Tri-County greats come from "original, modern eras"

League's Hall of Fame gets six new members at annual banquet.


From Morning Call Staff Reports

 

The Tri-County League Baseball Hall of Fame added six new members last Saturday at the league's annual banquet at the West End Youth Center.

Two of the inductees are from what the Tri-Co calls "The Original Era," in the 1950s and '60s. Four others are from the "Modern Era."

Here's a brief recap of each inductee's career:

Richard Buck (1954-1968): Buck played for the Quakertown Redlegs in the Tri-Co League after a two-year stint in the Philadelphia Phillies organization at Lima, Ohio, in the Ohio-Indiana League. Buck played on four straight championship teams, always hit .325 or better and won two batting titles.

Walter (Buzz) Way (1955-1966): Way played 11 of his 12 years with Quakertown after playing a full season of pro ball in the St. Louis Cardinals organization in Albany, Ga., in 1954. Way won the "Pitcher of the Year" award and a batting title and also was a solid third baseman in his career.

Tim Brader (1990-1998): Brader played nine seasons, mostly with East Texas. The former Detroit Tigers' farmhand once struck out George Brett in a spring training game. He finished his career striking out 9.95 batters per seven innings.

He compiled a 22-11 lifetime record and had an ERA of 3.22, mostly in relief. He won a title with every team he played for -- three in all -- one for the Allentown Angels (1991), East Texas (1994) and Limeport (1997). Although not known for his hitting, he finished with a .324 lifetime batting average.

Jim Emerick (1984-1999): Emerick started his Tri-Co career in 1984, playing all of 16 seasons with the Coplay/South Whitehall franchise and won titles in 1988 and '98. He had a 70-30 career record and finished with three undefeated seasons: 6-0 in 1987, 8-0 in 1988, and 8-0 in 1995. He had a career best ERA of 1.93 in 1989. He tossed a one-hitter in 1986 and was voted Most Valuable Pitcher in 1988.

Emerick finished his pitching career in the top five for wins (70), innings pitched (633), and strikeouts (523).

Lou Falco (1978-1999): Falco was a feared hitter and a dominating pitcher during his 22-year Tri-Co career, mostly with Coplay/South Whitehall. Falco had a .343 lifetime batting average. He won back- to-back batting titles in 1988 and 1989, batting .492 and .461, respectively. He compiled a career mound record of 42-17.

Falco was the Most Valuable Pitcher in 1985 with a 7-0 record. From 1985 to 1991, he was 20-1 on the mound. His career ERA of 2.35 is fourth best in league history.

Bill Pugh (1984-1993): Like Emerick, Pugh also played his entire career with the Coplay/South Whitehall franchise. He was known as an outstanding defensive first baseman and great hitter. He won a batting title in 1984 with a .486 average. He retired with a lifetime batting mark of .360.

From The Morning Call -- October 3, 2002

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