's sac fly but from there the Crabs bullpen closed the door on a 4-3 win. Noah Skirrow started for the Stormers and took the loss with Christian Scafidi, Jackson Rees and Ryley Gilliam in relief. The series concluded with an 11:00 game on Thursday, the Blue Crabs won in extra innings to earn a series sweep. Since winning the home opener the Stormers have lost five straight, a two-city road trip is in store before the club returns home to host Long Island on Friday the 16th. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 1-4

Spent the first night of May at the ballpark on North Prince Street in a working capacity. The Stormers' Creative Services director knows me from Olden Days in Berks County, he had contacted me about working a high school game on this date. Faith Christian Academy (from Quakertown, about forty miles north of Philadelphia) met Oxford (southwestern Chester County, about thirty miles southeast of Lancaster), as the home team Oxford also utilized it for their Senior Night. The game started at 6:30, Oxford won 6-1 and by all accounts everybody went home happy. There's a possibility I may be needed for other events down the road, I told them to let me know and we'll see what happens. On Friday night I was back at the ballpark as a spectator, the Stormers returned from a season-opening road trip for the franchise's 20th Opening Night. The newly-minted Gastonia Ghost Peppers were the opponent (in 2024 they played without a nickname), the new identity has to do with a species of chili pepper reputed to be among the hottest in the world (OK, we'll go with it). The Stormers took an early 1-0 lead in the first on a RBI hit from returning fan favorite Kelly Dugan, after Gastonia tied it in the third Dugan came through again with a two-run single putting the Stormers back up by two. Yeison Coca'a two-RBI hit in the fourth made it a 5-1 game but the Peppers fought back with single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh to pull to within one. In the eighth Joseph Carpenter went yard to right-center adding an insurance run that ended up being needed, in the ninth Gastonia made it 6-5 but the rally (and the game) ended right there. Matt Swarmer started and went the first four innings, eighth-inning reliever Ryley Gilliam was awarded the decision with Phil Diehl working the ninth for the save. A crowd of better than 7100 attended Opening Night, on Saturday rain was in the forecast and it predictably was a factor. This game featured three separate delays totaling almost ninety minutes, they managed to get six innings played making the game official before conditions became unmanageable. On this night the Stormers lost 6-3 with a run scoring in the third when newcomer Nick Ward singled and scored on a wild pitch, two more scored in the fifth on a wild pitch and a hit batsman with the bases loaded. Newcomer Alex Garbrick started and took the loss with Mason Ronan and Steven Lacey in relief. Sunday was another "iffy" weather day, as is my wont I was not at the ballpark. Gastonia won another weather-plagued game to take the series, the Stormers stay home to host Southern Maryland on Tuesday the 6th. Take care, thanks for reading. 

April 28-30

The final three days of April featured the final two home games for McCaskey Baseball. On Monday defending league champion Manheim Township visited and won via the mercy rule 16-0. JPM had four baserunners on two hits and two walks but never came close to touching home plate, Andrew Carlisle took the decision with Niko Bergeron finishing in relief. Wednesday afternoon was Senior Day, with the 4:15 start time the festivities took place after the game (it's a little easier for working parents to be there at 6:15 rather than 3:45). Matthew "Mateo" Rodriguez, Josue DePaula, Eli Morales, Adrian Rodriguez and Elliott Fluck were honored as the Class of 2025 in ceremonies following a game that started as a clunker and ended as a classic. Through the top of the fourth visiting Cedar Crest led 7-1, the lone run for JPM scoring in the second on a wild pitch. In the home fourth Niko Bergeron's RBI hit made it 7-2, a two-run single by Josh Reyes in the fifth brought the Red Tornado to within three at 7-4. CC added an insurance run in the sixth, in the bottom half JPM roared back with a four-spot to tie the game. One run scored on a wild pitch, Bergeron's second RBI hit accounted for another, Elliott Fluck's RBI double and a run-scoring single from Adrian Rodriguez completed the uprising. Starting and soon-to-be winning pitcher Eli Morales was on the mound in the seventh and struck out the side, in the bottom half the sunlight of Sweet Victory finally shined upon the Red Tornado. With one out Bergeron batted and drilled a double to the base of the wall in left-center, Josue DePaula batted next and bounced a seeing-eye single to right field scoring Niko with the walk-off winning run. It's well-documented how the club has struggled (just 2-16 with two road games remaining) but at least for one glorious afternoon at McCaskey on the final day of April the club finished its home schedule with a win everybody will remember. Take care, thanks for reading. 

April 21-27

Monday evening at the Arena for game #3 of the first round of ECHL playoffs. The Royals were in tough against a Trois-Rivieres club that was twenty-one points better during the regular season, by seeding this was the league's fifth-best team versus the fifteenth-best (although within the division it was #4 vs #1). The Royals lost the first two games in Quebec, during this week in Reading the Lions finished the series in a four-game-straight sweep. If it is possible for a team to lose in any crueler fashion I can't imagine how and I certainly wouldn't want to witness it. On Monday TR went up 1-0 six minutes in before Shane Sellar evened it at the first intermission. It stayed that until late in the third, with one minute left in regulation Mason Primeau got a break into the zone and scored to put the Royals up 2-1. The Lions pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker and cashed in with NINE-TENTHS OF A SECOND remaining to even it 2-2 and force overtime. In the first OT Trois-Rivières scored the apparent game-winner which was disallowed for goaltender interference, five minutes into the second OT they scored again and this one stood up for the 3-2 win and a 3-0 series lead. Vinnie Purpura got the start on Monday, two nights later Keith Petruzzelli was in goal as the Lions finished the sweep. TR led 2-1 after one with Mason Primeau scoring for the Royals, Shane Sellar's goal early in the second knotted it 2-2. Much like Monday it came down to the final moments, with four minutes left TR took the lead and added two empty-netters to clinch the game and the series 5-2. Obviously a disappointing way to end the season but there's a lot to feel good about nonetheless. The Royals returned to the postseason after a one-year absence and gave the division's top team all they could handle and more. Matt Brown was the club's leading scorer, Tyler Gratton was the leading goal-getter with twenty. Petruzzelli (34 appearances) and Purpura (24) were the club's goaltending leaders, Parker Gahagen also reached double-digit appearances with ten. In an oddity the team went the entire season without recording a hattrick, a shutout or an overtime win at home (2-8 with both wins coming in the shootout). October isn't far away and it won't be long before we're Back Home. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 14-20

Wednesday afternoon at McCaskey, the Red Tornado was on the field against defending state champion Hempfield. They won the title in '24 with a largely underclassman roster, with the way things are going for us one figured this to be a game that could either be very quick or very long. Hempfield predictably won the game but it was not the runaway one may have expected, JPM hung tough and made them work for it. JPM trailed 4-0 in the third when Josh Reyes was hit by the pitch with the base loaded to put the home team on the board. It was 10-1 in the fifth inning before the Red Tornado put together a four-run uprising. Bases-loaded walks to Reyes and Eli Morales scored two runs, Niko Bergeron's two-run single made it 10-5. In the last inning Bergeron picked up another "ribbie" on a two-out hit but Hempfield took it by a score of 13-6. Bergeron got the start and went into the fourth with Morales finishing in relief. The Atlantic League season begins on April 25, on Saturday the Stormers held their annual Fanfest event at newly-renamed Penn Medicine Park (the ballpark's naming rights were exchanged in the offseason). Ross Peeples is back as manager for his eighth season, returnees from 2024 on the preseason roster include pitchers A.J. Alexy, Phil Diehl, Scott Engler, Kyle Johnson, Michael McAvene, Jackson Rees, Christian Scarfidi and Matt Swarmer, infielders Joseph Carpenter, Trace Loehr and Mason Martin plus outfielder Nick Lucky. Also back after time elsewhere are infielders Yeison Coca and Kelly Dugan along with outfielder LeDarious Clark. The Stormers start with a six-game road trip, the home opener is on May 2nd. Sunday was the Easter holiday, Helen made ham loaf with scalloped potatoes and nobody went home hungry. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 11-13

Friday night hockey at the Arena in downtown Reading, the final two games of the club's 23rd season as an on-ice entity. The Worcester Railers were the opponent and for the Royals the goal was clear: win them both in any fashion or miss the postseason. There were four standings points available to be had and nothing less than all four would do. Mission Accomplished but it was a battle from start to finish. Friday was Wall-Of-Honor Night, 2013 Kelly Cup-winning goaltender Riley Gill was enshrined in pregame ceremonies. In the game itself the Royals came out on fire, just eleven seconds after the opening faceoff Matt Miller tapped in a rebound for a 1-0 lead. Six minutes later Shane Sellar made it 2-0, just before intermission Mason Primeau scored from the slot to put the Good Guys ahead by three. The visiting Railers (fighting for a playoff spot themselves) cut the deficit to two midway through the second and came all the way back to tie it in the third, as the third-period clock expired visions of Overtimes Past (1-8 at home, 5-11 overall) were dancing through everybody's heads. The OT didn't settle anything, in the Dreaded Shootout Matt Brown scored the lone goal and Keith Petruzzelli stopped every shot he faced for a huge 4-3 victory. It all came down to Game #72 on Saturday and the early going was much like Friday. Matt Brown made it 1-0 Royals just a minute into the game, scores from Logan Britt late in the period and Sam Sedley early in the second gave the Royals the ever-popular 3-0 lead. Worcester got on the board but Mason Primeau had Answer #1 to restore the three-goal lead entering the last period. The Railers made it 4-2 but Matt Brown had Answer #2 with his second of the night, after Worcester made it 5-3 the Final Answers came in the form of empty-netters from Jake Smith and Tyler Gratton to put away a playoff-clinching 7-3 victory. In the closing moments emotions boiled over with nine misconduct penalties issued in the last two minutes, three of them at the final buzzer. Keith Petruzzelli was in goal once again as the club finishes its season at 33-28-11, 17-11-8 at home. At the season's midpoint in January the Royals were 13-19-4, in the second half they went 20-9-7. The Trois-Rivieres Lions are the first-round opponent, the series starts in Quebec before moving to Reading for game #3 on Monday the 21st. Take care, thanks for reading. 

April 7-10

Monday dawned very dark and gray with a steady light rain, in early afternoon word came down that the ballgame at McCaskey was postponed to Tuesday. Penn Manor was the opponent for a divisional game, at 4:15 it was forty-three degrees with a persistent 26-MPH wind blowing straight out to left. Upstairs in the booth I am out of the wind but since it's not insulated I still feel the cold, I honestly wonder how anybody could stand actually sitting out in those conditions. At least it was dry and the sun was out, that may have been the saving grace. After being shut out in three of the last four games (and being no-hit in two of them) the JPM offense finally got some hits and scored some runs but it wasn't enough to prevent a 9-4 loss. Penn Manor was up by two in the second before Andrew Carlisle doubled and came home on Niko Bergeron's RBI single to make it 2-1. Over the next five innings PM scored seven unanswered to go up 9-1, in the last inning JPM loaded the bases with one out. Jayden Vaughn two-run single made it 9-3, Adrian Rodriguez drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home the final run. Carlisle started and went four innings with Eli Morales finishing in relief. The league divisions are largely based on enrollment (which is why McCaskey is always in the highest group), in 2025 Ephrata moved into our division and all they did was win their division the previous year. Manheim Township is in our division and all they did was win the league title in '24, Hempfield is around as well and all they did was win the state championship. Add in that Penn Manor and Cedar Crest aren't exactly pushovers and one wonders where the wins will come from at least for the foreseeable future. The next home game is on the 16th when the state champions visit. Take care, thanks for reading. 

April 1-6

The first week of April contained two sporting events, one high school and one professional with both resulting in the home team being shut out. On Wednesday afternoon at McCaskey the Red Tornado hosted Ephrata in a divisional game, at 4:15 it was fifty-three degrees with a fifteen-MPH wind straight in from center. Ephrata won the game 15-0, they led by six into the fifth inning before a nine-run frame ended it via the mercy rule. In their five innings at bat JPM had only three baserunners on walks and never came close to a base hit. Andrew Carlisle started on the mound with Josh Reyes in relief. The next home game is on Monday the 7th with Penn Manor, that is a 7:00 start under the lights. On Saturday we made our annual trip north to Allentown for an AHL Phantoms game, the Springfield Thunderbirds (St. Louis Blues affiliate) were the opponent. Current Phantoms with Royals history include forwards Zayde Wisdom (tail-end of 2023), Jacob Gaucher (third-leading scorer that year) and Sawyer Boulton (earlier in '24-25), defenseman Xavier Bernard (a handful of games in the fall of '24) and goaltender Parker Gahagen. On this night the teams battled through almost sixty-five minutes of scoreless hockey, with just seconds left in OT Springfield lit the lamp and took the game 1-0.  Gahagen was the Phantoms goalie of record and deserved a better fate but despite the loss the Phantoms clinched a playoff spot when the team directly below them in the standings lost on Sunday. We've been to Allentown nine times in eleven seasons (once a year except for the two BS years between 2019 and 2021) but this is in all likelihood the last time we'll be making the trip. I'm not getting any younger, the driving distance isn't getting any shorter and the overall expense (tickets, parking, food etc.) isn't getting any cheaper. It was fun while it lasted but right now it looks like the novelty of the annual Allentown trip has run its course. Take care, thanks for reading.

March 28-31

Back at the Arena on Friday evening for the start of another weekend endurance test, the Maine Mariners were in town for another three-in-three weekend (Maine broadcaster Michael Keeley has coined a phrase for these, he refers to them as "threekends"). This was the last of three such weekends on the home schedule, the Royals also had six of them on the road. On Friday the visitors from the Pine Tree State scored first but it would be the only one they would get. Matt Miller pulled the Royals even in the second period and put them ahead in the third, empty-netters from Jake Smith and defensemen Logan Britt cemented a 4-1 victory. On Saturday the trend continued with Maine getting on the board first, Sam Sedley tied it 1-1 at the intermission. Two answered scores for the Mariners gave them a 3-1 lead entering the third, with five minutes left Mason Primeau lit the lamp making it 3-2. In the closing minutes the Royals went with the extra attacker but Maine turned the tables with two empty-netters of their own for a 5-2 win. Keith Petruzzelli was in goal both nights for the Royals. In the rubber match on Sunday the Mariners again scored the first goal and nursed that 1-0 lead into the third period, Gianfranco Cassaro's score with eight minutes left evened the game at 1-1. Seven minutes of overtime failed to decide the issue, in the shootout Maine outscored the Royals two goals to one and took the game by that same score. Vinnie Purpura got the start on this day and took the decision, the club's record stands at 29-25-11 overall and 15-11-8 at home. A killer five-game road swing looms on the horizon before the club returns home for the final weekend on April 11. Take care, thanks for reading. 

March 24-27

Wednesday afternoon: back at McCaskey for baseball home game #2, Octorara visited from southwestern Chester County (the school itself is in Chester County but the district itself overlaps into the eastern fringes of Lancaster County). Conditions on this day were markedly different from the previous home date, at 4:15 it was forty-three degrees with winds out to left field at twenty-one miles per hour. The start was not promising, the Red Tornado trailed 3-0 out of the chute. In their half of the first the ballclub loaded the bases with one out on a hit batsmen, an error and a walk. Two runs scored on consecutive wild pitches, Armani Acevedo's RBI hit tied the game 3-3. In the second the visitors went back up by two, in the home third Adrian Rodriguez walked and scored on a Josh Reyes double to make it 5-4. From there it was all Octorara, six unanswered runs over the next three innings brought the final to 11-4. Eli Morales went five innings on the hill with Niko Bergeron out of the bullpen for the last two. The boys play at home again on Friday the 28th (I'm out for the Royals), my next game is on April 2nd when Ephrata visits for the season's first divisional game. Take care, thanks for reading.

March 21-23

Friday night at the Arena for the second three-in-three weekend of the season, the Norfolk Admirals were the opponent. The roster received some extra fortification during the week with the return of goalie Parker Gahagen from the Phantoms and ex-fan favorite Patrick Bajkov (a member of the 2021-22 squad). Weekends like this are always a stern test for everyone, by the time it's over the teams will have played three games in less than forty-eight hours (and that's with no travel involved, it's exponentially worse when you move between cities). In the opener on Friday Norfolk took a 1-0 lead three minutes in, early in the third period Ryan Leibold found twine to tie it 1-1. Sixty minutes of regulation and seven more of 3-on-3 overtime failed to produce a winner, in the shootout both teams scored in the fifth and ninth rounds before Shane Sellar walked it off in the eleventh for a big 3-2 win. Gahagen picked up the win in his first Royals appearance since mid-November. On Saturday the visiting Admirals evened the weekend with a rather ordinary 4-1 win, Gianfranco Cassaro scored the lone goal for the Royals with Keith Petruzzelli taking the loss in net. The rubber game on Sunday saw the clubs play through a scoreless first period, five minutes into the second Ryan Leibold gave the Royals the lead. Midway through the third Patrick Bajkov scored his "homecoming" goal to make it 2-0. Parker Gahagen came within two minutes of a shutout before the Ads spoiled it but the Royals were able to hold on for a 2-1 victory and a win of the weekend two games to one. The club's record stands at 28-24-10 (18-7-6 since the New Year started), 14-10-7 at home. The next home dates are March 28-30, another 3-in-3 endurance test with the Maine Mariners, Take care, thanks for reading.