March 2008 Archives

Abbie Merrifield is having another solid season behind the plate for the Elizabethtown College softball team.

The Dallastown graduate is hitting .286 in 14 games for the 6-9 Blue Jays. The senior has 11 hits, has driven in five runs and struck out only three times in 44 plate appearances.

Merrifield will have a homecoming of sorts on Tuesday when Elizabethtown visits red-hot York College for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.

The Revolution signed outfielder/first baseman Matt Padgett and infielder Jose Enrique Cruz Friday.

And while Padgett has enjoyed a more accomplished career than Cruz, he also has a somewhat checkered past.

Starting in 2002, Padgett posted four straight seasons with 16 or more homers. But he hasn’t been able to match that output since 2005, the same year he was suspended for 15 games for violating minor league baseball’s drug prevention and treatment program.

Padgett is at least the second player signed by the Revolution who has been suspended for drugs. Last season York signed former major leaguer Steve Smyth, who was suspended from the minors for 15 games in 2005 for failing a drug test. In Padgett's defense, his drop in power production coincided with a serious injury. After hitting safely in 27 of 39 games for the Reading Phillies in 2006, he broke his arm in a collision at first base on July 5.

But here's a question: Should fans of the Atlantic League demand more answers about the league's drug-testing policy?

Absolutely.

Although she doesn’t get to play that much, York Suburban grad Chelsea Meerbach is a key part of what has become the nation’s best Division III women’s lacrosse program.

As the back-up goalkeeper Meerbach has logged only 30 minutes in seven games for undefeated Franklin and Marshall, but her skills have helped the Diplomat offense develop the shooting skills in practice that has led the team to 115 goals on the season, an average of more than 16 per game.

Such shotting prowess was on display recently in a contest when F & M scored on 20 of their 29 shots in a 20-2 win over Washington College (Md.)

With first-year head coach Jennifer Patrick leading the way, the York College softball team is off to a great start this season.

After Wednesday’s doubleheader win over Villa Julie College, the Spartans are nearing the season’s mid-point with an 8-4 record.

Sophomore shortstop Heather Bormann leads the way with an impressive .556 batting average. She has 25 hits, an average of more than two hits per game and has stolen six bases in six attempts.

Freshman Kelly Smith has been a great addition, hitting .432 and is tied for the team lead with 11 RBIs. The third baseman has swiped four bags and raises eyebrows with just two strikeouts in 42 plate appearances.

The Baltimore Orioles may not be looking for a player to replace Jay Gibbons' spot on the roster. Gibbons' 15-day suspension could be lifted as part of an agreement between owners and the union according to the Associated Press.

That's bad news for former Revolution outfielder Tike Redman and utility player Scott Moore. Redman and Moore had been competing for what many insiders believe is the final spot on the Orioles roster.

The Washington Post reported that even if Orioles manager Dave Trembley decides to stick with Moore or Redman after today's exhibition game, that player still may not earn a roster spot until Gibbons' status is known.

Redman and Moore could both be headed to Norfolk, and Gibbons -- who batted .230 last season and has admitted using HGH -- could be back in Baltimore.

The York Revolution finally announced Wednesday they would bring back Jason Olson, one of York's most consistent relievers in 2007.

Olson (6-5, 4.03 ERA) was one of five players (Luis Cotto, Matt Dryer, Nate Espy and Chris Steinborn) to remain with the team from the first day of spring training until the season finale in Central Islip, N.Y.

“When Jason is on, he has the tendency to be un-hittable in this league,” Revolution Director of Baseball Operations Adam Gladstone said. “The last couple of years, he has spot-started and been successful in that role, and he also brings a veteran presence to the bullpen. He has learned to enjoy the York area, and is excited to return this season.”

He survived a terrible '07 debut, allowing four earned runs in 1/3 of an inning in York's franchise opener against Bridgeport. But he posted an 0.69 ERA for the month of June and went eight consecutive appearances (May 31 through June 23) without allowing a run.

Toward the end of the season Olson became hittable again (he allowed eight runs during three straight appearances in August), but he also needed to leave the team for a stretch of time to resolve a personal issue during that time.

One of York's late-season acquisitions has decided to move on.

Pitcher Zach Cline has signed with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association.

The move makes sense for Cline, 24, who struggled (15.75 ERA) in three appearances with the Revs late in the year. Cline was brought in to help stabilize the Revs bullpen in September, but it was clear the Erie native needed more experience before stepping into the Atlantic League.

Former Orioles prospect Dustin Yount, the son of Hall of Famer Robin Yount, is also among the players signed by Lincoln. The team is managed by Tim Johnson, a former Blue Jays manager best known for winning games and lying about his experiences in Vietnam.

The blog "Can't Stop the Bleeding" has offered some new baseball terminology.

Boston manager Terry Francona reported Sean Casey would miss the Tokyo games, calling it a case of “Southern League Neck” -- or a sore neck caused by long bus rides.

"Can't Stop..." takes it a step further:

"(It) should not be confused with the more modern ailment, 'Atlantic League Neck' (i.e. after several HGH injections supplied by ... a trusted teammate, a player no longer appears to have a neck."

Oh, one more thing. "Can't Stop the Bleeding" struck out the name Pete Rose Jr. before writing "a trusted teammate."

Ouch.

Apparently York doesn't own a monopoly on former Orioles. And judging from Baltimore's accomplishments during the last 10 years -- that might be a good thing.

The Lancaster Barnstormers announced the signing of former Orioles reliever Sendy Rleal. The move helps Lancaster replace towering right-hander Derrick DePriest, who told Jason Guarente of the Lancaster New Era that he will sign with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in 2008.

Rleal reached the majors in 2006 as a 25-year-old throwing 91-93 mph with an above-average changeup.

"It doesn't matter what the count is, I'll throw it," Rleal told Jorge Arangure Jr. of
the Washington Post in 2006.

An offensive lineman from North Carolina is Penn State's first verbal commitment for the recruiting class of 2009.

Ty Howle, a 6-foot-2, 295-pounder from Bunn, N.C., apparently gave the Nittany Lion coaches his word on Monday, following an Easter weekend recruiting trip to State College.

A western lowland gorilla munches on a monkey chow biscuit at the Chicago Zoological Society's Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Ill. Thanks to mounting research on wild animals' food needs, today's zoo staffers are trying new feeding tricks to keep their animals healthy and happy. The days of letting visitors throw marshmallows to the animals are mostly history at zoos around the country, replaced by a growing focus on diet and nutrition that parallels the nutrition craze in humans.

Albright College sophomore right-hander Casey Lawrence, a Delone Catholic High School graduate, has been named the Commonwealth Conference Pitcher of the Week for the week ending March 23.

Lawrence was 1-0 with a no decision in two starts for the Lions last week in Orlando, Fla.

Two of the responses we've received to Sunday's article about the 2007-08 Pennsylvania deer harvest:

Alex Kohl of Red Lion says that simple math explains the situation: I just finished reading the deer management article in the Sunday paper and feel that I had to respond to the ongoing theories about why the deer harvest numbers are down in Pennsylvania.

Let's make this simple. The hunters in this state harvested way too many antlerless deer! If we look back through time over the past 40 years, there is simple arithmetic involved. From 2001 to 2007, we had 84 days of doe hunting. From 1970 to 2000, we had 90 days of doe hunting. This is not rocket science.

With the encouragement of the Game Commission, the hunters in this state shot most of our deer. The allocation of all the bonus antlerless licenses over the past 20 years, combined with all the available days of antlerless hunting and the lack of control from the majority of the hunters created the demise of the white-tailed deer herd in Pennsylvania.

This article on strange phenomena in Derry Township, originally published in Friday's Blairsville Dispatch, is a hoot.

Most of it concerns Stan Gordon, who is "a Greensburg resident who has specialized in researching unexplained happenings in Pennsylvania and beyond since 1959."

Some gems from the article by Jeff Himler:

YAIAA and York County baseball are well represented out at Indiana University of Pennsylvania as five players have local ties on the 14-4 Crimson Hawks.

South Western grad Paul Bingham leads the way, hitting .553 in 12 games. The former Mustang is 26-of-47, averaging more than two hits per games played.

The sophomore shortstop has driven in 18 runs and has three doubles and two triples. He is also 4-for-4 in stolen bases and leads the team with a .611 on base percentage.

Luis Cotto won't return to the York Revolution in 2008. One of the hardest working players on York's inaugural team, Cotto is one of several Atlantic League players to sign with the Edmonton Cracker-Cats of the Northern League.

Newark's Marcus Nettles and Lancaster's Chris Van Rossum have also signed with Edmonton according to the Edmonton Sun.

Nettles is the biggest name of the three, stealing 49 bases for the eventual league champions. Van Rossum batted .254 and hit 13 homers for Lancaster. Cotto batted .244 in a backup role for York, but he did have a .350 OBP. He also worked all season in the batting cage, the one player who consistently took extra batting practice.

Yes, it is true after so many years of covering the sport, I am called a “swimming geek” by my fellow sports reporters here at the Daily Record/Sunday News.

But, York Catholic girls’ basketball aside, it is hard to imagine a sport where there has been so much recent success.

Last week, York Suburban’ boys became three-time state champs and the Trojans earned a hoard of gold medals, including two by Lauren Schmittle.

Yet another factor of YAIAA swimming (and diving) is how many of those athletes go on to the next level.

Tike Reman could be down in Norfolk looking up at the Orioles' big league club shaking his head once again. Redman impressed the O's after an August call-up in 2007 when he batted .318 with seven stolen bases in 40 games. First-year manager Dave Trembley all but guaranteed the former York Revolution outfielder would be on his roster in 2008.

But now it sounds like the Orioles and Trembley are having second thoughts, even though Redman has batted .296 this spring.

"He has not hurt his chances with the way he's swung the bat this spring, but on the other side of the coin, we're pretty left-handed dominated," Trembley told the Baltimore Sun. "We need to have a guy that is a multiple-position (meaning infield) player."

You could see this coming months ago, when the O's loaded up on outfielders. Somebody wasn't going to make the big club. It looks like Redman, despite his numbers, is the guy the Orioles want to send down -- or even cut.

Good hitter. Left-handed bat. Versatile speedy outfielder. And the O's find a reason to not use him. Unbelievable. Then again, this is your Peter Angelos-owned Orioles.

Spring Grove grad Michele King finished second in the nation in the 50 free with her time of 21.86 at the NCAA swimming championships on Thursday.

The University of Tennessee sophomore placed second to Lara Jackson of Arizona, who swam a 21.69.

Both times were better than the previous pool record at Ohio State's McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.



Penn State is preparing for its 34th season of summer football camps for high schoolers across the nation.
About 3,000 players annual attend the camps in June, including a seniors-only camp which was introduced three years ago and continues to grow.

Millersville University couldn't hold a four-point halftime leading and lost to California (Pa.) in the East Region final of the Divsision II NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night.

Kennard-Dale High graduate Charlie Parker had nine points and seven rebounds in his college finale.

He and teammate Cory Bray, a Red Lion High grad, struggled to find their shots in the 64-52 loss.

Dallastown graduate Danielle Ierley had a successful time swimming for West Chester at the NCAA Division II championships at the University of Missouri last weekend.

The sophomore captured All-American honors in the 500 and 1,000 freestyle events and also as a member of the Rams’ 800 free relay, all of which helped West Chester to a seventh-place finish in the team competition.

Ierley finished fourth in the nation in the 500, sixth in the 1,000 and just missed making the elite status in the 1,650 free.

Former Central York star Lolly Hmiel was the high scorer for the Ohio University women’s basketball team during its loss to in the Mid American Conference finals.

The junior led her team with 12 points, but the Bobcats dropped a 67-56 decision to Miami of Ohio.

Hmiel started 19 of her team’s 33 games and averaged 7.4 points per contest. She better the 52 percent mark from the field, was nearly 46 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the line. She also pulled down 4.4 rebounds per game.

Molly Ariail knew that being named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year after her freshman season at Randolph-Macon College was quite an honor, however, the York Suburban grad wasn’t about to rest on her laurels.

In fact, she didn’t rest at all, recently finishing her sophomore campaign averaging 16.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Ariail’s numbers in conference play were even better and her 17.5 points per game was second in the league in scoring.

Thus she recently was named the ODAC Player of the Year.

Two of the Revs big hitters from last season will arrive in York earlier than expected.

Outfielder Jason Aspito and infielder Matt Dryer will conduct hitting lessons for boys and girls ages 7 and up starting March 25. Lessons will cost $45 for each 30-minute session. For more information or to reserve a lesson, contact the Revolution at 801-HITS or stop by Sovereign Bank Stadium.

The team has posted the schedule for hitting lessons ...

Shepherd University lost 86-71 on Monday night in the finals of NCAA II East Region Women’s Basketball Tournament at Memorial Field House on the campus of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. But while Shepherd lost, the game capped a great season and run by a pair of local grads --- Spring Grove's Laura Harkins and Littlestown's Katie Warehime.

The York Revolution will have to replace some of its top talent this season, and that will be a big problem.

The question remains, how long will it take before York loses its first player? Last year, Tike Redman didn't even make it out of May. This year, York's biggest prospect appears to be Matt Esquivel, a power hitting outfielder who won't turn 26 until December. But there are also five former major league pitchers on York's roster.

Here's a guess at the top prospects on York's team so far. Players have been handicapped with the bias scouts from major league organizations have shown during recent years. (Major leaguers get preferential treatment -- even if their numbers aren't the greatest. And every organization needs pitching.)

The York Revolution announced a move that has been in the works for a couple weeks. York named longtime Baltimore Orioles bullpen catcher Sam Snider its hitting coach.

Snider comes to York via Lancaster.

York wanted Snider because of his close relationship with Revolution manager Chris Hoiles. During a 27-year career with the Orioles, Snider and Hoiles became close friends. The Revolution, however, didn't have an immediate coaching opening. So the Barnstormers hired him in December.

But when hitting and third base coach Ryan Minor returned to the Orioles organization in January -- it became apparent Snider would make a better fit in York.

To fill Snider's absence in Lancaster, the Barnstormers hired former major leaguer Boots Day.

After talking with Hoiles about Snider and the Revs ... Hoiles offered some views on the 2008 squad.

Charlie Parker is leading Millersville University on a surprise march through the NCAA Tournament.

Parker, the Kennard-Dale High graduate, helped the Marauders to two victories in the Division II tournament last weekend.

The Marauders (22-9) will now play top-seeded California (Pa.) University (27-5) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the finals of the East Region.

I suspect this is just about as angry of a stance as you'll ever see the Pennsylvania Game Commission take in an official news release.

The PGC expressed its "extreme disappointment" this morning that there will be no point-of-sale hunting licenses available in 2008, as originally hoped. Contracted company Automated Licensing Systems pretty much gets thrown under the bus in this news release.

What are your thoughts on this? E-mail me at this address.

York Suburban finished its three-peat in grand style.

The Trojans won gold medals in the last three events and captured their third straight PIAA Class AA boys’ swimming title Saturday night at Bucknell’s University’s Kinney Natatorium.

Suburban scored 212 points, besting Hershey’s 180, yet perhaps what is most amazing is the way this group brought the title home.

Rumors keep circling about former Pittsburgh Steelers' coach Bill Cowher interested in becoming the next head coach at Penn State.

Crazy how this stuff starts.

Cowher doesn't have a team. His house goes up for sale in North Carolina. And he's visited/talked with Penn State athletic director Tim Curley.

So if a York Catholic team that lost four of it's five starters can manage to win another YAIAA, District 3 and PIAA Class AA championships and goes 34-1, what happens when the program returns three of its starters, including the two leading scorers?

In other words, how can the Fighting Irish be considered anything but heavy favorites to win the school's fourth consecutive state title in girls' basketball?

"I think they can do it," senior Ashton Bankos said. "They have an extreme amount of talent on that team. You have Kady (Schrann), you have the McGanns. You have Brittany (Hicks). And then you have all those other players that didn't get as much playing time, but they work so hard at practice and they are going to be able to play so hard."

"I really want to play my computer games because I didn't get to play all week," Schrann said of her plans to celebrate Friday's 52-40 PIAA Class AA championship victory?

Computer games? Why didn't you get to play all week?

"I had homework," Schrann said. "My mom is really strict about it, so I couldn't play."

A final look at the 52-40 York Catholic state championship victory before I get to work on some material for tomorrow's 50-cent edition.

York Catholic had four players score at least nine points. Kady Schrann led the way with 12, Ashton Bankos scored 11, Jenny McGann had 10 and Brittany Hicks finished with nine, all in the first half.

Kelly Rhein was the game-high rebounder with nine, helping the Irish narrowly outrebound the Colts 29-28. Northern Cambria had a slight edge on turnovers, however, forcing 20 and giving up only 19.

The most glaring difference in the team's numbers? That would be field goal percentage.

York Catholic graduated four starters from a two-time state championship team. It is impossible to fathom they could win a third one.

You just don’t do that in high school basketball.

But that is exactly what the Irish did on Friday when they defeated Northern Cambria, 52-40.

Here in the media room at Bucknell, where I am covering the PIAA swimming and diving championships, I watched the Irish girls on TV and, quite frankly, I am absolutely amazed.

The buzzer just sounded. The final score: York Catholic 52, Northern Cambria 40.

That's three consecutive PIAA Class AA state titles. Over the past three seasons, York Catholic has a 103-2 record.

And with three starters coming back, including top two scorers Kady Schrann and Brittany Hicks, it won't be much of a surprise if the Irish make it four in 2009.

A basket in the post by Kelly Rhein, a runner from Kady Schrann and several defensive stops has made the score 46-31 in favor of York Catholic with 3 minutes remaining in the game.

Northern Cambria has yet to score a point in the fourth quarter.

The first 1:38 of the fourth quarter has been sloppy on both sides, but the Irish are still finding ways to increase their lead.

Mary McGann hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to make the score 42-31. Northern Cambria's Jen Valeria picked up a steal at midcourt and had what looked like was going to be an easy layup, but Kelly Rhein came sprinting up and Valeria missed the shot.

You can credit Rhein with an intimidation on that play. It's too bad they don't keep statistics on that.

Photos by Christopher Glass

York Catholic is inching closer and closer to its third straight title.

The Irish turned a seven-point halftime lead into an eight-point advantage at the end of three quarters after Northern Cambria's Brenna Kochinsky's 30-foot heave at the buzzer was just off the mark, bouncing off the backboard and the rim.

Kelly Rhein scored the last basket of the quarter, which should be her first points of the game.

The Irish are still leading, taking a 37-29 advantage. York Catholic coach Kevin Bankos called a timeout with 3:54 left in the quarter.

Schrann and Bankos have both cracked double digits, with 10 points each so far.

Hicks is the leader for the Irish with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting. Schrann has eight and Bankos has eight as well. Northern Cambria is lead by Brittany Sedlock's eight points.

York Catholic has the advantage on turnovers, committing only six and forcing 10, but the Colts are outrebounding the Irish 14-13.

The Colts are shooting slightly better than the Irish, 43 percent to 42 percent, but York Catholic is a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line.

There also aren't any Irish players in foul trouble. Hicks is the only player to have more than one foul, finishing the half with two.

During my conversation with York Catholic athletic director Rick Luckman before today’s game he said then when he coached with former YC boys’ basketball coach Mike Keesey, he would always say that the first portion of the third quarter was “the most important 4 minutes” of the basketball game.

Luckman presented the rationale like this: If you have a big lead, it gives you a chance to close out the opponent. If you are trailing, it gives you a chance to get back into the game before it’s too late. If the game is close, it gives you a chance to get a big edge down the stretch.

In this case, it would seem like the Irish need to stop the Colts from making a similar run to their own against Trinity on Tuesday. This is where Northern Cambria's inexperience could show.

It didn't take the Irish long to find their shooting stroke.

After that mediocre first quarter, York Catholic racked up 20 points over the next eight minutes to establish a relatively comfortable eight-point lead at the half.

Those McGann field goals and Schrann free throws midway through the quarter gave the Irish their first multi-possesion lead of the game and an Ashton Bankos layup pushed the lead to 26-18. York Catholic stayed stong from that point on, answering every Northern Cambrian basket with one of its own.

Kady Schrann hit a long basket with about a minute left in the half to make it 30-23, and put up another attempt from long-range at the buzzer, but her shot feel short.

With 4:33 remaining in the second quarter, Northern Cambria called a timeout with the Irish leading 23-18. Kady Schrann is on the foul line and has another free throw to shoot after making her first.

After the Colts took an 18-17 lead, the Irish answered back with a Jenny McGann jumper, a defensive stop, a McGann 3-pointer, a Schrann steal and then the freshman’s free throw.

After Northern Cambria upped its lead to 16-11, York Catholic sophomore Brittany Hicks responded.

The 5-foot-8 forward hit a pair of jump shots on consecutive possesions and then came up with a steal, drove to the basket, drew a foul and hit both foul shots to put the Irish ahead 17-16.

Hicks has nine points so far.

The Fighting Irish have missed a handful of wide-open looks, including a couple of layups, but are still keeping it close after one quarter of play.

Kelly Rhein has been strong on the boards, already grabbing four rebounds, but Northern Cambria has picked up their share of offensive rebounds and had at least four second-chance points.

York Catholic has elected to penetrate on most of its offensive possessions against the Northern Cambria man-to-man defense, but the Irish have struggled to convert their chances.

About two minutes after the Northern Cambria team stepped out on the court for warmups, the Fighting Irish emerged from their locker room to an eruption of cheers from behind their bench.

I'm not sure if this was planned or not, but the girls walked casually past the Colts to their warm-up basket, maintaining a slow pace the whole time. None of them looked at the crowd. Some of them talked to each other and their were a few smiles here and there. But most of them were emotionless, staring straight ahead.

(Pictured above: York Catholic fans at the District 3 Class AA championship game earlier this year.)

They have gold T-shirts that proclaim themselves to be the York Catholic Crazies and they are certainly dressing the part today.

I went over to the student section and asked the fans who had the best outfit. After a few seconds of debate, they all seemed to agree it was Zach Zielinski. But at 6-foot-9 and 330 pounds, who would really want to argue with him?

Zielinski isn't even a student at York Catholic -- leaving the school after five years to spend his senior year at William Penn. He will attempt to walk on to the University of Connecticut football team in the fall.

The fans have started to file in and I'm going to head over to the other side of the arena to talk to some of the York Catholic Crazies and see what they have to say.

While I do that, here's some stuff I got during interviews at Wednesday's York Catholic practice:

When I interviewed senior reserves Steph Carr, Andriana Gurreri and Jessica Knauer on Wednesday, they went out of their way to mention their hijinks with Schrann, a player they insist they welcomed in as a part of the team early on and then went on to light-heartedly tease her as much as possible.

A few minutes ago, coach Kevin Bankos and the Fighting Irish wandered on to the floor of the Jordan Center wearing their street clothes, fresh off the two-hour bus ride from York.

The girls snapped a few photos and looked around the empty arena. A few players ran up one of the aisles into the stands to get more of a bird's eye view.

"I'm nowhere near as nervous as I was for Trinity," said Bankos, who struggled early against the Shamrocks before overcoming her nerves and making several key plays to lead the Irish to victory.

Before the team or the coaches arrived, York Catholic athletic director Rick Luckman was courtside, holding a cup of McDonald's coffee and looking as calm as ever.

I asked Luckman whether he liked his team's chances for the game today and he mentioned his teams psychological advantage. As two-time defending champions, the Fighting Irish (33-1) have been here before, and are facing a group of newcomers in Northern Cambria.

"This is their first time here," Luckman said with his legs crossed, sitting in the first row of the stands in the empty arena.

Coach Kevin Bankos (above, center) expressed a similar sentiment at Wednesday's practice, stressing poise as the biggest reason the Irish were able to beat Trinity 55-52 in Tuesday's PIAA Class AA semifinal.

It was dark a few minutes ago, when I was the first print reporter to set up my laptop on press row, but the facilities people were nice enough to flip a switch to let us see a little better,

I'll be blogging throughout the morning and afternoon from my courtside spot here at the Penn Satte basketball arena, so be sure to keep checking back to get all the updates of the York Catholic girls' basketball team's attempt to win their third consecutive state championship.

In the meantime, check out this story from today's print edition with a matchup breakdown at the bottom of the page, and don't hestitate to utilize the comments feature. If you have any thoughts, predictions, or even a question I might be able to answer, this is your chance to get it out there.

The York Revolution could announce the team's new hitting coach as soon as Friday, according to several team sources.

The move has been in the works for weeks, and the announcement was expected to be released earlier this week. The announcement has been delayed because the coach is currently employed by another Opening Day Partners team.

The Revs did not expect to make any changes to its coaching staff this season, but hitting coach Ryan Minor left the team to take a job with the Delmarva Shorebirds (Single-A) in the Orioles farm system Jan. 30.

The Revolution signed Pete Munro Thursday, adding the fifth pitcher with major league experience to their roster.

Revs closer Wayne Franklin played with Munro for the President Lions in Taiwan last season. Munro was one of the top pitchers in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, helping his team to the championship. But it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to baseball back in the states. A junk baller who relies on control more than velocity, Munro, 32, is still young enough that he should get attention from major league scouts if he excels in the Atlantic League.

York also locked up Sandy Aracena for another season, bringing back a catcher who spent 18 games with the Revs last season.

The Munro signing illustrates the Revolution's new approach to building a team in Year Two of the Revolution Experience. It appears to be an improvement over 2007.

Kelly Rhein, ever the outspoken one, may have made the boldest statement of the season on Tuesday night after her team beat Trinity 55-52 to advance to Friday’s PIAA Class AA title game.

She made what sounds a lot like a guarantee.

You can read the full quote in Wednesday's game story, but the important part is when she says: “...now that we’re there we’re going to win it. We’re not going to lose.”

That sort of boldness and refreshing honesty is why Rhein is one of my favorite players to interview. But it’s also the kind of statement that has a tendency to motivate the opponent, in this case District 6 champion Northern Cambria.

So at Wednesday’s practice I gave Rhein a chance to clarify her comments. I asked her if her statement was “a guarantee.”

In a quote that was so amusing and subtly insightful that the Daily Record ran it in two stories in today's print edition (here and here), York Catholic girls' basketball coach Kevin Bankos said he "had not even figured out how" his team had won Tuesday night's PIAA Class AA semifinal over Trinity.

A good writer would use his rhetorical and analytical skills to answer that question in a creative and articulate fashion. But you people are stuck with me. So instead, here's a detailed breakdown of the final 80 seconds of the 55-52 victory. Maybe you can figure it out.

All times are approximate, an educated guess as I attempted to frantically scribble down every important detail while sitting courtside in the Central Dauphin East gym. The events described are also a combination of my memory and an attempt of interpreting my legendarily poor handwriting, so take that for what it's worth. Anyway, here we go:

While she has been mentioned in the College Spotlight before, I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up South Western alum Nikki Lobach at least one more time before she graduates this spring from Messiah College.

Especially now that she has helped lead her women’s basketball team to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16.

Lobach scored 12 points in the Falcons’ 63-34 shellacking of Cabrini College in the tournament’s opening round and the next day added 15 points as Messiah improved to 27-2 on the season with a 64-49 win over St. Lawrence University in the round of 32. Silalei Shani poured in 24 points off the bench in the win.

Steve McCleary of Dallastown writes: “When I was a bowler in the '70s, a 300 game or 700 series were rare. When and why did they make it so easy?”

With his daughter graduating, it would seem natural for York Catholic girls' basketball coach Kevin Bankos to think about leaving a job he never actively sought.

But as it turns out, he's enjoying himself. He also seems to be pretty good at it.

Leading the Fighting Irish to an mind-blowing 67-1 record over two seasons and currently only two wins away from another state title, Bankos confirmed that he will be definitely back next season, even with Ashton moving onto Juniata College, where she will continue her playing career

"We talked about it when I took this job," said Bankos, who was officially named the head coach in April after a year as acting coach following the abrupt departure of Andy Bria. "I told them I would coach at York Catholic for two years at least, and I'm not interested in going back on my word."

The spring baseball season for the local Lions is just around the corner. Here's their 2008 spring schedule (all double-headers):

4/12 - at Penn State Delaware

4/19 - at Penn State Abington

4/20 - vs. Penn State Delaware

4/27 - at Penn State Wilkes-Barre

Since its dedication in 1949, Sheppard-Myers Athletic Field in Hanover has been filled with memories of big wins and tough losses. Now, however, the stadium's future is in doubt.

Read Heather Faulhefer's story on the issue here.

The top photo is a photo of Opus, a male Saki monkey at Prospect Park Zoo in New York. Saki monkeys are native to Brazil and other South American countries. While not an endangered species, sakis are vulnerable to the destruction of their habitats by humans.

In the bottom photo, Opus (right) gives a kiss to Winola.

Trout season begins in York County on Saturday, March 29. (York County is one of the early-starting counties in Pennsylvania's two-tiered system.)

Read more about trout season here. Get some quick facts about the season here. And go here for information on how to find your local trout-stocking schedules and reports.

Peter Bergeron, the first player signed in Revolution franchise history, still needs a contract for 2008. He hasn't been contacted by the Revolution this offseason, and he still wants to play.

By looking at York's already beefy roster (14 players, including four outfielders), it seems Bergeron's chances for returning with the Revolution range from slim to none.

A class act, Bergeron, 30, deserves another shot in the Atlantic League. He's respected by his teammates. He doesn't cause problems. And he can still field and hit. Dinged up at the start of last season, he battled through a difficult May (.195 batting average) and recovered to bat .337 during the month of June.

His two stints in independent baseball ended with him earning contracts with major league organizations.

Here's a look at a story on Bergeron from the York Sunday News.

Mark Phillips wants to get back to affiliated baseball. He also wants to reach the major leagues. But the former first-round draft pick, and the ninth selection overall in the 2000 amateur baseball draft will have a difficult decision to make this season.

Should he pursue his dream? Or should he put everything on hold so he won't lose the $40,000 that the Padres earmarked for his college education when he signed a pro contract out of Hanover High School? It's a difficult decision for a player mentioned as one of the best high school players in the country.

Out of pro baseball for almost three seasons, Phillips returned to action with the Newark Bears in 2007 with mixed success. He earned a win during his first start, but he lost his next three decisions.

Here's a story in the York Sunday News detailing Phillips' difficult situation.

As another baseball season approaches, it appears that the more things change the more they stay the same.

With George Steinbrenner taking a lesser role with the Yankees one might think things will calm down some.

Au contraire.

“The boss’” son, Hank Steinbrenner, is already making news with — go figure — his mouth.

Like father, like son.

Some things never change and both Yankee lovers and haters will have continuing fodder for years to come.

Local ESPN Radio late-night listeners got to hear a familiar name said over the airwaves Thursday night during Fred Coleman’s Game Night show.

Coleman mentioned traveling to watch the University of South Carolina – Aiken compete in the Peach Belt Conference tournament and said he looked forward to seeing “Vince Alexander and the boys” in action.

Alexander coached at William Penn for two seasons from 1996-97, leading the Bearcats to a 40-15 record during his tenure.

York Catholic girls' basketball player Kady Schrann has had an exceptional freshman season this year, rising to the occasion in the second half of the season to power the two-time defending state champion Fighting Irish to a YAIAA championship, a District 3 title and a spot in tonight's PIAA quarterfinals.

A lot of her success has to do with her aggressive playing style, which has been best described as "playing like a boy."

It's a hard thing to define, these masculine basketball characteristics that the skinny freshman supposedly embodies. But I feel like it's an accurate description. So I asked Kady if she thought she played like a boy. She said she did.

So I followed up: "Kady, what does that term even mean, 'playing like a boy?'"

York Revolution team MVP Nate Espy has notified the Revolution he will not return this season, and he believes he has played his last professional game.

"I just feel like it's time," Espy said. "If something would have come along during the offseason -- even if it was a major league organization letting me know I was on their radar -- I might have kept playing. But I'll be 30 next month."

Espy led York in virtually every offensive category in '07, establishing team records for batting average (.316), homers (22), RBIs (90), runs (82), hits (137), triples (six), slugging percentage (.547) and on-base percentage (.419) during York's inaugural season. Despite his numbers, Espy never received a serious offer from any affiliated club last season. He let the door open for a possible return to playing if an affiliated job or well-paying position overseas opens up during the season, but he believes his playing career is over.

"I'm not the lone ranger," Espy said. "There are a lot of people -- just in the Atlantic League -- that didn't get a call. And some of them have been playing two, three, four years."

Several YAIAA grads had outstanding seasons swimming for their college and universities.

West Chester senior Kate Jones, a Spring Grove grad, led off three winning relays at the recent PSAC championships and finished second in the 200 individual medley.

Her time of 2:08.08 in the IM qualified her for the Division II national championship meet at the University of Missouri.

Dallastown grad Danielle Ierley finished second at the PSAC’s in the 500 and 1,000 yard freestyles with a times of 5:06.41 and 10:35.42 as the West Chester women won the conference team title as well.

Delone Catholic boy's basketball coach Jim Dooley is a quote machine.

Even after his team squandered an 11-point second half lead and lost 49-45 to Holy Cross in the second round of the PIAA Class AA playoffs, the veteran had plenty to say in the hallway at Martz Hall, although he acknowledged it wasn’t easy to talk after that game.

“When you lose like this it is very difficult on the coach. No matter how long you have done it, you always feel you could have done something else, or some little thing to help.

“It is very, very tough on my kids. I feel very bad for the seniors, because it is their last game. They are always the crux …”

The West York High School athletic department will host a fund raiser next month along with WGTY 107.7. Country music singers Jake Owen (above) and Lila McCann will give a concert in the high school auditorium at 7 p.m. on April 25.

Regular tickets are $15. Tickets for the concert and the meet-and-greet are $40. All tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. in the high school main office and online at www.wgty.com.

All proceeds will benefit the West York High School Athletic Fund. If you have questions, call 845-6634, extension 4.

After covering the District 3 swimming championships last Friday and Saturday, I almost felt like I was of touch for a few days, and my desk certainly shows it.

But, some great things happened at the Cumberland Valley High School natatorium, some of which made headlines, like York Suburban and Dallastown, but some that didn’t.

Allow me to mention a couple of the more lesser-known accomplishments, the non-swim school performances of Enya Messersmith of Delone Catholic and York Country Day’s Shannon Mulcahy in the District 3 Class AA finals.

Former Lincoln Speedway champion Rick Eckert claimed the season-opening super late model feature on Sunday at Hagerstown Speedway.

Eckert placed ahead of Roy Deese Jr., Josh Richards, Dan Stone, Jim Yoder, Frankie Plessinger, Mike Knight, Jared Miley, Scott LeBarron and Greg Satterlee.

Richards, Plessinger and Eckert won heat races.

Five York-area graduates played in Saturday's MAC Commonwealth Conference women's basketball championship game.

South Western alum Nikki Lobach and Delone Catholic's Michelle Schleich were a part of Messiah College's 54-47 win over Lebanon Valley College.

Lobach, who was recently named the MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year, scored 32 of her team's 54 points in the win.

The senior shot 11-of-16 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Schleich played three minutes and did not score.