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.