Recently in Local History Category

A Hanover graduate who earned two World Series rings has died.
Evening Sun Sports Editor Chuck Curley writes about John Neiderer Jr., who won rings as a scout for the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates and 2002 Anaheim Angels.

Of course, everyone remembers the out.
Vic Wertz did everything he could to beat the Giants that September day. Nobody remembers that he had four hits and drove in each of his team's 3-2 runs in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.
Nobody remembers any of that.
When baseball fans hear the name Vic Wertz the thought they develop is not that he absolutely clobbered the ball all day, but that his furthest hit was chased down with a beautiful, over-the-shoulder catch by Willie Mays.
It was the center fielder's signature moment and has been immortalized with statues, pictures and the video of him spinning like a top, his arm unfurling at the right moment as he launches the ball toward the infield to keep the runners from scoring.
When the play is over and being described as an "optical illusion" Mays looks like he's screwed himself into the ground.
Wertz of course is nowhere in the picture.
Like the other York and Adams countians who've made it to baseball's biggest stage, he never shines in the spotlight. Sometimes it wasn't a lack of effort or even production that kept the local boys from being the star. Sometimes there's a connection to a teammate or opponent's glory. Usually, though, their playoff experience is lost to the dusty shelves and box scores of history.
And Wertz is the prime example.
Come to think of it, nobody seems to remember that Wertz had one of the most dominant performances in series history that year. He batted a robust .500. That's right, with a "5." Not .400 or .300.
He also hit a home run, a triple and two doubles.
But he's remembered for the out.
The problem for Wertz is that his teammates never seemed to get on base in that series. So he only drove in three runs.
Again, the circumstances just weren't right.
Which seems to be the theme for area players who've made appearances in the playoffs.

On Oct. 4, 1925, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs, 7-5, to close out the season. It was far from a memorable game or campaign for either organization.
The Fuzzies finished in seventh place while the Redbirds ended the season slightly better, in the fourth slot. So neither ballclub factored in the pennant race that went to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It wouldn't be until the next spring that the importance of that game would be known.
The winning pitcher for St. Louis on that autumn day was McSherrystown's own Bill Sherdel.
Much like that day, it's hard to find out much else of importance about that contest.
The time of game, according to baseball-reference.com, was 1 hour, 34 minutes. So we know Roy Halladay would be impressed. We also know Tony Kaufman took the loss, dropping his record to 13-13.
He's far from a baseball immortal.
While Sherdel is not a name that comes readily to the mind of most baseball fans, he's an immortal for baseball enthusiasts from York and Adams counties. He owns 165 Major League wins, 21 of which came in 1928.
Sherdel's season-ending win also helped him capture the league lead in winning percentage (.714) for the 1925 season.
But it's not the winning percentage that's worth noting.
That game was the last game played at what was then known as Cubs Park.
In February of the next year, Cubs owner decided to change the name of the ballpark and name it after himself. His name, of course, was Wrigley Field.
No it wasn't; it was William Wrigley Jr.
Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

Jamie Moyer is on the hill for the Phillies tonight.
Did you know he has ties to York County? Well, now you do.

This was a story that ran in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Memorial Day.
It has a local connection as well, through Gettysburg College.

Memorial Day always makes me think of Harry O'Neill.
A major-league ballplayer, a World War II hero . . . O'Neill's story, I've often thought, might make a nice newspaper takeout, perhaps even a book or screenplay.

His short life was as sweet as any imaginable. And as bitter.
"Porky" O'Neill reached the big leagues as a catcher. But while he got to wear the uniform of his beloved hometown team, the Philadelphia Athletics, his career consisted of a single game -- a single inning, really, with no at-bat, in a meaningless 16-3 loss.

He wore another iconic American uniform, too, as a Marine first lieutenant. Again, things didn't turn out well. A Japanese sniper's bullet ended his decorated career as well as his life.

Continued on the jump.

York Daily Record/Sunday News Editor Jim McClure has a post on York Town Square about the first night baseball game in York County.
Two interesting things to note:
1. It happened in 1901, more than 30 years before the first Big League game under the lights.
2. Any balls that went past the lights were ground-rule doubles.

Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson says he has been successfully treated for prostate cancer.
The lifelong Oriole began his professional career in York with the White Roses.
Here's hoping Mr. Robinson has a complete recovery.
Check out YorkTownSquare for more information on Robinson's connections to York.

Hanover is famous for its many pretzel and chip manufacturers, but a new book shows it's ties to Cooperstown are just as plentiful.
John G. Coulson has written a thoroughly well-researched tome, "Hanover Raiders Minor League Baseball in Hanover, Pennsylvania," about the borough's history as a minor league town.
A very interesting note is that one former player was Clyde Sukeforth, who played in 486 games. Sukeforth was far-from the team's most famous alumnus as far as what he went on to do on the playing field goes. What Sukeforth is best remembered for is that he signed Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Gettysburg is a town that lives on the dead, their legends, speeches and actions.
Most restaurants, gift shops and museums have themes that deal with the borough's famous battlefield and presidential history.
Restaurant owner Bill Wills, however, has found a different niche in Gettysburg's history: Eddie Plank, a legendary baseball player who was born and lived in the town.

The Gingerbread Man in Gettysburg, one of The Southpaw's favorite restaurant's, has confrimed it has changed its name to Gettysburg Eddie's. While the tiny borough might be known for a great battlefield and an almost as famous speech, the town also boasts being the birthplace to one of the greatest pitchers in history, Eddie Plank.