March means start of County League not far off
On the last three or four trips into this corner, the subject has been the hoped-for approach of spring which in turn brings with it thoughts of baseball. But if you want a sure indication that the County Baseball League season isn’t all that far away, just run into Dan Kupets. Over the years I have been called a big baseball nut (sometimes baseball isn’t included), and the description surely fits, especially at the local level. But when it comes to really being a baseball filbert, the nod goes to Kupets, who is getting ready for his 29th season in the league, the last seven also as president.
Kupets was all enthusiastic about the coming season, noting, “Six teams have remained from last year and are ready to go again, but we also have three new teams entering the lineup. Actually, only one is a completely new team. The others are coming in again under new names.”
The one completely new team is the “Wana B Heroes,” to be managed by Jeff Denham of Greensboro. They will use the Carmichaels Legion Field for home games, with the Mapletown High School Field as a backup if needed. Team colors will be red and white.
The holdover teams are Mill Run, to be managed this year by Ray Orndorff, who has taken over for his dad, Bugs Orndorff; Bud Murphy’s Cokers, to be managed by the county’s No. 1 veteran baseball manager, Tom Sankovich; Mario’s, managed by Lou Pasquale; Rostraver, managed by Dan Palm; Carmichaels Copperheads, with veteran manager Dickie Krause again at the helm; and the Waynesburg Mudpuppies, managed by Scott Tedrow.
Kupets will be the playing manager of Hopwood, of which Dan said “has the Hopwood Fitness Center as team sponsor, thanks to Dr. George Wilhelm, owner of Hopwood Fitness Center and Hopwood Chiropractic. Home games will be played at Schiffbauer Field, in Hutchinson.”
Team colors will be red, white, black, and gray. He will be assisted by Kevin McIntosh and Casey Kupets. Along with being league president, Kupets is also league treasurer, secretary, statistician, information director, and, in his spare time, he also plays for the 30-and-over Washington Devil Rays and the 40-and-over Pittsburgh Pirates.
Another new name team will be the Brownsville Red Sox, who played last year as New Salem, and they will play at Doug Dascenzo Field in Republic. Ken Musko will be the playing manager, assisted by Jason Rechichar. Colors are navy, red, and white.
The league will also have a new commissioner of umpires. Tommy Sankovich, who played in the league and has umpired for many years, has been named the new head of umpires. He succeeds another long-time baseball veteran, Alex (Pickhandle) Merkosky, whom some observers claim was playing baseball before Abner Doubleday was ever born.
Kupets said, “While Pick is turning the commissioner’s post over to Tommy, he said he will continue to umpire. Not seeing Pick on a baseball field in the summer time would be about as unusual an occurrence as you could think of, and I’m glad he will still be umpiring. I have seen Pickhandle in the County League every summer since he managed the 1975 champion Buffington Buffs, for which I was a third baseman-pitcher.”
Kupets also asked that anybody having any information about the County League, its history, trivia, figures, or anything that can help in compiling a history of the league to contact him at (724) 245-0128. Dan is trying to put together a league stats booklet.
The league will also have two fundraisers this year. One should be of great interest to local golfers. The “Players Golf Pass” is good on over 1,200 golf courses throughout the country and will enable two golfers to play for the price of one for the entire year. For more information, contact Kupets at the above number. The other fundraiser will be a “Cow Patty Bingo” at $10 a chance with plans to be completed at the next league meeting.
This will be the fourth season for using wooden bats in the County League, with Kupets taking orders for them at his website www.kupetstowncollection.com.
The veteran manager observed, “It was amazing to see my bats being manufactured at the plant in Brookville. Who would have thought I would ever see my bats hanging next to ones being made for Jason Kendall and Aramis Ramirez.”
Nope, there is nothing like a good baseball conversation to brighten up an otherwise dismal winter’s day.