Many years ago, when my grandson was just a little boy playing in a league with numerous other children on Allentown's south side, I asked Toomey why he does what he does.
"I do it for the love," was his short answer.
He probably would be hard put to remember those words today, but they really registered with me. That's why I would call him and Randy Atiyeh unsung heroes. The same goes for Glenn Klein, who runs the Allentown summer league year after year at Cedar Beach Park.
 |
| Ray O'Connell trying out for Central freshman team |
It's about more than basketball
Through all these tournaments, these kids from different schools and circumstances get to know each other. They form bonds. In my day, things were a lot different.
These kids are better than I was at their age. That's why I think there's hope for us.
Now just being a spectator at the Atown Throwdown is something of an ordeal. On Saturday, I watched several games between 1-6 pm, and returned home exhausted as a result of the heat. On Sunday, after we were eliminated, I nearly fell asleep driving home and had to take a nap before writing this story. The heat got to me. You can watch in the shade, but the really good vantage points are in the sun. So that's where I sat, so I could impart my words of wisdom to Central players, which they thankfully ignored.
 |
| This kid was cut from Parkland because he's too short. |
One person who you'll never see is Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski. He was busy on Saturday opening his campaign headquarters, but the basketball crowd has his number. The damage he has done to himself over the removal of the basketball rims at Andre Reed Park may very well be worse than the glacier known as a political corruption investigation that feds seem intent on stretching out into the next century.
After four days and hundreds of games that first began on Thursday night, Chambersburg won this year's championship in Boys Varsity. The Girls' Varsity crown went to Becahi.
Of 48 teams in boys varsity, the final eight on Sunday included Liberty, Chambersburg, Nazareth, Northampton, Parkland, Bensalem, Allentown Central Catholic and Constitution. Although Chambersburg emerged the victor, Northampton made it to the final four. Parkland came in second.
6 comments:
Ditto for Jess Phillips on the girls side. The communication between organizers and coaches/volunteers was great and everything ran smooth despite the weather obstacles.
Where is Bangor in that final group?
Dirty Ed is an embarrassment to youth of Allentown. He rather have them shooting each other up, riding dirt bikes in the streets and mugging good people. That is the mantra of Dirty Ed. He has no need for the youth since they can't vote and views youth crime as a given factor. Congratulations to Glen Klein and the boys who really put on a fantastic event; at the chagrin of the Chicago slickster, "Fed Ed" Pawlowski!
Bangor did quite well. Though it failed to make Sunday's sweet 16, the team defeated Abington and Del Val. It lost to Northampton, which finished second overall. It wasmissing several players who were in an AAU tourney. So were several teams.
Fed Ed has Jesus on his team.
Bernie, glad to see there are areas still left in allentown for family fun entertainment. The quality life and living has experianced a drastic drop in the likely hood of survival in the end games.
Post a Comment