April 16-30

The fourth month of 2020 ended four weeks and two days after it began with very little difference from start to finish. The governor's stay-home order is still in effect until at least May 8, the last time I was out of the house after sunset was the last hockey game in Reading on March 8. Since just about all of my outside activities are sports-oriented there is simply nothing going on. I haven't been to a movie theater in ages and I'm not a bars/clubs guy anymore but it doesn't matter because none of that is even open right now. I've taken to staying up later at night because there's no big hurry to get up in the morning, I've been sleeping later into the morning because there's no big hurry to go out for anything. My usual stop for lunch has remained open (albeit for take-out only) and I continue to patronize it because I don't want to see it out of business. There's been a lot of controversy over what constitutes essential business versus non-essential and my view is as follows: all business is essential if to nobody else but the people who own it, operate it and are employed there. The choice to be open or closed should belong to them with all risks and responsibilities assumed and understood. The choice to patronize or not patronize a business should belong to the customers under the same circumstances. Since this mess started in March I've been out-and-about each day doing what I need to as best I can with proper precautions taken and I've had no health issues at all. I recently spoke on the phone with a longtime friend who is ten years older than me, he said he hasn't been ill, he doesn't know anyone who has been ill and he doesn't know anyone who knows anyone who has been ill. I talk to Jenny every day, both she and her mother are OK save for being as bored to tears as I am. Maybe we're just fortunate or maybe this whole thing is overblown, there are a lot of people who believe the latter is true. You have health experts in the media giving conflicting viewpoints and nobody knows what to believe, you have politicians working their agendas because it's an election year and they care more about that than anything else. I don't claim to have all the answers but sooner or later the breaking point is going to arrive. If the elections were happening tomorrow I can't think of any incumbent in any office anywhere I would vote for to retain. As a guy I once knew would have said, "you can stick a fork in all them cats, they all suck". Take care, friends. Thanks for reading.

April 1-15

The fourth month of 2020 began on a Wednesday and it's hard to imagine any sophomoric April Fools Day joke less humorous than the current state of our society. The coronavirus pandemic continues and shows little sign of abating any time soon. The governor recently announced that schools would remain closed for the rest of the academic calendar year, that news put the spring high school sports season into the toilet as well. The baseball team at McCaskey had two weeks of practice and one scrimmage in the books before the plug was pulled, now it's literally "wait 'til next year". It's a shame especially for the outgoing seniors who will never get the opportunity to play at the high school level again. The state's "stay home" order has remained in place, my only outdoor activities have been for take-out lunch and groceries. On any given day I'm probably at home for twenty-two of the twenty-four hours, the worst part is that I'm getting used to it and I hate it because it SUCKS. I'd be more than happy to get out and go somewhere if there were anywhere to get out and go to. Jenny and I talk every day on the phone but I haven't seen her since March 27 and there's no telling when I might. Until things begin to stabilize and the "all clear" is issued there's no point in taking unnecessary chances with her health or her mother's (Helen is 82 and they say the elderly are the most susceptible). Right now the whole damn world is in a holding pattern and nobody can predict anything (although the so-called experts don't stop trying). Take care and stay safe, everyone. Thanks for reading.

March 16-31

It's often been said how the month of March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, the third month of 2020 will be historically remembered in a whole different way entirely. On March 12 the coronavirus pandemic put the sports world into a cocoon, the hockey game in Reading the previous Sunday was the last athletic event on my calendar for the month that took place. On the 20th the governor announced that all non-essential businesses must close and the public was encouraged to limit outside activities as much as possible. It was all for the purpose of "flattening the curve", if you needed to be out and about it was advised to practice "social distancing" to lessen the spread of germs. Here of late my days have consisted of nothing but quick morning runs for what I consider "essential reasons" and then returning home, the only exception being the days Jenny and I had lunch together. We decided we weren't going to give that up until we had to, I merely got our subs to go and we ate at her house while sitting a respectable distance apart for safety. We had lunch as usual on the 27th, later that very day the governor added our county to the list of those under "stay home" orders which meant that all non-essential travel was discouraged. I told Jenny that I probably wouldn't see her again until this is lifted because I don't wish to put her or her mother in trouble with their complex or the law itself. If someone saw me getting out of my car and going into their apartment and they know I don't live there it could be a big problem. It's not going to be any fun at all but if it keeps me, her and her mother healthy we'll just live with it because we really have no other choice. Jenny and I talk at least twice daily on the phone so we won't ever be far apart. There is no way of predicting how long this will go on, it is a unique situation unlike anything I can remember in my sixty-three years on this planet. Over the next little while I won't be here on the blog much if at all, until the world returns to a sense of "normal" there simply will be little to talk about. In the meantime, my friends: take care, STAY SAFE and I'll see you when I see you. Thanks for reading.

March 9-15

When the new week began there were a lot of jokes floating around the internet about how weird it could be, the most popular being that it started with the clock change, included a full moon and ended with a Friday the 13th. As that old expression says: "little did they know". In recent weeks there has been extensive media coverage of something called Covid-19 otherwise known as the coronavirus. It apparently developed overseas and has been working its way into North America, by all accounts it is supposed to be very serious. In the middle of the week the circumstances hit the world of sports head-on and in unforgiving fashion. A professional basketball player in Utah tested positive for the virus, upon receiving the news the entire league suspended operations nationwide until further notice. On Thursday most every other pro sport currently in season followed suit with no guarantees when (or IF) play may resume. In the ECHL the other shoe dropped on Saturday, it was announced that the remainder of the season plus playoffs would be canceled. The league began in 1988, this is the first time in its history there will be no champion. The records will forever show that the Royals' last game was a 5-1 victory in Wheeling on March 10. The final mark was 37-17-6 overall and 22-7-2 at the Arena. The Royals finished second in their division, fourth within their conference and sixth overall within the entire 26-team league. During the latter part of the week more information came to light regarding the virus, it was suggested that people remain home as much as possible and refrain from large gatherings (all of which undoubtedly played a large part in the ECHL's decision). For the record I was out and about as usual on Friday and there was no shortage of traffic, everywhere I went had plenty of activity. On Saturday I saw Jenny for lunch and nowhere we went was deserted. For my part I plan to go about my business as best I can but I will take precautions because it's the sensible thing to do (and maintaining normal accepted human hygiene is a big help as well). On Friday the governor of the state ordered schools closed until March 27 which throws the spring sports season into limbo, baseball season at McCaskey was supposed to start on the 20th. Over the next little while there won't be much happening anywhere within a sports arena, we have no choice but to ride this thing out and see where it takes us. Take care (now more than ever), thanks for reading.

March 2-8

The first full week of March had little to recommend it, this is a time of year that traditionally is very slow. The high school winter sports season has been completed, the spring season hasn't started yet and the Royals were away on a five-game road trip. The club went 4-0-1 on the trip, the last of those four wins clinched a playoff spot. It's the tenth time in the last eleven seasons the franchise has made the postseason ('18-19 the lone miss) and the fourteenth time in the club's nineteen years in downtown Reading. On Sunday the Royals returned home for a busy day at the Arena, the first order of business was the fifteenth annual Battle Of The Badges. The first eleven editions of this game featured the Reading Fire and Police as opponents, in 2017 they joined together to oppose their brethren from the Allentown/Lehigh Valley area. On this day the A-Town contingent won 8-3 to take a 3-1 lead under the current format. The afternoon's main event saw the Royals hosting the Brampton Beast for the last of their four visits to the Arena and for the home team it was an exercise in frustration. There was no scoring until the third period when the visitors from North Of The 49th struck for two goals, in the closing moments the Royals went with the extra attacker. Matthew Strome lit the lamp to make it a 2-1 game but a Brampton empty-net score in the final seconds clinched the 3-1 decision. Tom McCollum took the loss but deserved a better fate. The record stands at 36-17-6 overall at 22-7-2 at home, the boys host Norfolk for a pair of games beginning on Friday the 13th. The BOB game had started at 12:30, the Royals game ended exactly six hours later. This was also the weekend for the semiannual clock change, we lost an hour's sleep overnight into Sunday which didn't help matters at all. Evey once in a while there is talk of doing away with it and I'm not entirely certain I would object. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 26-March 1

Wednesday night hockey in downtown Reading, the Royals hosted the Maine Mariners for the fifth of their six regular-season visits. This was the first of just two Wednesday home dates for the Royals, the other comes up on March 25. On this night at the Arena the teams skated through a scoreless first period but in the middle session the Royals kicked it into another gear. Hayden Hodgson made it 1-0 just over one minute into the period, three minutes later Max Willman (back from a stint with the Phantoms) hit the twine to double the lead. Garret Cockerill's score seven minutes in gave the Royals a 3-0 lead, thirty seconds after that Thomas Ebbing struck for goal number four. Less than two minutes later Corey Mackin made it 5-0, Matthew Strome finished the barrage at the twelve-minute mark with the sixth goal of the period. The six-pack came within a 10:55 span of clock time and effectively ended the game's competitive aspect, in the third period an early goal by Pascal Laberge (also just back from the Phantoms) and a late score from newcomer Lewis Zerter-Gossage brought the final score to 8-0. The irony of it all is that both Zerter-Gossage (first-year pro from Harvard University) and winning goaltender Tom McCollum began the season with Maine, they were assigned to the Royals together when the Phantoms acquired their AHL contracts on February 20. For McCollum the shutout is his second of the season in the ECHL and first with the Royals, it is the Royals' fifth as a team. The club's mark stands at 32-16-5 overall and 22-6-2 at the Arena, the next home date is the annual Battle Of The Badges on March 8. The remainder of the week was quiet except for Saturday lunch with Jenny. Leap Year Day was chilly and very windy as was Sunday the 1st, it showed the part of that old axiom about March coming in like a lion was true. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 24-25

Tuesday afternoon at McCaskey for the bus ride northwest to central Dauphin County and the end of the line for the 2020 basketball season. The boys lost 57-55, the result ends the season with a final mark of 16-10. It was a well-played game that wasn't decided until the final seconds but the big story for JPM was the second-quarter exit of Elijah Terry. He left the game with a lower-body injury and was unable to play from that point forward. It goes without saying that any team missing their leading scorer will be adversely affected, had Elijah not been injured the game result may well have been very different. The end of any season is disappointing but these guys sucked it up and fought to the death, there are teams who would crumble under similar adversity but our squad was not among that number. Needless to say the loss hurts right now but in time the guys will realize how much they have to take pride in. The sixteen wins were by an average of 17.5 points, the ten losses by 8.5. Elijah led the team with 475 points (18.3 average), he graduates with 1279 total points. Makai Ortiz-Gray averaged 14.7 points per game and Isaiah Thomas finished with an even 10.0 PPG. The club averaged 67.2 points per game and surrendered 59.7, they were 10-2 at home and 6-8 on the road. We lose six seniors (including the three named above) but there were eleven underclassmen who appeared in a varsity game including five members of the JV squad that finished 17-5. In two years as head coach Freddy Ramos' record is 27-21 and there is no doubt that program has become healthier under his watch. We'll see what happens when the new season comes around in November. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 22-23

Had lunch with Jenny and her mother on Saturday, in the evening we were back at the Arena for game #2 of the Royals' all-Canadian home weekend. The Brampton Beast was in town for the third of their four visits. The Royals entered on an eight-game winning streak which was ended on this night in rather emphatic fashion. The visitors from the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) scored three goals in the first period, in the middle stanza Corey Mackin got the Royals on the board. Brampton replied quickly to go up 4-1, an empty-netter in the final moments put the wrap on a 5-1 decision. Veteran goaltender Tom McCollum made his Royals debut and suffered the loss. Earlier in the week the Flyers reassigned Kirill Ustemenko to the AHL Phantoms, McCollum (an eleven-year pro with a ton of AHL experience) was acquired by the organization and assigned to the Royals. The club's mark sits at 31-15-5 overall and 21-6-2 at home, the next home date is on Wednesday the 26th when the Maine Mariners visit. On Sunday the long-standing APBA baseball league my friends founded in 1978 held its annual free agent draft, I was there to moderate the proceedings. There were nine players in the inaugural season, the membership now is up to fourteen. I played in the league the first six years, three of the original group have been active for the entire run. They always contact me when the draft comes around, if I'm able to be there I take care of the bookkeeping and it makes the entire day run a lot smoother for everyone else. The meeting started at 10:30, the draft itself began before 11:00 and was finished by 2:30. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 21

We'll get the bad news out first: JPM lost on Friday night, the final score was 47-39. By all accounts it was an excellent game, the boys were in tough against the district's #1 seed on their floor and battled all the way. Wilson's coach said on social media that McCaskey was a dangerous team and gave his guys all they could handle. JPM drops into the playback round and plays on Tuesday the 25th at Central Dauphin HS in suburban Harrisburg, the winner qualifies for the state tournament as either the fifth or sixth seed from the district and the loser goes home for the season. CD entered districts as the #5 seed after winning their league championship, they beat Manheim Township in the first round and lost to Cedar Crest in the quarterfinals. It won't be easy but at this point there is no such thing as easy. While the boys were playing in suburban Reading I was only a few miles away, downtown at the Arena the Royals hosted the Newfoundland Growlers for the last of their seven visits. The Royals entered on a seven-game winning streak, on this night they made it eight straight with a one-goal decision. Matthew Strome gave the Royals the lead five minutes in, midway through the first period the Growlers tied it 1-1. Fifteen seconds later Frank DiChiara put the Royals on top for good, late in the period Brayden Low lit the lamp from in close to make it 3-1 at the intermission. In the second period Hayden Hodgson found the twine on a breakaway putting the Royals up by three, in the final period the Growlers scored an early goal and another with ten seconds left but Felix Sandstrom closed it from there to pick up the 4-3 win. The Royals improve to 21-5-2 at home and 31-14-5 overall, the Brampton Beast visit on Saturday the 22nd. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 17-20

The big highlight of the new week was Tuesday night basketball at McCaskey, the Red Tornado returned to district tournament play for the first time since 2016. JPM earned the #8 seed in the twelve-team field and with it came the right to host an opening-round game, #9 seed Chambersburg traveled eighty miles east for the 7:00 tip-off. Chambersburg was 16-6 coming in and any 8-9 matchup is basically a coin flip, it was a matter of who could establish tempo and maintain it. We fell behind 6-0 early but rallied to lead by one at the quarter, by halftime JPM was up by eleven. Chambersburg fought back to within four entering the final period, down the stretch foul-shooting helped the Red Tornado hold on for a tough 70-64 win. Makai Ortiz-Gray had the big night with 27 points (including 10-12 at the foul line), Samir Gordon added 15 and Elijah Terry had 12. Carter Gingerich scored nine points, Isaiah Thomas had five and Da-Vion Scarborough rounded out the book with a field goal. It is the program's first postseason win of any kind since the 2016 season (when the current seniors were in the eighth grade) and puts the team into the quarterfinal round. The top four seeds received byes to this round, JPM faces #1 seed Wilson (24-1) in their building on Friday the 21st. Wilson has been a regular preseason scrimmage partner in recent years, we met them in their gym in December but obviously a district playoff game is an entirely different environment. There is no question that JPM is the underdog but stranger things have happened (in 1996 when the field was bigger we were the #1 seed, we played #16 in the first round and lost). The winner advances to the semifinal round on Tuesday the 25th, the loser goes into the playback round on the same date. I am unfortunately absent on Friday but I'm only about six miles away (the Royals are at home downtown at the Arena), I'm good for the 25th and whatever happens from there. Take care, thanks for reading.