The weather on Labor Day Monday was a fitting conclusion to the summer of 2013. 

Last day at the beach
Last day at the beach (Townsquare Media NJ)
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Kevin's son Brandon at Met Life Stadium for Penn State-Syracuse game
Kevin's son Brandon at Met Life Stadium for Penn State-Syracuse game (Townsquare Media NJ)
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I know the calendar says there are still 19 days left and September is often the nicest month of the year but for many of us summer basically ended this weekend.  It went out like a lion with a rainy morning and early afternoon spoiling everything from a last beach day, picnics and barbeques and even the BlueClaws final game of the season.

This really was the summer that was not.  A rainy a miserable June got things off to a late start and then we had a brutal heat wave in July which was good for air conditioner sales but little else.  By the time we finally got around to some nice weather in August it seemed a case of way too little, way too late.

I walked off the North Avenue beach in Seaside Park Sunday with that awful feeling that it may be a long time before my toes and beach chair hit that sand again.  I get more depressed each time I think about that but it’s just the way it is.  If you are retired and love the beach then the next few weeks are a bonus I can only hope to reap one day.

After realizing that Monday would not be a beach day I opted to catch a little baseball and made my way over to FirstEnergy Park for the BlueClaws season finale.  But when game time came the rain was falling and with a dismal forecast for the next couple of hours and knowing the players from both teams would be traveling afterwards the game was cancelled.

The tarp on the field at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood as the BlueClaws final game of the season is canceled due to today's rain.
The tarp on the field at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood as the BlueClaws final game of the season is canceled due to today's rain. (Kevin Williams, Townsquare Media NJ)
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That was also a fitting end to the BlueClaws season, one in which on the field they never really got it going although it was nice to see Toms River’s Mark Leiter pitch well for them down the stretch. However the organization did manage to lead the South Atlantic League in attendance for the 13th consecutive year as they topped the 400,000 mark.  That is a real credit to the ownership and management of the minor league baseball team.

Special congratulations to Greg Giombarrese, the radio voice of the BlueClaws on the Shore Sports Network.  Over the weekend Greg was named the South Atlantic League’s Media Relations Director of the Year for the second time in the three years he has held that position in Lakewood.  A well deserved honor!

There is only one good thing about summer coming to a close and that is the start of the football season.  Had a great time tailgating on Saturday at MetLife Stadium before and after Penn State’s win over Syracuse.  Got to share the day with family and friends and it was also great to see former Southern Regional star Glenn Carson play so well for the Nittany Lions.  A senior co-captain, Carson is set to have a big senior season in Happy Valley.

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