Tri-County League in its 26th season

By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call


When Abner Doubleday invented the game of baseball some 115 years ago, chances are he intended for it to be played in places like Limeport, Coplay, Old Zionsville, Gilbertsville and Springtown.

Like Cooperstown, N.Y., baseball's birthplace, these small communities have a unique, close-knit, old-fashioned quality to them that seems perfectly suited to our national pastime. With all due to respect to the domed stadiums with their exploding scoreboards and Phano-visions, the game seems so much more at home at a place like Fegley Stadium in Limeport or Sammy Balliet Stadium in Coplay.

It's no wonder, then, that many baseball purists might still enjoy a baseball game in the Tri-County League just as much as a visit to Shea or Veterans Stadium.

The Tri-County League is in its 26th season (the league began in 1958 and disbanded for one year in 1969 before resuming in '70), and with teams from many small communities involved, the league has a nostalgic character and charm all its own.

In fact, in an effort to bring back some tradition to the game, Allentown A.A. has changed its name to Limeport A.A. this season.

"We made the name change because we wanted Limeport to be identified in some way again," said the team's manager, Ishky Fatzinger. "The people down there really appreciate the ball teams that play at Fegley Stadium, but until now, none of the teams used Limeport as its name. They haven't had a team named Limeport down there since 1959.

"They are just great baseball fans who truly love the game. We get a regular group of the old-timers at our games who will sit together and cheer us on. It's a great feeling. Plus, the stadium has a special feel to it. It's sort of like a minor league park with locker rooms and everything. Even the sloped centerfield has become a trademark. Everyone identifies it with Limeport and Fegley Stadium."

Fatzinger is also excited about the lights, which are currently being installed at the stadium and should be ready to go within a month. It all adds up to an old ball park given a new life.

As for the 1984 Tri-County season, many old teams will be looking for new lives as well, while the league's newest club, Coplay, figures to make an impact in its first season.

The league still has a dozen teams, with Mountainville folding and Coplay entering the league since last season. Each team plays a 27- game regular season schedule with six teams (three in each division) qualifying for post- season play.

Here's a rundown on each team in the league:

NORTH DIVISION

Limeport A.A. - Clearly, the team to beat in this division, Fatzinger's club has the most experience in the league. Limeport never beats itself with mistakes, and these players seem to have a knack for winning. Through Sunday, the club was 4-0 and Fatzinger feels his team can play with anyone in the league.

"We have a lot of experience on this team and many of these guys have been playing together for quite some time," said Fatzinger. "We're a very close-knit group, like a family; we know each other's good points and bad points, and that can come in handy during a long, hot summer when other teams might be yelling at one another."

In addition to the many familiar names Limeport fans have grown to love over the years, Fatzinger's team has picked up two key additions from the defunct Mountainville team in Dale Weiss and Dale Houser. They join a hard- hitting lineup which includes Bob Fatzinger, Herb Hemerly, and John Szalachowski among others.

Joe Turri, Roger Schlener, Mike Witkowski and Bill Fatzinger comprise a dependable pitching staff.

Allentown Angels - Despite an 0-3 start, manager Ray Ganser is looking for an improvement on the club's 7-20 mark of a year ago. The additions of Dale "Yogi" Krasley and Rick Wittman from Mountainville should improve the team's offense, which was the Angels' achilles heel last season.

Bill McCurley is the team's main power source, while catcher Rick Rothrock is a dependable hitter. The mound staff of Ganser, Keith Myers and John Fry will be heavily counted on if the team is to make a run at the division crown.

Bethlehem Township - Manager Nick Marino says his Pirates are "going to make a run for the top" this season and the team was off to a 2-1 start after Sunday's games. Marino said the club lost at least 10 one-run games last year, a stat he hopes to eliminate this year. The pitching crew is steady with newly acquired Scott Snyder joining Guy Hinkle, Dick Brennan and Dennis Shiner. Joe Bubba figures to be club's top offensive threat.

Coplay - A new team with a well-known and respected baseball tradition, Coplay figures to be more than just respectable in its initial season in the league. Although manager Dick Hamscher feels his team is very young, he thinks they're going to do just fine, thank you.

"I said to Limeport's third baseman when we played them that it was like fathers playing sons," said Hamscher. "Yes, we're a very young team. But we're going to win our share of ballgames. We have 21 players on the roster, and we're going to give everyone some playing time. These guys are young and they want to play."

Among Hamscher's key personnel are Lou Falco, Danny Baranek, Bill Pugh, Bob Parr, Eric Csencsits, Randy Remaly, Chuck Mondschein, Mark Bonshak and Rick Clancy. Most of the players have played for Coplay Legion and now have an opportunity to continue playing baseball beyond their legion careers on their home turf.

North Parkland - George Horn is optimistic that his team will bounce back from a 9-18 season a year ago, which was due in large part to a weak pitching staff. Horn feels the team has improved on the mound with a staff that will consist of Ted Miller, Jay Spiegel, Dave Chandler and Dave Beck. The club's top offensive producers are expected to be Horn, Scott Stoudt, Ted Young and Dom Motolese.

Salisbury - Manager Dave Snyder hopes the additions of Don Kelly and Chris Roth, formerly Salisbury Legion players, will help his team improve on last year's 13-20 season, which included a trip to the playoffs. The pitching is suspect with Kelly and Keith Reichelderfer the only dependable starters. The team should score some runs with Scott Fegley, Larry Miller and Dave Ernst leading the way.

SOUTH DIVISION

Upper Perk - The Chiefs, regular season champs for the third time in five years last season, have a new look this year, with Craig Kriebel, Brian Moyer and Dave Keeny no longer with the team. The pitching staff is still among the best in the league with Bob Graber, Tim Fox, Todd Swenk, Rich Budweg and Perry Sweatt leading the way.

Manager Bill Solivan's team is led offensively by Graber and Glenn Mensch.

Gilbertsville - This team went 6-0 in the playoffs to garner the postseason championship last year and is expected to be among the league's top clubs in '84.

First-year manager Todd Slonaker says his team "put it together" at the right time a year ago and hopes to do it again this year with a cast which includes Brian Gilbert, new addition Bill Sassaman, Mike Kline and Barry Moyer on offense and Lou Chillot and Kevin Mackey on the mound.

Old Zionsville - After two 7-23 seasons in its first two campaigns in the league, Old Zionsville put together an impressive 14-13 record a year ago and manager Don Rosenberger, Sr., thinks his team will improve this season.

Don Rosenberger, Jr., is the club's top pitcher, while newly acquired Stu Link adds depth to the mound corps. Tony and Mike Koneski, along with Doug Focht, figure to be among the team's top offensive players.

Silver Creek - Manager Glenn Balliet pulls no punches. He openly admits that his team is shooting for third place in the division, simply because he doesn't feel it is good enough to match Gilbertsville or Upper Perk.

Balliet is concerned about his pitching staff with only Bob Carr emerging as a reliable hurler thus far. Mike Kotkoski, Gary Laub and Tom Boice figure to provide Silver Creek with plenty of offense.

Delaware Valley - Manager Chuck Ciganick figures his team's pitching is the key to its season. Rich Rutan, 6-2 last season, along with newcomer Tom Magilton and George Becker figure to handle the mound duties. The club has a lot of offensive potential with Ciganick, Bob and Tom Angstadt and Bill Wieder being the main cogs in the attack.

Quakertown - Manager Chip Friday's team was off to a 3-1 start as of Sunday and is expected to be a vastly improved club this year. Steve Bauder, Friday, and Rick Rush figure to be among the key offensive personnel, while Tim Neiman and Bob Tisdale are the mainstays of the pitching staff.



keith.groller@mcall.com

From The Morning Call -- May 24, 1984

Copyright © 1984, The Morning Call