July 15-21

The Barnstormers returned home on Tuesday for a three-day series with the High Point Rockers (the ALPB's newest franchise), they played a doubleheader on Tuesday followed by a pair of single games. The visitors from North Carolina took the first three games before the Stormers salvaged a win on Thursday night. I was there on Tuesday and Wednesday but not Thursday because there were other things happening that were simply more important. My mother was discharged from the hospital on Thursday morning, she was brought home because she had no other place to go. We had discussed sending her to a rehab/therapy facility which the hospital had already set up, when her insurance denied coverage she refused to go because it would have required paying out-of-pocket. I was present when the wheelchair van crew brought her home, it was obvious immediately that it was a horrible mistake. To call it an unmitigated disaster would be kind. They carried her into her bedroom on a stretcher and placed her on her bed, she was virtually immobile and could not get up either by herself or with help. The hospital had arranged for visiting health care, the nurse arrived about an hour later. Within a half hour she exercised her professional prerogative (the words she used) and called an ambulance to have my mother returned to the hospital. She said she could not in good conscience leave our house having witnessed the situation without doing something about it. After the ambulance left she told me in confidence that the minute she arrived and saw my mother the first thought she had was "why is this person not in the hospital". In the ER they said my mother was discharged because they had done all that could be done from a "medical" standpoint but the fact is she is in no physical shape to be at home with me as her lone caregiver. On Friday afternoon the case manager and I had the same discussion we'd had before, when the rehab facility was mentioned my mother shook her head "no" but I asked her what other legitimate choice there is. Right now she can be in one of three places: (1) the hospital but she can't be there forever, (2) at home but Thursday proved conclusively and in spades that she simply CANNOT BE at home right now or (3) a care facility where she can get proper therapy, rehab and nutrition. I should mention that the hospital asked me to come in on Wednesday to get some training on the tube feeding. I told them I'd seen it done and watched closely, they said that puts me ahead of the curve but they still wanted me to do one personally. It all went well, I did another one at home on Thursday before she went back out. When she's able to return home it shouldn't be an issue, it's relatively easy once you get used to it. On Sunday evening she was still in the hospital with the move to the rehab facility imminent. Through it all I still managed to have two lunch dates with Jenny, we did Friday morning instead of Wednesday (when I was in the hospital doing the tube training) and Sunday instead of Saturday (because we didn't want to go back-to-back). Take care, thanks for reading.

July 8-14

With the Atlantic League (in addition to most of pro baseball) in its All-Star break and the Barnstormers not home again until the 16th of the month the new week figured to be rather uneventful but it was anything but. Jenny and I had lunch on Tuesday (a day earlier than usual) because my mother had a ear doctor appointment on Wednesday....or at least that was the plan but it didn't happen quite that way. Ever since my mother came home from The Hotel we've made the best of an imperfect situation, there have been some minor pitfalls here and there but it hasn't been a total disaster. When she had the endoscopy in May the doctor told her that a feeding tube remained an option if things didn't improve. She has continued to struggle with swallowing even though just about all of her intake is in liquid form, recently she stopped drinking the nutritional shakes because she claimed they were too thick and hard to swallow. Ever since then she has become noticeably leaner and weaker simply because she isn't getting the proper nutrition she needs, I called the gastric doctor and left a message about reconsidering the feeding tube. On Wednesday she was leaving the house for the ear doctor appointment, she got as far as the front porch and simply could not go any further. She sat down and laid back from utter exhaustion and I immediately called an ambulance. It was only a matter of time before she ended up in the hospital, the only question was what would finally be the last straw and this was it. When she arrived in the ER her gastric doctor happened to be present and he immediately became involved, the feeding tube was inserted on Thursday morning. On a side note I asked him if he had received my message and he said he'd been at the hospital all week and had not gotten any messages from his office. I was planning to call him again because a week had passed and my mother was getting worse, this incident rendered that unnecessary. As the week progressed she remained in the hospital, there was talk of her being discharged at the start of the new week but that seems overly optimistic. I guess we'll find out when we find out. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 1-7

The second half of 2019 began (rather appropriately) on a Monday, in the afternoon the garage called to tell me my car was ready for pickup. It passed through inspection with no issues and no problems detected which is always a good thing. The middle part of the week was quiet (which was just fine given how hot it was), on Friday the Barnstormers returned home for a weekend visit from the York Revolution. On this night the Stormers took an early 2-0 lead in the first on back-to-back home runs from Caleb Gindl and Michael Martinez. In the fourth the Revs tied it on a Wellington Dotel two-run shot, in the bottom half an RBI triple by Martinez gave the home team a 3-2 advantage. The Revs forged ahead in the fifth on a Henry Castillo RBI groundout and Telvin Nash's two-run homer, in the Stormers' half newcomer Andrew Aplin (late of the Arizona Diamondbacks system) went yard to cut the deficit to 5-4. In the ninth the Revolution added an insurance run on an Angelys Nina sac fly, the final score was 6-4. Peter Tago was the winner for the Revs in relief of starter Mitch Atkins, Jared Lakind took the loss for the Barnstormers. On Saturday Jenny and her mother again elected not to come into town, with the combination of the heat and thunderstorms in the forecast it turned out to be the right decision. I went to the ballpark (since it's only a mile away), the skies were very dark to the west and just before game time the winds started whipping in from that direction. The Stormers scored three times in the first, the Revs replied with a single in the second but it was all for nought. The field was covered after the Revs' at-bat in anticipation of the storm, within ten minutes the skies opened and ended the evening. The clubs played a doubleheader on Sunday to make up the rainout, it also drew the Atlantic League's first-half to a close. I was of course not there, day games in ninety-degree heat simply don't agree with me and I'm not sure they ever did. Sugar Land and Long Island finished as the respective first-half division champions, the second half starts after the All-Star break on Friday the 12th. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 28-30

Friday night at the ballpark, the Barnstormers' homestand continued with a visit from the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. On this night the Stormers took advantage of two big innings to win going away. The visitors from Waldorf, MD scored a single run in the top of the first, the Stormers matched it in the bottom half when Darian Sandford walked and scored on an error. The Crabs reclaimed a one-run lead in the second but in the third the Barnstormers batted around and put together a four-run inning. Sandford started it with a walk, Michael Martinez singled and Dan Gamache followed with an RBI hit to tie the score. Joe Terdoslavich's double plated Martinez to put the Stormers ahead, K.C. Hobson's RBI single scored Gamache to make it 4-2, a wild pitch brought Joey T home with the inning's fourth run. In the fifth the club repeated the feat with another four-run bat-around. Back-to-back doubles by Sandford and Martinez made it 6-2, Gamache reached on a base hit and Caleb Gindl followed with an RBI hit to score Martinez. Gamache touched in on an RBI groundout by Terdoslavch to put the Stormers up by six, another wild pitch brought Gindl home with run #9. In the sixth Hobson singled and scored on Parker Morin's RBI double to make it 10-2, in the ninth the Crabs picked up a cosmetic run to bring the final in at 10-3. Jonathan Albaladejo (back from a stint on the DL) started on the hill and went five innings for the win. The clubs met again on a brutally hot Saturday evening, the weather was enough to keep Jenny and her mother at home. Saturday is usually their night at the ballpark but after we had lunch they elected to stay in and I really couldn't blame them. On this night the offensive highlights were fewer, the Stormers took a 1-0 lead in the second when Joey T singled and scored on K.C. Hobson's RBI double. The Blue Crabs tied it in the fifth and went up 3-1 in the seventh, in the eighth the Stormers loaded the bases with two out. Joey T drew a walk to force in a run but the rally went no further, SM held on to win 3-2. Kyle Davies was the pitcher of record for the Stormers, he pitched well over seven innings and deserved a better fate. The series ended in the afternoon heat on Sunday but I of course was not there, after supper I took my car to the garage in advance of its annual inspection on Monday. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 24-27

Monday night baseball at McCaskey, the Jr. Tornado hosted Conestoga Valley in LancCo Midget League action. The Good Guys rallied from 4-1 down in the seventh inning to tie the game, in the ninth they walked it off at 5-4. On Tuesday Jenny was in town for a medical appointment, she and her mother brought the access van into the city and I took them home with a stop for lunch along the way. Tuesday evening marked the end of the spring dek hockey season at Reservoir Park, the Tradesmen defeated the Misfits to win the championship in a three-game sweep. The season began on April 23, we played nine weeks plus one night of week #10. We're planning on another summer draft season starting in the latter part of July. On Wednesday I was at the ballpark, the Barnstormers were hosting the Somerset Patriots. The series began on Tuesday and continued with a day/night doubleheader on this day, hockey kept me away on Tuesday and the heat kept me from the opener on Wednesday. For the Stormers 2019 has been a struggle from the proverbial word go, the club started slowly and has battled to find its footing. On this night they lost 2-1, the lone marker coming on an eighth-inning home run by Joe Terdoslavich. Buddy Baumann pitched a complete game and took the tough-luck loss surrendering just two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts. The series wrapped up on Thursday night with a single game, on this evening the offensive highlights were few and far between. Somerset scored single runs in the first, fifth and ninth and made them stand up for a 3-0 win, the Stormers mustered only five base hits and never seriously threatened. John Anderson started and worked six innings with support from ex-Colorado Rockies property Logan Sawyer and returnee Scott Shuman. The ballclub stays at home for a weekend series with Southern Maryland. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 17-23

Monday night at the rink for playoff hockey, we played the games postponed from the 13th. These were the second games of the semifinal series, the Tradesmen and Misfits both won to advance to the championship round. Had either series needed a third game it would have been on Tuesday, since that was not necessary we decided to start the finals immediately. We would generally take a night in between but since both teams played the night before there was no unfair advantage involved. The Tradesmen won on both Tuesday and Thursday to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-three series, game #3 is set for Tuesday the 25th. The hockey games were the highlight of the week, there was little else going in terms of evening activity. On Sunday my mother had an opportunity to get out of the house, she had an appointment at her usual hair salon. She had her hair done on two occasions while she was at The Hotel in April but not since, earlier in the week she said she felt mangy so I stopped in at the salon on Thursday and made the appointment. The lady at the salon asked how my mother was doing and wondered why she hadn't seen her lately, I gave her the abridged version of what's been happening. The Barnstormers spent the week on the road, they are finishing a stretch where they played fifteen out of eighteen days away from home. The three home dates against York came between an eight-day trip and a seven-game trip, they return home on the 25th. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 14-16

Friday night at the ballpark on North Prince Street, the York Revolution visited for the latest round in the Atlantic League's War Of The Roses. This was my first look at the Revs in 2019 since I've haven't been west of the river as yet (and may not be for a while). Longtime Rev manager Mark Mason is still at the helm, he has several familiar names from 2018 on his roster. On this night the visitors from the White Rose City scored early and often on the way to a never-in-doubt 12-3 victory. Every member of the lineup got into the act as the Revs built a 9-0 advantage. Alexi Casilla led the way with four hits, four runs scored and two RBI, one-time Barnstormer James Skelton had three hits, three runs scored and two runs batted in. Carlos Franco had five hits and two RBI, Melky Mesa had two hits, two runs scored and one "ribbie". Ryan Dent had a hit and scored twice, Telvin Nash had a base hit and two RBI. Isaias Tejeda had a hit and an RBI, J.P. Sportman singled and scored and Wellington Dotel picked up a base hit. All three of the Stormers runs scored on infield groundouts (RBIs credited to K.C. Hobson, Michael Martinez and Dan Gamache) as they were outhit 19-5. The starting pitchers were of record, Mitch Atkins for the Revs and Kelvin Vasquez for the Stormers. On Saturday the clubs met for a day/night doubleheader, the Revolution took the afternoon game in comeback fashion (and in my absence) 4-3. Jenny and her mother were along for the nightcap which saw the Revs jump out to a 5-0 first-inning lead. Wellington Dotel's three-run homer got it started, Angelys Nina had an RBI hit and the fifth run scored on a wild pitch. Michael Martinez went yard in the bottom of the first to get the Stormers on the board but Henry Castillo's RBI hit in the top of the third made it 6-1 Revolution. In the home third the Stormers climbed back into it on a Martinez RBI hit and sac fly from Dan Gamache, it stayed 6-3 until the bottom of the seventh when Darian Sandford picked up an RBI on a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-4. That would prove to be the final score, Jameson McGrane won it for the Revs in relief of starter Philip Walby with Matt Marksberry suffering the loss. On Sunday I was taking my personal day at home while the Revs were completing the four-game sweep with a 7-2 verdict. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 10-13

Monday morning errand run in the vicinity of the mall, on Tuesday morning my mother was at the heart doctor. They gave everything a listen and reviewed her medications, she has another appointment in mid-July. In the evening we were at the rink for opening night of dek hockey playoffs, the Misfits and Tradesmen each won to take a 1-0 lead in their respective series. Jenny and I had our midweek lunch date on Wednesday, after supper I was at McCaskey. The county Midget League season is underway, on this night the Lancaster Jr. Tornado hosted Lititz. The league teams are basically each area's high school squad minus the graduated seniors, in many ways it's a sneak preview for the following spring. The Jr. Tornado had an early lead but couldn't hold it as Lititz rallied back for a 9-6 win. Thursday was supposed to be the day for hockey playoff games #2 but the weather got in the way. We had some rain in the morning and early afternoon but in the latter part of the day the skies brightened. I was watching the radar closely, at 5:30 Don called on his way home from work. I told him there was a sizable storm system moving towards us from the west that would probably hit us around 7:00 just as the first game would be starting. I recommended erring on the side of caution and he agreed, the games were rescheduled for Monday the 17th. It proved to be the right decision, the rain arrived just before 7:00 and brought it for about a half-hour. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 6-9

Thursday night at Reservoir Park for the final night of regular-season play, as the evening progressed each result played a role in determining the playoff field. Winners were the Express over the Pub Dawgs, the Tradesmen over the Knights, Risky Business over the Owls and the Misfits over the Hammerheads. When all was said and done the semifinal matchups were established with the Tradesmen meeting Risky Business and the Misfits facing the Knights, those are best-of-three series scheduled to begin on Tuesday the 11th. A total of 127 players participated among the eight teams with 110 playing the required number of games to be playoff-eligible. Saturday lunch with Jenny was the lone highlight of an otherwise quiet weekend, the Barnstormers were out of town and there was little else going on. On Friday we had a phone call from the doctor (or more accurately one of his nurses) who performed my mother's endoscopy, they asked for an update on how she is doing. I gave them a progress report and they said they would forward it to the doctor for further evaluation. Ever since she developed the throat irritation in March all of her nourishment has been in one form of liquid or another because swallowing anything solid has been painful to near impossible. She had a stomach tumor removed in 2007 which affected her level of appetite but she was at least able to eat enough to be satisfied, she hasn't had anything that has required chewing since the throat issue began. She's getting all the nourishment she can handle, the problem is it simply isn't enough and you don't have to have a medical degree to realize it. We'll see what the doctor has to say when they get back to us. Take care, thanks for reading.

June 3-5

The new week at the rink began a night early, on Monday we played the games rescheduled from May 28. Winners were the Knights over Risky Business and the Tradesmen over the Misfits (both in regulation), the Hammerheads over the Express and the Owls over the Pub Dawgs (both in OT shootout). On Tuesday we got back on regular schedule, the Knights defeated the Hammerheads, the Tradesmen beat the Pub Dawgs, Risky Business prevailed over the Misfits and the Express bested the Owls via shootout. Jenny and I had our usual lunch get-together on Wednesday, in the evening I was on North Prince Street. The Barnstormers hosted the Sugar Land Skeeters in the middle game of a three-game series. The visitors from Texas took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, in the home fifth Greg Golson (recently-returned member of the 2014 championship club) singled and scored on a Zach Shank RBI groundout to make it 2-1. The Skeeters extended the lead with a four-run seventh, a Golson solo home run in the bottom half brought the Stormers to within 6-2. In the eighth Darian Sandford singled and touched home on a Joe Terdoslavich sac fly but a three-run ninth for the Skeeters ended any doubt, the final score was 9-3 Sugar Land. Buddy Baumann started on the hill and took the loss. Take care, thanks for reading.