June 7-10

Tuesday night at the ballpark for the start of a new series, the Stormers hosted one of the league's newest teams. The Gastonia (North Carolina) Honey Hunters are one of three new clubs debuting in the Atlantic League, they replace the now-defunct New Britain franchise. Gastonia has a long and decorated history in affiliated minor league baseball, the city last hosted a pro club in 1992 and in recent years a summer college league team has played there. On Tuesday night the opener of the series began forty minutes late thanks to a quick-moving rainstorm, by the time it ended five hours and five minutes later at 12:15am it was beyond description. Any attempt to recap it with any kind of play-by-play would be sheer buffoonery, all you need to know is Gastonia won 16-14 (that is not a misprint). The teams combined to score thirty runs on twenty-nine base hits, the pitching staffs (eight Hunters, five Stormers) issued thirty-five (that's 35) walks and hit three batsmen. The Barnstormers got home runs from former Milwaukee Brewer property Blake Allemand (a solo shot in the second inning), Kelly Dugan (with a runner on in the third) and Trayvon Robinson (with a runner on in the sixth) but it was nowhere near enough, ex-Minnesota Twin property Andro Cutera started and took the loss. On Wednesday in game #2 the Honey Hunters took a 3-0 first-inning lead and were never headed in a 10-3 decision. The Stormers' three runs came in the third on a LeDarious Clark RBI hit and a two-run single from Kelly Dugan, Dominic DiSabatino started on the mound and took the loss. On Thursday night the downbeat continued as Gastonia completed the series sweep with a 16-3 win, the Hunters were up 8-0 in the fourth and the outcome was never really in doubt. The Stormers got RBI hits from Melvin Mercedes and returnee Devon Torrence, the third run scored on a home run by fan favorite Blake Gailen. It was noteworthy because it was Blake's 100th home run as a Barnstormer, he came to Lancaster in 2012 and in-between affiliated assignments has played parts of eight seasons in a Stormer uniform. Starting pitcher Dan Taggart (Adelphi University product) was of record as the Stormers finish the homestand 2-4 and it isn't difficult to pinpoint the problem. The club's ERA ranks last in the league and the staff leads the league in walks and hit batsmen. The ballclub hits the road for a four-city twelve-game road trip, they come home on Friday the 25th. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 5-6

Saturday night: back at the ballpark for Revs/Stormers Round II, the Barnstormers rebounded from the lopsided Friday game with a tough extra-inning win. This was one of those wacky games that crop up in the Atlantic League on occasion and it started much like Friday's game as the visitors from West Of The River took a quick 4-0 lead in the first inning. By the fourth inning it was 6-3 Revs, the Stormers put four on the board in the fifth to forge ahead 7-6. The Revolution tallied single runs in the sixth and seventh to go up 8-7, in the bottom of the ninth the Stormers forced extra innings on a game-tying base hit by returnee Melvin Mercedes. The Revs scored twice in the top of the tenth but the Stormers responded with three in their half to ultimately prevail 11-10, the tying and winning runs scored on a base hit from ex-Washington Nationals property Anthony Peroni. Offensive contributions for the Revs included returnee Carlos Franco with a home run and two RBI, fellow veteran Wellington Dotel had four hits and two RBI, former Yankee farmhand Rashad Crawford went yard twice and had three ribbies. For the Stormers ex-Texas Ranger property LeDarious Clark had a big night with a double, two longballs and three RBI, one-time AZ Diamondback farmhand Kelly Dugan had a two-run double. As you might guess the starting pitchers were long-gone by the time the game ended, Yoel Espinal (Texas) was the winner and Bubby Rossman (LA Dodgers) suffered the loss. The series wrapped up in the afternoon heat on Sunday, the Stormers won 12-11 (!!!) to take the series two games to one. I spent the afternoon in the heat of Lions Park in Rothsville, after a week off for the holiday we were back for street hockey week #5. On this day (and for a second consecutive week of play) the four games were split across the board. Ephrata and Township traded regulation wins, Warwick and Hillside split with Hillside's win coming via OT shootout. We had planned to play one of the games postponed on May 9 but with temperatures in the 90s we decided to reset it for the 27th (when these particular matchups happen again) and hope for less-oppressive heat on that day. Nobody complained about it in the least, by the time the day was over everyone was wiped out just having played twice. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 4

The fourth day of June was a red-letter day for area baseball fans, for the first time since September of 2019 there was game action at the ballpark on North Prince Street. The Atlantic League Of Professional Baseball began play in 1998 with six teams, a two-team expansion in 2000 grew the league to eight and it's been that way ever since. Franchises have come and gone over the years but two of the constants have been (since 2005) the Lancaster Barnstormers and (since 2007) the York Revolution. On this night the geographic rivals met in the Stormers' home opener. The league schedule had actually started the previous week, both clubs entered with seven games already in the books. Each team's long-standing manager has returned to the dugout, Mark Mason for the Revs and Ross Peoples for the Barnstormers. The pregame ceremonies were the high point of the evening so far as the Stormers were concerned, the Revs scored early and often in a lopsided 18-2 victory. The major factor in this game was Barnstormer pitching, seven pitchers combined to issue seventeen walks and two hit batsmen, ten of those nineteen runners scored and six of them reached with the bases loaded. Returning veteran Melky Mesa had two base hits and five RBI for the Revs, former Cleveland Indians property Nellie Rodriguez hit a three-run homer and ex-St. Louis Cardinal farmhand Edwin Figuera had three hits and two RBI. The Stormers scored both of their run in the fifth inning on RBI hits from returnees Trayvon Robinson and Anderson De La Rosa. The starting pitchers were involved in the decision, returnee Duke Von Schamann for the Revs and former San Diego property Dominic DiSabatino for the Stormers. The series continues with games on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 24-June 3

I recently noticed the total pageviews on this blog had surpassed 26,000 since it started in November of 2010. I've always said I appreciate my audience although I really don't know who reads the useless tripe and drivel I talk about. Here of late the posts have been infrequent simply because: what do you write about when there just isn't a whole hell of a lot going on? The last week of May had one major event that really had little to do with me. Jenny is in town often to babysit her friend's daughters, on Saturday her friend moved into a new address. The old apartment was on the extreme opposite side of town from where I am, the new place is less than a mile away. It's much nicer all the way around since Jenny won't have three flights of steps to deal with at the new place and for me it's much better simply because it's only about a five-minute drive on streets that generally have light traffic. The ironic part of it all is that the new place is literally across the street from where Jenny's brother lives, his wife is Jenny's friend's aunt. The month of June arrived on a Tuesday, noteworthy because it was the opening date for the county Midget Baseball league. The league did not operate in 2020 because most every team uses school facilities that were not made available thanks to THE BS (capital letters intended). The Midget level is 17-and-under, the teams are basically each participating district's high school team minus the graduated seniors plus any players from non-participating districts added on a "co-op" basis. Case in point: the McCaskey team (officially known as the Lancaster Junior Tornado) has two players from Manheim Township and one each from Manheim Central and Columbia since those districts are not playing in the league this time around. It's a twelve-game schedule, each team plays each opponent once. On this night the Tornado opened league play on the road in Mount Joy against Donegal. The Donegal school district is one of the county's smaller jurisdictions, in high school play they and McCaskey are seldom opponents. I made the trip northwest about fifteen miles from the city because it was an opportunity and a pleasure to be out of the house in the evening for a change, unfortunately the results were not kind. The Tornado fell 11-3 in a game called in the sixth inning due to approaching darkness. The Good Guys tallied twice in the fourth on a two-run single by Alex Rodriguez scoring Landis Fluck and Alex Ruiz, in the sixth Tobe Kuntz hit an over-the-fence home run to left-center for the third run. Orion Frailey was the pitcher of record with relief help from Rodriguez and Ty Jenkins. The team was scheduled for games on the 3rd and the 8th, both are postponed because the opponents are still involved in high school district playoffs. As it stands the next game isn't until the 15th at McCaskey. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 17-23

Another week much like the previous, there just isn't a great deal going on right now. On Thursday morning Jenny was in town for a medical appointment and I had a haircut appointment at 12:30. She was done around 10:30 or so, we got our lunch and came back to my place. Jenny had not been here since February of 2020, she and her mother are usually here when they travel to a game with me but it's actually been that long since any of that happened. After we ate she relaxed while I had my haircut, when I returned I took a quick shower to get the loose hair off my body and we went to her place when I was finished. For a day of conflicting schedules we somehow made it work but then again we almost always do. On Sunday we were back in Rothsville for week #4 of the over-forty league. The games on this day were rematches from the opening week and the weather itself was a virtual rerun of that day as well. Temperatures reached into the high 80s with brilliant sunshine, intermittent clouds and a strong breeze from the northwest were about all that made it comfortable. By the time we were done I was thoroughly wiped out and I had barely moved around all day, I can't imagine how the players must have felt. We had seven new signups on this day bringing the total league participation up to fifty-seven altogether. This day was noteworthy because it marked the first time all four teams won on the same day, Warwick and Township split their two games and Ephrata traded wins with Hillside. I was talking to one of the guys who used to play in our league at Reservoir Park (still in mothballs but hopefully not for much longer), he hadn't played for years until this league in Rothsville was formed. He told me he was really enjoying himself, he hadn't seen a lot of his old teammates in years and if not for this league he didn't know when or if he'd ever see them again. If that isn't a great testimony I don't know what would be. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 10-16

Not much happening during the week past, high school baseball season is over and summer activities (such as they may be) haven't begun yet. Had lunch with Jenny and her mother on Tuesday, in the afternoon Jenny rode back into town with me. She was needed (again) at her friend's house for a babysitting assignment from which she was finally released on Friday evening (!!!!). We did our weekend lunch on Saturday and spent part of the day running some errands Helen needed to accomplish. On Sunday we were back in Rothsville at Lions Park for week #3 for street hockey. No issues with rain on this day, it was mostly cloudy with the sun peaking out on occasion and temperatures in the mid-70s. We had forty-two players participate on the opening week, four new players appeared in week #2 and on this day four more signed in bringing the total up to fifty altogether. Ephrata defeated Warwick in both of their matchups, Hillside swept a pair from Township. The day moved along in good order, we started at noon and were done around 2:50. Shortly after I arrived back home it rained for about a half-hour so either we're lucky or maybe we're just living right. Week #4 games on the 23rd are rematches of the games on opening day. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 8-9

Had lunch with Jenny and her mother on Saturday, when I returned to the city they were riding with me. Jenny's brother Frank lives about a mile from my place, it was his birthday and they were invited to a party/cookout. Obviously it made perfect sense for me to bring them into town since I was coming home anyway, Frank made sure they got back home safely in the evening. On Sunday we were back in Rothsville for week #2 of the over-40 hockey league, the first day was played in 80-degree heat but this time around was very different. There was a call for rain later in the afternoon, we were hoping to get the games in before it arrived but things didn't work out that way. It began to mist lightly before we ever got started, a steadier light rain moved in during the first game and combined with the high-50s temperatures to make the rink surface like ice (a number of the guys were describing it just that way). It was decided to play the second game since the teams were already there but the two later games were postponed. The rink surface is similar to what we had at Reservoir Park before the dek was laid down in 2005, before then we dealt with puddles which could be squeegeed up by pushing the water under the boards in certain areas of the rink. In Rothsville the boards are tight to the ground all the way around, there would be nowhere to go with the water even if we did squeegee it. By the time the second game ended at 1:30 the rain had stopped but the damage was done, postponing the late games was the right call. Warwick beat Hillside and Ephrata won over Township, the rematches were scheduled for June 6 and 27 when these particular matchups happen again. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 5-7

Wednesday night at McCaskey for the final home game of the 2021 baseball season, the boys hosted Penn Manor. Before the game we did the usual Senior Night recognitions as Yordy Beltre, Greggory Bryson, A.J. De Los Santos, Kolby Esh, Xavian Padilla, Albert Rosario, Eliam Santana and Alex Vine were spotlighted as the Class of  '21. An added part of the program was mention of the 2020 seniors who were deprived of their proper recognition thanks to what I (sarcastically) call The Prevailing Circumstances. At game time it was partly sunny and 63 degrees with winds out to left at seventeen MPH. This game started out as a disaster but ended as a classic, Penn Manor put five on the board in the top of the first inning. In the home third A.J. De Los Santos reached on a fielders choice and scored on Xavian Padilla's RBI single, in the fourth RayJay Marmolejos doubled and scored on Landis Fluck's base hit to cut the deficit to three. PM responded with a run in the fifth to go up 6-2, in the bottom half the game turned in stunning fashion. Consecutives hits by A.J., Xavian and Eliam Santana put a run on the board, another run scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-4. Albert Rosario reached on a fielders choice, Yordy Beltre singled and RayJay followed with a three-run moonshot over the wall in left-center to put JPM ahead 7-6. In the seventh Penn Manor had the tying run on second with one out, the batter hit a looping pop fly into shallow left-center. Alex Ruiz made the catch for the second out, his return throw to RayJay at second caught the runner off base for the game-ending double-play. A.J.started on the hill with Alex Vine earning the victory in relief. The club finishes its home schedule at 4-6, the overall record is 9-9 with two road games left to play. For me it marks five seasons on the PA since I started it in 2016 (it should be six but we all know the story), it's the third straight year I was able to work every game. In '16 I missed two of the eleven we had at home, the next year I was absent from three of ten and all the absences were because of professional commitments elsewhere. From 2018 on I've made all thirty although admittedly there were a few I should have missed, rainouts and makeup dates fortunately worked to my advantage. From what we're hearing the county Midget League is planning to play in the summer, the Lancaster Jr. Tornado plays its home games at McCaskey. I may work those games as my schedule permits. Take care, thanks for reading. 

May 2-4

Out of the house and active on a Sunday afternoon for the first day of a brand-new enterprise. Back in March I learned via the internet of a proposed over-40 street hockey league, the guy spearheading the effort is a veteran of our league in Lancaster which has been mothballed since 2019 thanks to The Prevailing Circumstances. I reached out to him with a offer of administrative assistance in getting the league organized, he responded by telling me I could be the league's commissioner. The rink is located at Warwick Township Lions Park in the village of Rothsville, about three miles east of Lititz and roughly an eleven-mile drive northeast from my place in Lancaster. It's funny how life sometimes comes full circle: when I was a youngster my mother's parents lived on the main street in Rothsville, when my uncle (my mother's brother-in-law) retired he and my aunt moved into the trailer park right across the road from Lions Park so in many ways I'm more familiar with the area than most might realize. The use of the rink is under the auspices of the local recreation commission and the financial backing is being provided by a restaurant/bar in Ephrata. The league is a lot like our summer leagues in Lancaster: it's advertised as "laid back and chill", there is competition involved but the main idea is to play the game and have fun doing it especially since most everybody is above the age of forty. Most of the players have played at Reservoir Park previously so there weren't too many I didn't know, many of them will probably be back once we get restarted. There are four teams in the league, we have four games each Sunday with each team playing twice against the same opponent. It's an unusual format but since we play only on Sundays it was agreed to, the teams playing at noon rematch at 1:30 with the 12:45 opponents meeting again at 2:15. The rink itself is only a few years old and it's shorter and narrower than our rink in Lancaster which probably isn't a bad thing considering the ages of most of the players. On this day Hillside defeated Ephrata twice, Warwick won both over Township with one of them decided in the OT shootout. We play three ten-minute periods of running time, the last three minutes of the third period are stop-time. We started right around noon and were done just before 3:00 on an 80-degree afternoon, forty-two players participated so by any measure we can consider Opening Day a success. Week #2 is on Sunday the 9th. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 1

Saturday afternoon at McCaskey for a non-league ballgame at High Noon, Harrisburg made the 40-mile trip southeast from the commonwealth's capital. This game was originally scheduled for April 17 but was changed because of health concerns. The wind was still kicking from the northwest at 15 miles per hour and game time temperature was 57 degrees but the saving grace was we had brilliant sunshine which made it much more comfortable. The Red Tornado came out strong in the first inning and put a five-spot on the board, the rally started with back-to-back walks to Orion Frailey and Yordy Beltre and a base hit by A.J. De Los Santos to load the bases. Consecutive RBI hits from Eliam Santana and Landis Fluck made it 2-0, Kolby Esh reached on an error allowing A.J. and Eliam to score and a wild pitch plated Landis with run #5. The visitors scored twice in the second, in the bottom half JPM replied in kind. Janpaul Rodriguez drew a walk and Frailey was hit by the pitch, they were chased home on Alex Ruiz's two-run double to make it 7-2. Harrisburg posted a run in the third, in the fourth the Good Guys added two more. Frailey was hit by the pitch (again) and Beltre singled, A.J. De Los Santos' groundout scored Frailey and Beltre came home on another wild pitch to put JPM up 9-3. Another three-spot in the sixth put the game away, A.J. reached on an error before Santana and Fluck drew back-to-back walks loading the bases. Kolby Esh reached on an infield hit to score A.J., Braulio Rivera followed with a two-run double giving the Red Tornado a 12-3 lead. Rivera and Rodriguez have largely been JV players but right now they're getting varsity opportunity because some of the regulars are hampered by injury. Harrisburg did not go quietly, they scored three in the seventh but it was nowhere near enough, the final score was 12-6. A.J. pitched six innings for the win, Xavian Padilla and Alex Ruiz finished it up in the seventh. The club stands at 8-8 overall, the final home game is on Wednesday the 5th against Penn Manor. Take care, thanks for reading.