Persistence Pays Off

From age 6, when he first played for Wall to Wall, to age 15, when he plays for Becahi's varsity and JV squads, Dat has always been happiest when he's playing basketball. When he was little, he even took shots in his sleep. Tonight, Dat will be starting for Becahi's Golden Hawks when they host heavily favored Liberty.  You don't need to tell him to give it 100%. He'll do that. But you can wish him luck.

The team will be playing without its only senior and team leader, Freddie Simmons. He's visiting a college in Florida.

Hello From Lovely York

Some of you go to Florida for your vacations. Perhaps Europe. Me, I'm in York. I fit right in with the dumb bells.  I'm here as the scorekeeper in a Becahi Boys Basketball tournament on Monday and Tuesday. It's being played at York Vo-Tech.

The Danville Ironmen defeated Becahi during Monday night's clash. It wasn't close, with the final tally being 59-37. Lead Becahi scorers were Chance Neilly (10 points) and Dat Lambert (7 points). The lead Ironman scorer was Shayne Riley, who scored 21 points, including 3 3-pointers.

So far, I have managed to get the Becahi coach lost three times.  He's beginning to wonder whether I've been sent in by the enemy. 

I'm no coach and have little knowledge of basketball. They did play poorly. I understand that much. It's been a tough season. Several starters decided at the last minute that they needed to focus on their grades, and I can't blame them for wanted to do well academically. Another starter had the flu. But they are a great group, like so many of the other teams I've seen. Things are going to change for the better next year. There are se great players coming up. It should stay that way for at least three years. 

Many of you have read my stories about my grandson Dat, growing up and playing football, baseball and basketball. Most of you have been very supportive and kind. Well, Dat got his first start last night. I thought you'd like to know. Though he scored 7, including a 3, they were all in the first quarter. He did get stuck on the sides twice. 

Unfortunately, his mom was at work and missed his first start. But his aunt was there. 

Tonight, Beca will play again, this time against York Catholic, at 6 pm. 

Because I'm away, I don't really have much for you today. My regular blogging schedule will resume on Wednesday.

Becahi's Golden Hawks Remain Undefeated

Freddie Simmons (#5) and Michael McDaniel (#2) 

Fireworks! You could see and hear them exploding at Sand Island as the first half ended in Saturday night's gridiron contest between East Stroudsburg South and Bethlehem Catholic. But they were nothing compared to the fireworks on the field. Those were all coming from the Golden Hawks, who were up already up 28-0. Becahi would go on to win its fourth victory in four games this season, by a final score of 42-0.

Was it Fabulous Freddie Simmons, who just last week returned three punts for touchdowns? No, Coaches sheathed their most powerful weapon during the first half, and only used him sparingly in the second. Instead, they relied on some other very powerful weapons.

Michael "M1" McDaniel took the ball down the field for a 61-yard touchdown in Beca's first offensive drive. He improved on that in the next drive with a 99-yard scamper from the one, in what might be a school record. He followed that up later in the game with a 23-yard run to the goal line. He ended the night with 215 yards rushing.

Antwon Keenan also scored on a 21-yard pass.

Becahi's bend-but-don't break defense mounted two goal line stands, stopping the Cavaliers twice when they threatened in the first half.

Then the sack machine went to work. Dante Lonordo had at least two sacks and another two hurry-ups on East Stoudsburg South QB Nick Boushell..

With the game in hand, McDaniel and other starters found themselves on the bench, too, as coaches wisely avoided the temptation to run up the score. High school football is so unpredictable that it could easily have been the other way around.

The Becahi - Pleasant Valley Lightning Bowl

Imagine a high school football game where, suddenly, everyone starts leaving before the half. Imagine a game in which even the bands are sent home. That's what happened at last night's Lightning Bowl at Liberty Stadium, when Bethlehem Catholic's overconfident Golden Hawks hosted a determined Pleasant Valley. Everyone picked Becahi to win, but nobody told the Bears. They came to play football, and very nearly pulled off an upset.

Winning the toss, Becahi marched down the field for an easy touchdown. It looked like it would be a repeat of the trouncing delivered to Liberty High School last week. But just as quickly as Becahi scored, so did Pleasant Valley. Then it did it four more times, sending fans into shock, as thunder rumbled in the distance and fans kept one eye on the game and the other on the weather. As the clock wound down, fans from both sides began to leave, especially after the PA announcer said, "If lightning strikes, seek shelter."

Hickey claims he can't be struck by lightning 

Jim Hickey and his lovely wife Carla were sitting nearby. He refused to go, so i stayed, too. I introduced myself to his wife, figuring I might as well be polite before some bolt flew up my ass.

Hickey claimed he's already been struck by lightning once, so he's got nothing to worry about. "What are the odds of me getting stuck twice?" he asked, and about thirty nearby people decided to leave right away.

"I'm immune, too," I bragged back. "I'm a blogger so I get professional courtesy."

"No, Bernie, all that means is you wouldn't get hit by a geyser of raw sewage," Hickey responded.

While we traded insults, Becahi was marching down the field.  Freddie Simmons managed to score a TD pass right before the end of the first half, despite a limp that seemed to hobble him throughout the game.

As the buzzer went off, Beca was still down 35-21.

After sitting in the rain for 15 minutes, the PA announcer ejected us all at the direction of Liberty's Athletic Director. Play would resume once the lightning had stopped.

I waited until nearly 10 pm in my car,  when both teams returned to take care of unfinished business.

Unfortunately, Pleasant Valley still looked very good. The Bears mounted a nice drive, picking apart the Becahi secondary. Then they kicked a 42-yard field goal, increasing itheir lead to 38-21.

Then Beca went finally woke up after a broken play.

Things looked really bad when Freddie Simmons got the ball on a 3rd and ten and decided to go cross field instead of cutting it up. Then he actually began running toward his own goal line as hungry Bears followed, pouncing on him for the kill. Instead of going down and holding onto the ball, as he is certainly coached to do, Freddie did something any coach would call foolish. He lateraled the ball in the general direction of QB Julian Spigner. His teammate grabbed it and dashed down the field for a touchdown.

What the hell does a coach say when a player breaks every rule in the book and the result is a touchdown?

In addition to the touchdown, that play ignited the team. The Bears would still play tough, but it was all over.

The Golden Hawk offensive line began opening gaping holes for Spigner, as well as Michael "M1" McDaniel and Damien Diaz, with an injured Freddie luring defenders away. A Becahi team known for its air attack suddenly had a ground game. It resulted in three unanswered touchdowns. As the fourth quarter started, Becahi was suddenly on top again, 40-38, with the few fans left making much more noise than the much larger first half crowd.

To its credit, Pleasant Valley never quit. With very deceptive screens and slashing running plays, it marched down the field to the Becahi 2 yard line. Then Beca's defense, which had been incredibly weak throughout this game, suddenly got tough. It bounced Pleasant Valley back three times. On 4th and 2, the Bears took a time out to decide whether to take an easy field goal, which would give them a 41-40 lead, or put the game out of reach with a touchdown. 

They went for it.

And were stopped.

From that point, Becca held onto the ball until one of the most exciting games I've seen was over. A game that had started at 7 pm went until a little after 11. Becahi walks away with a 2-0 record going into next week's game against Pocono Mountain West.

(You can see the crazy lateral at the end of this video clip,) 

Beca Boys' Basketball Beats LHS By One in Triple OT

Bethlehem Catholic High School Boys Basketball Team lost by one to Liberty in their first encounter this season, but the Golden Hawks returned the favor on Friday night (Jan. 31) with a thrilling, one-point victory in triple over-time. This puts them at the head of the pack in the contentious LVC East Conference, at least for now.

It was a physical game between two teams who clearly dislike each other. Liberty dominated in the first quarter, as kids also taunted Beca player Jamal Aziz with, "You're not a Catholic," repeatedly. A fight nearly erupted as the first half faded away when suddenly, Freddie Simmons exploded.

Though Beca still trailed as the half ended, the score was tied at the start of the 4th quarter. Beca and Liberty then traded leads, finishing the game with a tie.

That continued through three OTs until a Beca player fouled out and was replaced by Andy Hudak, a 6'7" sophomore who was clearly nervous. With seconds left, he was handling the ball when the ref called a foul. He thought he had been called for the foul and was very upset, but the foul was against Liberty.

With 2.4 seconds left, Andy Hudak was given two free throws and the place exploded with noise as he nervously made his first shot.

He missed.

His teammates all gathered around and consoled him, told him not to worry, and that seemed to settle him down. His second throw went through the net, pushing Beca ahead 83-82 with no time left for Liberty to do anything.

I did not see any report in the dailies about this game, so posted this entry.

His Name Was 171952

Monsignor Dooley shares pictures of Holocaust survivors

171952.

That number was intended to dehumanize 17 year old Severin Fayerman. It was tattooed onto his left arm on his first day at Auschwitz. He had committed the crime of being a Jew, a capital offense in Nazi Germany. He now considers it a badge of honor. Fayerman is one of the lucky few who survived not just Auschitz, but other German concentration camps in which Hitler's Final Solution was being imposed with ruthless efficiency. Rescued by American GIs, Fayerman eventually made his way to America where, armed with $20, he became the founder of Baldwin Hardware.

A small and gentle man whose quick smile belies the horrors he witnessed, Fayerman mesmerized Bethlehem Catholic High School students with his story at their Veterans' Day breakfast. But before he spoke, students heard from Monsignor Joe Dooley, who was one of those liberating GIs, though with a different group of Jews.

Upon reaching the ghostly survivors at a death camp, one asked for a cigarette. Just one puff killed him. No more cigarettes were offered.

"Wir wussten nicht," shouted German villagers, claiming they did not know. "How could they not know, with the smell of the bodies?" asked Monsignor Dooley, who said you could smell it a mile away.

Soldiers made sure the villagers knew. They loaded each corpse onto a stretcher, and paraded them through town, with villagers lined up and forced to witness what the Supermen had done.

Severn Fayerman's plea: Let this never happen again

Fayerman told students how he avoided becoming one of those corpses. For a little extra food, he taught English to his barracks warden. But what really saved his life was his apprenticeship with his grandfather as a blacksmith. That's where he learned how to make tools, and Siemens Electronics needed good toolmakers, whether they were Jewish or not.

Though still a prisoner, Fayerman worked inside a factory near Berlin, until it was bombed by the British. From there, he was taken to another camp, which was firebombed by Americans. In yet another camp, Fayerman watched as American planes came by to strafe the guards while leaving prisoners untouched. From there, he and other Jews were marched to a quarry, where Germans with machine guns encircled them from above until darkness descended. With the daylight, the Germans were gone.

Fayerman intercepted Americans on their way to the North Sea to stop German D-bombs. As a displaced person, he was able to relocate to the United States and found a company whose hardware is in the White House and Governor's Mansion.

"This is the only place in the world where this could be possible," Fayerman said of the United States. He currently resides in Reading, and has written a book about his life called, "A Survivor's Story."

"When I came to this country, all I wanted to do was forget," explains the Holocaust survivor. "I speak because I feel it is my duty to pass on to new generations that this should never happen again.”

Fayerman was born in Poland, which before Hitler was home to over 3 million Jews. There are 20,000 left today.

Michele Koch and Gail Ziegler, with the VA, received $1,000 raised by Becahi students

Marine vet Frank Scott with son Sterling and wife Valerie