It was really cold on Monday, like negative wind chill cold. When I stopped to pick up breakfast at Rutter’s out on Leader Heights there was a guy pumping gas in a short sleeve T-shirt. That guy was either nuts or immune to the cold. Made my weekly stop at Gift Horse as well.
Tuesday brought Red Lion to York High. York is taking everyone’s best shot now and it is the Lions turn. The game was tied at half and ended regulation in a tie. Red Lion’s Phil Douglas couldn’t miss in the first half and not all of them were easy shots. In the first OT Red Lion’s star sophomore Devantae Dennis hit a 3 to put Red Lion up with less than a minute to go. It all seemed to be over after a charging call and subsequent free throws putting Red Lion up three but as time expired Clovis Gallon Jr. hit a 3 to tie it. Lions coach Steve Schmel had steam coming out of his ears since he thought his foot was on the line but the ref just turned and walked away. Schmel goes ballistic when he thinks a call goes against him (of course when calls go his way that’s all fine and dandy with him) and he went off a few times tonight. He should be T’d up more often. With the momentum now in York’s favor they dominated the second OT period and won 77-69. It was made all the more satisfying since 5 York High players fouled out. The game got pretty rough too, there was a scuffle between players that had to be broken up by the school police. Not one Lion fouled out.
The Baseball Hall of Fame class was announced on Tuesday as well. I was not surprised that Rivera made it, just that he was unanimous. There has always been that one person that reasons that since Babe Ruth was not a unanimous pick no one should be. Guess those old curmudgeons are gone. Not surprised with Edgar Martinez as well. I was surprised that Mike Mussina got in this year and I bet the Montoursville boys basketball game that night was packed. I was surprised that Roy Halladay made it in on the first ballot. He was a great pitcher, I saw him several times with the Blue Jays and Phillies and I did see him take a no-no into the 7th when he was with the Jays, but I didn’t think the numbers were there over a career, especially since it ended prematurely. Of course Halladay himself won’t get to enjoy it since he died in a plane crash a few years ago. I thought he’d be a Hall of Famer but not on the first ballot so that shows what I know.
I saw Rivera several times. Only saw Mussina once. He had left the Orioles by the time I started to go to games and I saw him for the Yankees at the tail end of his career (might have even been his last year). He was just blah that night only going 5 innings but I at least got to see him. I’d have felt really bad should Mussina have been another Greg Maddux for me. For those who do not understand that statement, I never saw Maddux pitch in person. I attended two games where he was scheduled to start but was scratched and two others where he was warming up in the bullpen to come in but never did. Never saw Martinez play. I saw the Mariners during his career but he did not play in the game. I don’t think it was a Mike Piazza-esque situation, I just think he got the night off. For clarity, I never saw Piazza either, the only time I had the chance to see him he was on the Oakland A’s DL. I think from now on I will have seen every Hall of Fame player in person, at least those going in from the BBWA.
For the record Kevin’s picks for the Class of 2020 are: Curt Schilling and Derek Jeter. Not an inspiring group coming onto the ballot. Of course the big question will be Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens too, and if you put them in you have to put in Sammy Sosa too and Alex Rodriguez when he becomes eligible.
On Wednesday I skipped York High’s game up at Harrisburg. It was played at 5 and varsity only due to the recent large fight at the school and York lost a close one but the worst news was York’s second leading scorer going down with a broken hip. I went over to Elizabethtown to see Juniata make their yearly visit there. They only come into the area once a year during conference play and while they are not terribly good I only get one chance for this. First up was a stop at Bube’s Brewery in Mt. Joy for dinner and a brew and then I made my yearly stop at Moo-Duck in Etown too. Love the name! Thought about a stop at Twisted Bine but I’ll save that for later since I also need to get back for Cox. This is an underrated beer locale in the area, from Mt. Joy to Middletown.
My stay at Etown was short. Juniata got down big early and the hole kept getting dug deeper and deeper. They couldn’t hit a thing, even getting blocked by the rim on multiple wide open layups. Etown on the other hand couldn’t miss. Juniata was down 24 at half so I cut my losses and left. Etown won 70-43. I made a beeline over to York College since they were playing Frostburg. I arrived about halfway through the first half with York up double digits. They continued to pile on, getting up by 32 in the second half. Frostburg made the score look a bit closer when they kept their first string in against York’s third string but York won 87-75.
Didn’t make it up to Northeastern for the game on Friday. Was otherwise occupied. York won 71-57. Thought that they could win but not by that margin.
Saturday presented somewhat of a quandary. York College was taking on #15 ranked Christopher Newport at 3 and York High was taking on Chester at 5. I wouldn’t be able take in both games in their entirety. Well the quandary was solved for me when some jackass made a threat against York High and the game wound up being canceled. Nice going a-hole.
The college game was quite possibly the best game I’ve seen all year. CNU would get up by 7-10 points, York would come back, CNU would get back up again and wash, rinse repeat. York took the lead at the end of the half but CNU immediately took control in the 2nd half. It didn’t seem like it was in the cards and CNU had a large enough lead going into the last minute that I contemplated leaving to beat traffic. (OK maybe it was because I had to pee since I visited Liquid Hero for a brew before the game). CNU turned it over on back to back posessions and York clawed back in. Up 1 CNU missed both free throws and Jared Wagner put York up 1 with about 5 seconds left. CNU missed the ensuing 3 and that was that. York wins 82-81. That would be the third ranked team that York has taken down this year.
