Abington Latest Suburb to Mull a Plastic Bag Ban

Bryce Harper reacts after being left stranded on second base during the ninth inning in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. / Photograph by Harry How/Getty Images

We know you already know about the Phils last night, so we’re just gonna bury that news in the Sports Desk report and stick to happier news up here. For example! Congratulations to 16-year-old Nathanael Barlow, whose soulful performance in the renowned Amateur Night at the Apollo talent competition earned him a berth as a semi-finalist. Per this WHYY report, the member of the New Covenant Church of Philadelphia’s choir will perform in the semi-finals on November 22nd; you can hear him here.

Making Her-Story …

Congrats also go out to Kelsey Koelzer of Glenside’s Arcadia University who’s just become the first Black head ice hockey coach in the history of NCAA hockey. The Hatboro-Horsham grad, who played in college at Princeton University, started Arcadia’s program in 2019 and built it to a winning record last year; KYW Newsradio’s Matt Leon interviews her here.

It’s in the Bag?

Abington Township is the latest local locale considering a ban on plastic bags. As we reminded the husband recently after he stopped at Wegmans and was caught bagless, you can always just wheel your groceries right out to your car and put them in the bags you have stored in your trunk but somehow never remember to bring into the store.

Not Exactly Lifelike

And just in time for Halloween, here’s a macabre report on a dead man whose body lay in a front yard in Rowan County, North Carolina, for a week while everyone who saw it assumed it was a holiday decoration. A lawn crew even mowed around the body. Brrr!

By the Numbers:

4th: Where Pennsylvania stands on a list of Candy Capitals of the U.S. that ranks states by the candy-making industry’s impact on their economies. Thanks, Hershey’s, Just Born and Reese’s!

22nd: Villanova’s men’s hoops team’s ranking in the AP pre-season college basketball poll; they’re the only local team to make the top 25.

3: Sets of twins on Rowan University’s women’s soccer team this season — two identical and one fraternal. Confusing!

1st: Haverford Township’s rank in a study that compared car insurance costs to find the best drivers in Pennsylvania. Delco represent!

And from the Oh-Hell Sports Desk …

Ranger Suárez and Brandon Pfaadt battled it out pitch for pitch for six scoreless innings before Andrew Saalfrank came in for the D’backs and Jeff Hoffman for us, and both got the job done. Each team only had two hits through five innings, and Ranger and Pfaadt both had lots of strikeouts — the Arizona rookie had nine, his season high. Ranger got his arse saved by this great Bryson Stott play, but then again, Ranger did cover first:

Bryson stott should 100% win the gold glove pic.twitter.com/16aQhR6lro

— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) October 19, 2023

In the top of the seventh, the Phils got something going at last off Ryan Thompson; Harper walked, and after a double play, he scored from third on a wild pitch to J.T. Realmuto! Phils up, 1-0! Bryce was psyched! But the D’backs tied it up off rookie Orion Kerkering in their half with three straight hits, so out he came for José Alvarado with men on first and third. And José swiftly managed to get out of the trouble with a double play, 6-4-3.

This was a great double play turn by Trea Turner and Bryson Stott. 🔥

[via @TalkinBaseball_]pic.twitter.com/KqFPRnl9vD

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) October 19, 2023

That kept it tied, with a runner still at third, but a ground-out ended the flurry. Kevin Ginkel took the mound for Arizona and struck out Castellanos and Marsh, then got Johan Rojas on a little tapper. It was Alvarado again in the bottom of the eighth, and he struck out Ketel Marte and got Corbin Carroll on a line drive that Rojas just got to. But Gabriel Moreno then doubled off the wall — his second double of the game — to bring up local product Christian Walker, who thoughtfully hit a ground-out.

In the top of the ninth, off reliever Paul Sewald, Schwarber and Turner both made outs. But then Harper walked to bring up Alec Bohm, who certainly was more than due. Harper stole second, but Bohm struck out looking to end the threat. Was it Kimbrel time? It was Kimbrel time. He walked Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who then stole second, and Pavin Smith got him to third on an infield hit. No outs … up came 0-for-3 Emmanuel Rivera, who whacked a grounder to Turner that got the runner out at home. Geraldo Perdomo worked a full count, then walked to load the bases for goddamn Marte.

Ketel Marte WALKS IT OFF for the @Dbacks! #NLCS pic.twitter.com/8R5vSdRzrZ

— MLB (@MLB) October 19, 2023

Damn. Well, they’ll face off again tonight at 8:07. Let’s get this done.

And the Rest of the Weekend?

Tonight is also the Sixers’ last pre-season matchup, vs. the Atlanta Hawks at the Wells Fargo Center at 7. Big Wetty Doody Head James Harden isn’t expected to show up. The Union are back at it on Saturday at 6 p.m. at New England. The Eagles have the late game Sunday, at the Linc vs. the Miami Dolphins, with kickoff at 8:20. In case you’ve forgotten, there’s some serious history between Jalen Hurts and Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa.

The Flyers also play.

And on the College Gridiron?

Tonight, the hapless Temple Owls are hosting Southern Methodist University at the Linc, with kickoff at 7 p.m. On Saturday, seventh-ranked Penn State will be on the road to face archrival and third-ranked Ohio State, starting at noon. Also at noon, the Penn Quakers take on the Yale Bulldogs up in New Haven. Ursinus is at Johns Hopkins at 1, and Villanova has a bye.