The "Suicide Squeeze Sends It Into Extra Innings" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Champions of the Lancaster County Jr. Midget (ages 14 and under) Baseball League was just decided.  The Mountville Angels are the champs!  My grandson Caden has played in organized baseball for over a half dozen years now and this was the biggest game he has ever played in to date.  Lancaster County is rich in baseball tradition and just about every small town in the county has a team in the Lancaster County League.  At the end of the season the top eight teams square off in the Lancaster County Championship Tournament which is sponsored by the Lancaster Newspaper.  Caden's team ended the season as the second seed and played the 7th seeded team Donegal in the first round of the double-elimination tournament.  It took three games to advance to the semi-finals where they faced a team from Ephrata at Mt. Joy's Kunkle field.  Once again, they needed to lose two games before being eliminated in tournament.  They defeated Ephrata 6-1 to advance to the finals against a team from nearby Lititz.  They once again needed to beat the team from Lititz twice so they could be the champs.  If they happened to lose the first game they would have a second chance to try and force one final game.  Before I tell you what happened in the game, I should give you some background into the tournament that at one time was known as the New Era Tournament which was sponsored by the Lancaster New Era newspaper.  It was an honor to be a boy living in Lancaster and play in the tournament.  As a young boy I played in the Midget-Midget tournament for Schick and came to the plate in the semi-finals and hit a shot with the bases loaded.  My third-base coach had me try for a homerun, but I was tagged out at the plate.  We won, but lost in the finals that year.  While playing in the Midget tournament with the Grandview team I once again drove in a run in the quarter-finals, but lost in the next game.  My oldest son, Derek, got to play in the Jr. Midget tournament finals, but lost.  Two years later, playing in the Midget Division with the Sertoma team, his team won the championship.  My youngest son got to play in six tournaments where his team, which I coached for those six years, lost the first five years, being beaten by the same team each year.  Seems the Willow Street team had a young pitcher, who eventually played in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, that we just couldn't beat.  The final year this young man was injured and we made it to the finals where we managed to win the title against a team coached by my wife's cousin who had also played professional baseball.  Exciting times for both sons and me.  Well, fast forward to a few days ago when Mountville played Lititz in the tournament to determine the LNP champion.  

Pix in newspaper of Caden pithing in the 1st game of the finals.

At the time my wife, Carol, and I were on vacation with our daughter and her family so we watched the first game on my phone using the Game- Changer app.  Caden made the next morning's newspaper when he hit a homerun over the fence in left field.  His team won the game over Lititz by the score of 8-3.  Since it was a double-elimination tournement,

Caden (#29) crossing the plate after hitting his homerun.
This photo was taken by the newspaper photographer
and was on the front page of the Sports Section.

 if they won the next game they would be champs.  We arrived home from vacation Saturday with the game taking place on Monday evening.  Lititz needed to win to force game three and after a few innings it looked as though that was going to happen when they took a 7 run lead after 4 innings.  Then in the 5th inning Mountville scored a pair of runs to pull within 5.  Looked rather bleak when they came to  bat in the bottom of the 7th (this age plays only 7 innings) needing 5 runs, but they managed to tie up the score when Caden laid down a suicide squeeze bunt with one out and a man on third.  

The team celebrating winning the Lancaster County Championship.
Caden is the player on the right with the black batting helmet.

The runner headed home as the pitcher wound up and Caden turned to bunt.  If he missed the ball, the player would be out at home.  Didn't happen!  Perfect bunt and the game was 7-7.  Lititz got the final out, forcing another inning.  Neither team threatened in the 8th inning forcing the ninth.  Mountville held Lititz and came to bat.  The Lititz pitcher got two quick outs then Hunter Williams singled and took second when the ball was bobbled in the outfield.  

Final score on the scoreboard.  The Angels were the home team.

The next batter hit a ball to the third-baseman who bobbled it before throwing it to first.  Hunter, running with the pitch from 2nd rounded third and kept on running home as the ball was thrown late to first and the subsequent throw to home was too late as Hunter slid under the glove of the Lititz catcher.  Then the celebration began with the Angels storming the field.  Mountville ended the year at 25-7 with the big win at the end of the year to win the County Championship.  Another baseball memory for my family as well as every other family of the Mountville team.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The parent who punches in every play so everyone can watch GameChanger on their phone or computer with the  GameChanger app saw this while Caden was batting.  The app stopped working, since the parent's phone ran out of charge and could not broadcast the end of the game.  Our phones began to buzz with anxious viewers wondering what had happened.  Good results were given to each caller.

After the excitement died down, the team gathered in right field for a talk with the coaches.

The Mountville Angels coach gets doused after the game.

Caden taking the throw at first base during the championship game.

Traditional handshake after the game.

Newspaper photographer taking the celebration with the championship trophy.

Team photo.  Coach on the far left is my son, Derek, and the third person from the top right is grandson Caden.

The "Walking On The Moon!, July 20, 1969: Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading comments in an article titled "Lunar Legacy" attributed to former U.S. House of Representative Robert S. Walker.  This is the same guy who worked with me at an Acme Supermarket store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Same guy who went to Millersville State Teacher's College in nearby Millersville, Pennsylvania with me.  Same guy who presented a flag flown over the White House to Manheim Township High School where I was teaching and when he saw me at the rear of the auditorium stopped his talk, waved and told the audience that I was a friend of his since college.  Same guy with the goofy looking smile on his face all the time, just like me.  And...the same guy that one evening while working at the near empty Acme supermarket decided to see how many shoppers we could hit with grapes while working the check-out registers  In other words...he was just a normal guy at one time.  

Former Rep. Robert Walker of Lancaster, PA

Now, at the age of 75, he heads moonWalker Associates which is in Arlington, Virginia and is a lobbying firm.  At one time he was the chair of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.  In 2001 he was appointed to chair the Commission on the future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry.  In 2004 he served on the President's Commission on Implementation of the U.S. Space Exploration Policy.  At one time he was slated to fly aboard a space shuttle following Sen. Jake Darn of Utah and Rep. Bill Nelson of Florida, but that all ended after the Challenger crashed in 1986.   Back on July 20, 1969 he was working for U.S. Representative Ed Eshelman.  When Apollo 11 landed and the moonwalk began, he and his wife were in awe of the achievement. Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldren were good friends at the time and still remain friends.  He was going to be with them last Saturday to celebrate the anniversary of their landing.  He said the goal now is to take humans outside low-Earth orbit and back to the moon and on to Mars.  There is now a plan to have humans back on the moon by the end of 2024.  The goal is to return and remain their permanently.  A mission such as this would be an international mission, but will require American leadership.  We are now in competition with China to be the First Nation to have a permanent presence on the moon.  His new company is involved with consulting practices on space-related activities.  He is now working with a company that is tying to create a system to clean up space debris as well as another company that is looking to harvest solar power in space and then beam it down to Earth for use as base-load power.  Bob has come a long way since the early 1960s when we both went to Millersville.  His name may be noticed in the future as part of a new chapter in space exploration.  And, I'm proud that I was his friend at one time.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Walking On The Moon!, July 20, 1969: Part I" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Trying to remember what I was doing the day that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.  It was Sunday July 20, 1969 that he gingerly descended from the spider-like lunar module the Eagle, with his hefty backpack and bulky space suit, and became the first human to every walk on the moon.  Where were you?  Were you even born at that time?  I had been married for a little over two years at the time and can still remember watching TV with my wife as he walked in what seemed like slow motion across the moon before sticking the United Stated flag into the surface of the moon for all to see.  I do remember reading about some of the events that took place in Lancaster, Pennsylvania during the walk on the moon.  It was reported that every TV in St. Joseph's Hospital in Lancaster was tuned to the walk.  

Apollo 11 Pilot Michael Collins.  Led the way to the moon!

A local woodworker made a solid walnut box with an inlay that depicted the six phases of the moon and mailed it to President Nixon to keep moon debris in it.  Whether the President ever got it was not known.  At the local Host Town Motel on Keller Ave., they stopped the showing of a Bridget Bardot movie on their TV channel so all visitors at the motel could watch the walk on the moon.  After Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's first steps, they continued the movie.  One local lady didn't believe it really happened.  She said it was contrary to God's will and the moon was not meant to be explored since the scriptures say that man is to inhabit Earth and God is to inhabit the heavens.  Those who worked for the city of Lancaster had Monday off to celebrate. It was also reported that the Saturn V Rocket was almost twice the size of Lancaster's Griest Building, the tallest building in downtown Lancaster.  

Neil Armstrong 

The Griest building stands 187 feet, 8 inches tall while the Saturn was 363 feet in height.  The more I read about the landing 50 years ago, the more my memory was able to recall facts from that special day.  Do you remember that there were three astronauts aboard Apollo 11; Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.  At times people forget about Collins.  Did you know that there were nine astronauts who died before the flight of the Apollo 11.  There were also 20 flights into space before Apollo 11 lifted off.  It took 195 hours, 18 minutes and 35 seconds to complete the mission to the moon.  

Buzz Aldrin saluting the U.S.A. flag on the moon.

The total distance to the moon and back in miles was 953,054.  To do that in under 200 hours meant they were really flying (pun intended).  It was said that 600 Million people viewed the moon walk and the final bit of information is that it cost the citizens of the United States $25.4 billion to send three astronauts to the moon so they could walk on it.  

The front page of the Lancaster New Era.

There are still some people who don't believe anyone really walked on the moon.  They believe it was all a Hollywood production that was done to fool the public.  5-10% of Americans believed it was all staged; 12% of Britons and 20% of Italians don't believe we landed on the moon; 55% of Russians do not believe that we landed men on the moon.  So, after 50 years, how do you feel.  Did it really happen?  What did they ever do with the pieces of moon that they were said to have returned to earth with during the mission?  How did the astronauts feel after walking on the moon.  Do you ever look at the moon and think that the United States actually had two of our citizens step foot on it?  Do you take pride in our country for being the first to walk on the moon?  I still have the front page of the paper showing that famous day, June 20, 1969 when Buzz Aldrin stood next to the U.S. flag on the moon, saluting it.  And...I actually believe it happened!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Oh, The Memories Of That Old Organ" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sunday, July 14 and today was the last day that St. James Episcopal Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania would use their historic four-manual organ that was installed 71 years ago.  The James Hale Steinman Memorial Organ was played for the last time at the 10:30 a.m. service at St. James.  The organ has become too expensive to maintain and doesn't use the current technology that is available in today's church organs.  Mr. Steinman donated the organ to St. James in 1948 in memory of Caroline Morgan Hale Steinman.  James Hale Steinman was the publisher of Lancaster Newspapers, now LNP Media Group.  The organ was built by the Gundling Organ Company from Lancaster and was a major upgrade from the previous organ.  In 1968, the organ was rebuilt with a gift from members of the Steinman family.  The rebuild included new organ pipes that fill three rooms behind the large organ.  Then in 1994 the Steinman Foundation gifted another $50,000 to help extend the life of the organ for another 20 years.  But, now the console, mechanical pipes and analogue technology has become too hard to maintain.  

Mr. George Rodgers playing on the church organ pre-1948.

My father, Paul, used to tell me stories of the church organist and choir- master, Mr. Rodgers, who could make the keyboard come alive with music when my father was a young boy singing in the St. James Boys Choir.  Mr. George Rodgers spent 32 years at the keyboard of the old organ before the new one was installed in 1948.  

Mr. Frank McConnell at the keyboard of the
James Hale Steinman Memorial Organ.  I used
to turn the pages for Mr. McConnell as a child.

Later, Mr. Frank McConnell became the organist and choirmaster at St. James and I had the same experience that my father did as a child when I sang in the Boys Choir as well as adult choir and had the chance to watch Mr. McConnel's hands fly over those keys as he reached for stop after stop to enhance the music as well as watch his feet walk across the foot pedals to add more bass to the organ piece he was playing. I was one of the lucky choirboys who had the honor to turn pages as Mr. McConnell would play the Saturday organ recitals during the Easter season.  

The cassette tape insert of Mr. Frank
McConnell at the keyboard of the James
Hale Steinman Memorial Organ.  I took
the photo as well as printed the inserts.

My three children also had the chance to be members of the youth choir and once again watch as Mr. Mcconnell made that old organ come to life.  I still have a cassette tape that I printed the insert for that features Frank McConnell at the St. James Organ.  Oh, the memories of that old organ that will never be forgotten.  My wife and I were married at St. James Church and for the recessional Mr. McConnell played the Toccata and Fugue in d minor by Johann Sebastian Bach.  We will never forget the chills we felt when Mr. McConnell began playing and we turned to walk down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs.  The old organ was a part of my life from 1948 until a few days ago.  After Mr. McConnell retired and the choir gained a series of new choirmasters in the past several years, the one constant was that old organ.  How I will miss that old piece of wood, metal and ivory.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "A Disaster, But The Food Was Good! Story

It was an ordinary day.  Down-loading the photos I had taken with my iPhone of the Island Grill in Ocean City, New Jersey where we had just eaten our evening meal.  The menu tonight featured some of the most unusual offerings for dinner in the restaurant at the north end of the city.  

"Dinner Specials"  Click to enlarge.

Specials such as Grilled Kangaroo & Pear Purse Ravioli, Kobe Truffle Burger, Camel Burger, Elk Burger and Wild Boar Tenderloin with Sautéed Haystack Onions were listed on the Dinner Special.  The menu items were rather unique, but the service will keep us from returning to this restaurant that for years has been one of our favorites.  My wife and I, along with our daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters waited about 30 minutes before being seated.  That's not unusual for a good restaurant during the summer months in Ocean City.  But, after being seated, at two different tables, the evening turned into a disaster.  

Family Courtney, Dave, Camille and daughter Brynn.

My wife and I had one waiter while the other four had another waitress.  The table next to us, with 10 young adults, had been seated over 30 minutes before and still had no food or drinks in front of them.  Carol and I feared it may happen to us, but we were waited on immediately and had a drink and salad in front of us in about 10 minutes.  

Across from them, we are eating our meal.  This photo was
taken less than a minuted after the one above and as you
can see we have our meal while they don't even have water.

The other part of our family waited close to 20 minutes before the waitress stopped to take the drink orders.  Carol and I actually had our meal brought to us before the table of 10 had their salads in front of them.  Our meals were very good with Carol having Seafood Mac & Cheese while I had Lobster Raviolis in a Blush Sauce.  

My meal of lobster raviolis in blush sauce.

The pasta covering on the ravioli was rather unique with multi-colored strips of pasta.  We felt as if we should wait until the rest of our party had their meal, but knew it might take quite some time.  As we ate our meal, our family's waitress arrived to take their drink and salad orders.  

Carol's meal of Seafood Mac & Cheese.

As we finished our dinner, our family was just having their meal delivered.  Their food did look delicious, but the lateness of its arrival took some of the enjoyment away from their meal.  Since we had walked to the restaurant, we chose not to wait outside the restaurant in the heat, and headed home.  They did report their meal to be delicious, but the experience will be taken to another restaurant next year in hopes of better service.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Marty Is Watching You!" Story

Marty waiting in the produce aisle for cleanup.

It was an ordinary day.  Walking the aisles of our local Giant Supermarket when I was approached by someone very unusual.  Guy by the name of "Marty" who had giant eyes and a name tag declaring that he really was "Marty".  The big difference about Marty and the other employees at the supermarket is that he is a Giant google-eyed robot who assists in finding spills and notifying the store office so they can send someone to clean up the spill.  Marty maneuvered past me in the produce aisle and before long he stopped.  Within seconds I heard a voice over the loud speaker telling someone to go to the produce section and clean up a spill.  "Marty" is part of a pilot program initiated by the Giant Supermarket chain located in nearby Harrisburg, PA.  By the middle of the month they expected to have a robot patrolling each of their 172 stores including the eight in nearby Lancaster County.  The robot is said to be an offspring of Cookie Monster and a tackling dummy.  My wife looked at it and moved behind me saying, "now that's really spooky."  It's job, as I said, is to find spills as well as check for other obstructions that could cause an accident in the store.  When it finds a spill it calls the office, posts itself next to the spill and begins flashing its light.  Once the spill is removed, an employee pushes a button and activates Marty once again.  Using robotics and artificial intelligence in grocery stores is a fairly new concept and Giant Supermarket is embracing the idea.  The robots are a partnership between Giant, Ahold Delhaize USA and Jabil subsidiary Badger TechnologiesTM.  The robot is said to be able to do more than check for spills.  It can help keep items in stock and check to make sure the prices are correct on merchandise.  As far as the look of the robots, the giant eyes were added during one of the robot's first in-store tests.  Customers enjoy the looks of the robot which only make noise when they alert customers of a spill.  As for my wife, she still thinks the things are creepy!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "My Favorite Architecture In The USA" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Opened my email folder on my desktop iMac and began reading the multitude of mail I get every day.  I clicked on one that had a title of "Favorite pieces of architecture in the USA" and began looking at what the author of the article picked as his favorite building in each state.  All were very interesting, but I picked out my favorites and though I would share them with you.  Five of the places I have visited or have seen in my lifetime and I also found them to be remarkable.  My list is just as the author had made his list...in alphabetical order.  Perhaps you too have had a chance to visit a few of my picks and maybe after seeing the architecture that follows, you may be inspired to visit a few.  For those living in another country, if you ever visit the USA, you may want to stop at one of these buildings.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is located near Sedona, Arizona.  It was designed by one of Frank Lloyd Wright's students, Marguerite Brunswig Staude.  It juts out from the colorful red cliffs with the large stained glass window overlooking the Verde Valley. Click on photos to enlarge them.

This is the Air Force Academy Chapel located just north of  Colorado Springs,  Colorado.  This is a fantastic example of modernist architecture.  The Cadet Chapel is an iconic symbol of the Academy and features 17 spires with 100 identical 75-foot-long tetrahedrons.

The Center for Human and Civil Rights is located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.  Being a Philadelphia Phillies fan, it was hard to type that last sentence since the Braves are one of the arch-rivals of my favorite pro team.  This remarkable piece of architecture connects the American Civil Rights movement to today's struggle for global human rights.  This building was designed by the same architectural firm that designed the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

This is the USS Arizona Memorial located in Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.  I have stepped on this memorial twice in my life and each time it was a very moving experience.  Beneath the memorial rests 1,102 sailors who were killed in the December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor.  It is tough not to shed a tear or two as you stand, looking into the surrounding waters of the memorial.  It was built in 1962 and since that time close to 120 million visitors have set foot on its deck.

I love the look of this modern building.  It is the Visual Arts Building of the University of Iowa located in Iowa City.  Students of the University as well as visiting artists exhibit their craft ranging from ancient metalsmithing to VR technologies.  The original building was destroyed in a flood and was replaced in 2008 with this piece of art.

Wouldn't you love to have a library in your town that looks like this one that is located in Baltimore, Maryland.  It is part of the Johns Hopkins University and opened in 1878.  It is known as the George Peabody Library and has five tiers of cast-iron balconies that rise to a skylight that runs the entire length of the room.

Many people don't think of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri as a piece of architecture , but the 630-foot monument deserves to be recognized for what it really is...the tallest free-standing piece of art in the world.  Is sits on the Mississippi River and is a tribute to the American spirit.  

Even Montana made my list of favorite architectural designs.  This is the Cathedral of Saint Helena and was designed by architect A.O. Von Herbulis to look like Vienna's Neo-Gothic church, Votivkirche.  Building began in 190 and was finished in 1914.  The spires rise 230 feet above the street and can be seen all over Helana.  The stained glass windows came from Bavaria and tell the Christian story from the fall of Adam and Eve to the early 20th century.

This is the coolest building in Nevada.  I can't imagine what the crew that had to build this place thought when they saw the architectural drawings.  It is the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.  It was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry and opened in 2010.  It is located in Las Vegas.

During one of our vacations to the Caribbean, Carol and I flew into New York on the way home.  As we approached the New York airport we could see from our plane windows the skyline of New York City.  One World Trade Center stood out as it was meant to do so.  This fantastic piece of architecture is also known as the Freedom Tower and is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center Complex that was destroyed on 9/11.  It is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and was designed by the same firm that planned the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.  It is 104 stories tall and opened in 2014.

How could anyone drive past this piece of architecture and not notice it?  It is the Longaberger Company Headquarters in Newark, Ohio.  The companies the world-leader in quality hand-made baskets.  But, the sad part of this place is that the company no longer uses it for their office.  It has set vacant since 2016.

Ah, my favorite!  Naturally, since it is Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous architectural  designed house located in the Greater Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania.  Mill Run is home to Fallingwater, the home that looks like it is floating about a 30-foot waterfall.  He designed it in 1935 and was completed two years later.  One of its greatest features is the gravity-defying cantilevered balconies.

One more place that I have visited in my lifetime.  After getting married in 1967, Carol and I took a trip up the east coast on the United States from our home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Along the way we made a visit to what is known as The Breakers which is located in Newport, Rhode Island.  The architects were told to design an Italian Renaissance-style palace inspired by the 16th century palazzos of Genoa and Turin.  The manor was completed in 1895.  What I remember the most about the place was that it had both hot and cold regular water as well as salt water in the main bathroom.

No, this is not the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.  It is the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee.  It is a full-size replica of the ancient landmark.  The original Parthenon in Tennessee was part of the state's Centennial Expo in 1895-97 and remained after the expo closed due to its popularity.  But it fell into ruin and was replaced with the current one.  In 1990, a 42-foot-tall statue of Athena was added to the temple's interior. 

The "Steve...'The GameChanger' Man" Story

It was an ordinary day.  That was until game time!  We were all gathered 'round the supper table in our rental in Ocean City, New Jersey, eating smoked pork sandwiches and roasting ears (corn-on-the-cob for those that have never heard of roasting ears) that our son-in-law Dave had prepared for our evening meal when my daughter, Brynn, said, "You know it just about six o'clock!"  

That meant it was time to turn on "Game- Changer" and listen and watch my grandson Caden's baseball game on my cellphone.  A few months ago I wrote another story about sitting in a restaurant high atop a hill on the island of St. Martin eating pizza and watching my grandson's baseball game with the owner of the restaurant.  He had some knowledge of the game of baseball, but found it fascinating to be able to watch the game on my phone while Carol and I ate dinner in his restaurant.  

Steve entering the last pitch into his phone.

So what exactly is "GameChanger" and how does it work.  To tell you the truth, I'm not totally sure what to tell you!  "GameChanger" is a mobile app and website that provides scorekeeping, stats, Live GameStreams and recap stories to thousands of baseball, softball and basketball teams and their fans.  "GameChanger" has over 60,000 active scoring teams in those sports in every age group.  My grandson is 14 years old and plays baseball in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in a county league that has over 20 other teams.  And...if I'm not able to physically be sitting along the foul line, I can still watch his game on my cellphone.  Unbelievable!  And...I love it!  Tonight another part of my family is cheering for Caden and his Mountville Angels team as they play the 3rd game of the best of 3 games to see who will enter Lancaster County's LNP New Era Baseball Tournament.  

At the end of the game the final result
appears on the screen.

The tournament is the culmination to the baseball season for many youth in the county and is sponsored by the Lancaster Newspaper.  I played in the tournament as a youngster, my oldest son played in it and my youngest son, whose team I coached, won the tournament in the Midget division, when he was 15 years old.  We all got nylon jackets for winning and a trip to see the Philadelphia Phillies as our reward for winning.  Well, the "GameChanger" screen appeared on my phone and everyone around the dinner table gasped as the team from nearby Donegal took a two-run lead after the first inning. We were home team and in the bottom of the 2nd, Caden came to bat and walked his first time up.  I should tell you that you can't see actual people on the phone screen, but a representation of the field with green grass and dirt basepaths.  All player's names are shown at the base they may be playing or in the outfield, pitcher's mound or catcher.  The batter's name appears at home plate when they are at bat.  As each pitch is thrown, a strike, ball or hit is shown on the screen.  If the pitch resulted in a hit, the base to which the batter reached will show the batters name.  Now...how does all this work?  In the case of the game we are watching, Steve, the father of one of the players, is holding his phone in his hand and must enter each play as it unfolds during the game.  Every pitch is counted and that number is listed under the name of the player who is pitching.  Every ball and strike is listed be it a "called" strike or a "swinging strike".  As baserunners begin to reach base, their movements are shown on the screen.  If a ball is hit by the batter to the infield or outfield, a dotted line goes in the direction of the hit ball.  Then on the screen appears the result such as "Double", "Triple" or even Hit-By-Pitch if that happens to be the case.  Steve must touch his phone screen on every pitch with the information so we, sitting half-way around the world or a few miles away can watch the game.  

Team photo after the game had ended.  Scoreboard result shows their win.  My grandson is directly under the #2 on the bottom of the scoreboard.

Tonight we cheered Caden to victory as he scored two of the six runs for his team as they won 6-2 and advanced to the New Era Tournament.  So, just how does "GameChanger" work?  The app is free for coaches, scorekeepers and team administrators as well as family of those who are associated with the team.  The company that has the website charges for others who want to watch as well as if you want box scores, season stats, recap stories and in-game alerts.  The site was launched in 2010 by co-founders Ted Sullivan and Kiril Savino.  I want to personally thank them for allowing me to follow my grandson's games even if I can not be in attendance.  And, I also want to thank Steve for taking the initiative and time to stand next to the dugout and record every pitch and the results of what happens during the game.  He is a busy man and must record everything from each pitch to changing the names on the screen as some players leave the game and others take their place.  An amazing app that allows a Tampaw, which is what my grandkids call me, a chance to relive his youth and coaching days all over again.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

PS - This story was written two days ago after the game, described above, was played.  Last evening the Mountville Angels team defeated Ephrata in the first round of the Lancaster New Era Tournament to advance to the next round that will be held tonight.  I will eventually post another story telling of the results of the tournament.  

The "Wednesday With The Saints" Story

St. James Episcopal in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania

It was an ordinary day.  Checking out the St. James Episcopal Church email that I receive every week that tells of the services that are offered this week as well as any special events being held and a feature that I enjoy called "Wednesdays with the Saints".  

Bishop William White

Today's Saint was Bishop William White who played a big part in the consecration of our rebuilt church in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Bishop White was a key figure in the establishment of the Constitution of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA.  Shortly after the American Revolution, when peace had been restored in our new country, life began to return to normal in everyday life, work and worship.  At St. James Episcopal the boards that had covered the windows of the church were removed.  

St. James' original church in Lancaster.

They had been placed over the windows when the church had been closed due to the rector, The Rev. Thomas Barton, being a loyalist to England and being forced to leave Lancaster.  To keep the church safe it was boarded up and church was not held until after the war had ended.  St. James appointed the Rev. Joseph Hutchins to resume and renew parish life.  

The "new" St. James at Duke and Orange Streets.

At the same time the Rev. William White, who was  the Rector of Christ Church in Philadelphia, called a meeting to discuss how the American congregations of the Church of England should move forward.  Representing St. James of Lancaster were William Parr, Edward Hand and George Ross, Jr.  On September 14, 1786 the Diocese of Pennsylvania was established and the Rev. William White, D.D. was elected the first Bishop of the Diocese.  Five years later he returned to England to be consecrated in Lambeth Chapel by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, assisted by the Bishop of Bath and Wells and the Bishop of Peterborough.  

The Rev. Thomas Barton who was loyal
to the Church of England and had to leave.

Rev. White's consecration as a bishop was the first one outside England that didn't require allegiance to England.  On Sunday, October 15, 1820, seventy-six years after the founding of St. James Episcopal in Lancaster, the Rt. Rev. William White consecrated our "new building."  He said, "I here consecrate and set apart for divine worship the rebuilt Church of St. James in the City of Lancaster, agreeably to the form of consecration of a church or chapel ordained and of one in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America."  So, this week our church was celebrating the life of William White, first Bishop of Pennsylvania.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

One of my altered Polaroid prints of the archway at St. James.

A photograph I took of the courtyard from the belltower.

The interior of the historic church at the corner of North Duke and East Orange Streets.

The "How Old Do You Want To Be When You Die?" Story

Foreword:  Death and dying isn't something that you think about all the time.  That is until you get older.  Well, since I am getting older, and I subscribe to magazines geared toward older people, more is written about death and dying.  Gruesome, right!  Today's story tells about what I have found published recently in a variety of books and magazines as well as newspapers.  Is it just me, or do you think death and dying is more on the minds of many in today's society?

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an amazing article in AARP titled "A New Age".  A multi-page article that features photographs from the acclaimed photojournalists of Magnum Photos which captured scenes of aging around the world.  I'm not sure, but I believe I would be titled as old by many who are reading this story.  I'll be 75 years old in a few months, but I find that I am just as busy today as I was when I taught school.  I still work three part-time jobs that I enjoy, go on vacation to beautiful places in the world, take in many athletic events that my grandkids participate in, take care of an acre of landscape around my home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and still find time to write a story a day on my blog which I began nine years ago.  And, I'm not old!  Not to me.  Yeah, some days I have a hard time with my leg, foot and back, but I have it better than most people my age and perhaps better than many who are younger than me.  Another story I recently read told that Swiss immunologist, Rolf Zinkernagel, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 1996 believes that the lifespan of humans has far exceeded what it was intended it to be.  He believes that we were built to reach 25 years of age and all the rest is luxury.  Many now face an old age spent in nursing homes.  And, who wants to spend the rest of our lives in a place that values safety and protocol over independence and living.  So what are the consequences for society if the average life expectancy were to reach...say 100 years old?  He says we face the prospect of a large amount of centenarians cared for by poorly paid immigrants.  The children of these centenarians can expect to work well into their 70s and possibly their 80s which will mean less opportunities for the young to get work.  Baby boomers are now reaching their 60s and 70s and demand a well-funded and active lifestyle.  My dad lived to be 87 years old while my mom lived to be 90.  What does that mean for me?  Is living to be that old bad for society?  I must admit that today I spend more time visiting doctors than I did when I was 25 or even 50.  But so what!  Medicine today is keeping us alive, be it good or bad.  Would it be best to die younger to allow more space on our planet for those that are being born today?  Today, life expectancy for the average woman in the United States is 81 while for men it is 76.  If I use those numbers...you will only be reading this blog for another year.  Kind of scary...at least for me!  But, since I made it this far, I may have more than one year left, since life expectancy is based on the age of death from the day you were born and since I have just about reached my maximum age, it will increase since many others have died before me to help my chances of reaching a higher age.  Does that make sense?   So how do most people die?  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies the ways to die into 113 causes, which are grouped into 20 categories of disease and external causes.  About a third of people die from diseases of the respiratory system and the rest is so gruesome that I have decided to end this story at this point.  Too depressing!  Have to grab my beach chair and umbrella and head down the street to the beach.  Hope to post another story tomorrow...God willing.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "News At It's Best": Part II" Story

8 West King Street which is where the
Lancaster Newspaper has been printing
my entire life.  I will miss visits to the
place, but am hoping the move will bring
a better and more up to date newspaper.

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about the return to Lancaster County of a state-of-the-art printing press on which the Lancaster Newspaper will once again be printed.  Since May of 2015 the Lancaster newspaper has been printed in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania which is about an hour from Lancaster.  Late night news happenings very seldom make the morning news due to the distance factor and time required to get the newspaper "to press" on time for early morning delivery.  The newspaper which is printed in Mechanicsburg is top quality and I enjoy the format, but it is too far from the Lancaster County readers.  Bringing back the printing of the newspaper to Lancaster County should increase the readership.  Steinman Communications, owners of the Lancaster Newspaper, are moving the printing of the newspaper to a 48,000-square foot leased building on Hempstead Road which is to the north-east of the city of Lancaster.  

The printing press that was housed
at 8 West King Street.  I visited many
times and enjoyed watching the
operation of the press in the making
of the Lancaster newspaper.

Moving the printing back to Lancaster will make it easier to include late breaking news once again.  The state-of-the-art press, which was said to be a quality used press made available due to other printing operations consolidating around the country, will be run by 30 to 40 employees, thus opening new positions for Lancaster residents.  With the new press will also come access to online local archives that date to 1795.  I'm anxious for both operations to take place in the near future.  But, that is not the only news about Lancaster Newspapers in Downtown Lancaster.  It was recently reported that the newspaper will move from their ages-old building at 8 West King Street, were they have been since 1906, to a new location at 101 N. Queen Street, a block-and-a-half away from their old home.  The new location will be more efficient and more physically attractive.  Their new location will be known as 101NQ.  They will be located on the second level of a new building that is now under construction in a 40,000-square-foot space.  It was said to be an exciting new chapter for the Lancaster Newspaper.  Those associated with the physical printing of the daily newspaper will be moved to the Hempstead Road facility.  Good things are coming to Lancaster and its news outlet.  I can hardly wait!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Photo that was in the newspaper showing the new press at the Hempstead Road building.