Out of the Past
Busy baseball week for Fayette County in 1960 To say that this week of 1960 was a busy one in baseball for both ends of the county would be putting it mildly.
It looked at times as if there would not be enough days in the week to play, or fields to accommodate those wanting to play. But tempus did fugit, and the busy week went on as scheduled.
As a starter, the Fayette American Legion Baseball League was into its annual All-Star rounds, with district and Western Pa. games, from which players would be chosen to represent the West in the state finals later in the summer.
Then, the County Baseball League was meeting to organize an All-Star team to play against the Fay-West League. Those of you old enough to have been around then watching both leagues knew you were in for a good day of baseball when the best of those two organizations came together.
A lot of well-known young baseball names were picked for the local Legion lineup, some of whom went on to have good careers in high school, college, and in the local leagues. How many of these Legion players do you remember?
Connellsville – Joe Beucher (1B), Bill Vargo (LHP), Harold Hann (SS), Gordon Rennie (OF) and Eli Vindivich (2B).
Point Marion – John Radosevich (P), Steve Radosevich (C), Ron Pramuk (2B) and Bob Orlosky and Dennis DeBerry (OF).
Masontown – Bob Messich (P), Gene Patitucci (C) and Ed Radvansky (1B).
Republic – Wally Workman (SS), Jack Marbury (3B) and Fred Mazurek and Pete Lowe (OF).
Uniontown – Marshall Feldman (SS).
Meanwhile, the County Baseball League was getting ready to play the Fay-West League later on at Coolspring. Carmen Galderisi, manager of Coolspring, and Harold (Snipe) Hartz of Wooddale would be managing the respective lineups. (As Sinbad always said, that’s another story for another time).
So what else was happening that week?
– Rudy Marisa, who coached Dunbar Twp. to a 22-23 basketball record the past two years, was named head coach at Albert Gallatin, where he would lead the Colonials to a hat full of honors, and go from there to put Waynesburg on the collegiate basketball map. AG also hired John Lozar, former coach at Masontown, as head football coach, and Chuck Wydo, Point Marion basketball coach, was named assistant in both football and basketball.
– Wooddale scored five in the fifth and topped Norvelt, 8-5, in Fay-West play. WP York, Karl Hesson and Blaine Brooks had two hits for the Dalers.
– Terry Newell pitched a 3-hitter, plus hitting a home run and three singles, to pace the Dr. Bill Colvin coached Tri-Town lineup over the Eagles, 12-0, in Connellsville Little League play. Tim Foreman also homered for the Towners, and Jim Braxton had three hits.
– Mill Run scored three in the ninth, two on Bradley Bryner’s home run, to nip Wooddale, 7-5, and hand pitcher Stoner Tracy (4-1) his first Fay-West loss. Bob Galasso pitched the win, and Jack Osler had three hits. Brooks and Paul Alexander split four Daler hits.
– Harold Shearer fashioned a 3-hit shutout for Breakneck over Trotter, 5-0. Breakneck had four hits off loser Bill O’Donnell, including Peanut Leonard’s homer.
– Wooddale rebounded from its loss to wallop Trotter, 13-5, while Mill Run got three in the fifth to clinch a 6-5 win over Norvelt in Fay-West action. Snipe Hartz worked an 8-hitter for Wooddale, the most hits any opponent had off him to that date. The eight included Don Soberdash’s homer and double, while Wooddale counted doubles by Hartz (2), and Boo Wadsworth, Brooks’ triple and Frank Siecinski’s homer.
– Doc Colvin’s Tri-Towners won again, 2-0 over the Boosters, as Joe Fuller pitched a no-hitter and was deprived of a perfect game when he walked one batter. LP Miller allowed only two hits, both by Newell.
– Consider this monetary note. A week ago, Michael Campbell received $1,170,000 for winning the U.S. Open Golf championship. Back in this week of 1960, Arnold Palmer got $16,000 for finishing third in the Open, and with that total was, to that point, the leading money winner on the entire tour so far in the season with $68,000. With what Palmer got for finishing third in 1960, Campbell’s winnings gave him an average of $16,250 for each one of the 72 holes he played. Four strokes on the first hole of opening day, and he had already surpassed Palmer’s total for the whole tournament.
– Trotter was out-hit 15-7, but still beat Norvelt, 3-2, behind strong defensive play in the Fay-West. Alf Soberdash had a triple and double and Nick Capo a brace of singles to lead Trotter at bat.
– In American Legion action, Masontown held off a sixth-inning comeback by Connellsville to preserve a 5-4 lead. WP Planiczka fanned seven and was backed by Jesso with a triple, Burkett a double and single, and Franczek, Patitucci and Rhodes two hits.
– Tracy worked a 5-hitter and helped himself with three hits, as Wooddale downed Breakneck 9-1 in the Fay-West. Battery mate Ben Beal also had three hits.
Every Trotter player had at least one hit in a 19-6 rout of Norvelt, with Nick Manzella, Don Soberdash, and Bob Flockvich having three each.
– Joe Beucher pitched a 4-hitter and fanned seven as Connellsville downed Point Marion, 4-1, in Legion League play. PM escaped the collar in the seventh when Mihacy tripled and Orlosky singled. Beucher had a triple and single and Vindivich two singles for Connellsville.
– And those who like to see a lot of runs scored went home happy after this VFW Teener League free-wheeler. Connellsville scored in every inning, but Fairchance went ahead for good with six in the fifth, on the way to a 21-17. Connellsville out hit the winners, 19-10, led by Bill Will and Dick Witt with three, and Emmy Shedlock, Joe Mayercheck, and Jim Fidazzo two each. Bello homered and singled for the winners, Bill Menarcheck had three singles, and Andria doubled.
Remember?
Jim Kriek is a correspondent for the Herald-Standard