Falcons Beat Judge 7-4 in first round playoff game

A funny thing happened on the way to the playoff baseball game today. I drove from Chester, PA to Juniata to see North battle Judge in the first round of the Catholic League Red Division playoffs. What I saw when I got there was Judge and what appeared to be Archbishop Ryan. You see, with the red, white and black uniforms, I thought for a minute that I was somehow in the twilight zone. My senses got the better of me and I realized that the team in red, white and non-school color black was indeed my Falcons. I guess it’s a good thing that our manager isn’t a Judge grad; otherwise we’d be wearing pink and powder blue, just like his alma mater. Just to make sure it wasn’t just me, I gathered the entire staff of TheFalconNest.com together; everyone from the big boss down to the copy boy and we voted on whether the Falcons indeed looked like Falcons. It was unanimous, with the entire staff voting that we looked more like the Raiders than we do the Falcons. (Have I mentioned that we’re not a big fan of the white hats?) Well, we’re not a fan of the black socks either, nor are we a fan of the black stripe up the side of the pants and shirt. Last time I checked, our colors were Cardinal Red and White. There’s a lot of history and meaning to those colors, and we think that whoever picks out the uniforms should respect those traditions. Sorry for the rant, but some things bother me more than others.

Game Summary
We don’t keep a book, so I won’t rattle off any stats. We will tell you that Ryan Etsell pitched a decent game and even made some nifty plays in the field, including one play, which he caught a sharp shot up the middle and began a double play to end an inning. With the Falcons down 1-0 in the second, the team scored a run in each of the next three innings, while giving up 1 in the fourth. But, it was in the fifth inning that the Falcons exploded for four runs, mostly on good hitting, but we were also helped along by some fielding mishaps on the part of Judge. The Crusaders started a comeback of their own, only to be shut down by Etsell’s pitching and the fielders behind him, mostly notably the middle infielders, Bob Hopkins (SS) and Mike Zolk (2B) and the right fielder Freddy DiMascia, who made a couple good grabs in the outfield. Jim Ditro also played well at the catcher position.

Did You Notice……
….how many people were at the game? There may have been more people at today’s game than there has been all season combined. Let’s go folks; you have to support the team even when it’s not a playoff game.
…..the ground rule double by the Judge player? When was the last time you saw a ball hit to deep center at Piccoli and then bounce over the fence onto “O” St?
…..how much North’s uniforms look like Archbishop Ryan’s uniforms? Oh, did I already mention that? My bad.
…..that Freddy DiMascia played right field like an All Catholic player today? I’m sorry, but Freddy not being recognized as even a 2nd team AC player really sticks in my craw. (By the way, what’s a craw? I don’t know, but it sure sounds good here.)

Faces in the crowd…..
….The Murphy Suite was filled to capacity today. In addition to box owner, Tim Murphy, the game began with Murph and school counselor, Dee D’Aulerio watching the game from the first row of the luxury box. I showed up in the second inning and then, about an inning or two later, Murph welcomed some Father Judge friends, school president Father Joe Campelone and head football coach, Tom Coyle. Murph was holding those cherished seats for North’s president and head football coach, but neither was spotted at the game. All in all, it was THE place to be at this game. We even had an official Phillies usher in the box, Ed Glackin, who was on loan from the Phillies for the game. That Murph really has some pull. I'm glad he's my friend.

…..Father Kilty was offered a seat in the Murphy suite, but he chose to sit in the Oblate box along the right field line. We believe he was saying some prayers for the Falcons. If so, they really helped.

….In deep right field, several current and former students were cheering on the Falcons, including former football player Den Logue, who made a mid-game cameo appearance, and former football player, wrestler and All Catholic baseball player, Chris James, fresh off his first year at Del Val, where he plays football and baseball.

….Stopping by near the end of the game was my favorite alum, Joe Glackin (Ed’s brother), who stopped by the field to catch the last couple of innings. It’s always a pleasure to see Joe. Joe and I had a nice chat after the game.

Next Game
The Falcons take their Archbishop Ryan looking uniforms down to South Philly on Tuesday to take on a very good Neumann-Goretti Saints team at 26th and Moore Sts at 3:30ish. Come out and support the Falcons as they make another run at a PCL championship. We'll save you a seat.