My Mini-Vacation in Oneonta

Have you ever encountered a retail employee who went way above and beyond what you'd expect? Such was my experience this past weekend. I was in Oneonto, NY, home of the SUNY Red Dragons. DeSales University's Mens' Basketball Team was participating in a four-team tournament. I could say I went to support my grandson and his team, but these little jaunts are mini-vacations to me. OK, but who the hell would want to vacation in Oneonta, you might ask? There's no beach, no nearby casino, no nothing. That's precisely the reason I loved it. It was quiet and relaxed.

The town itself (they call them towns in New York) was full of scenes reminding me of the Christmas classic "It's a wonderful life." As I drove through, I half-expected to see George Bailey or Clarence. In short, it's pretty and clean.

I was also amazed by the courtesy. Here in the Lehigh Valley, motorists flip each other off at the slightest provocation as road rage becomes the new normal. Traffic and big-ass trucks are everywhere, and it's getting to us. If I am waiting at a light posted "No Turn on Red," impatient drivers behind me will now start honking at me. This has never happened before. Drivers also routinely park in spots reserved for those with disabilities.

This rude behavior is by no means limited to how people act once they get behind the wheel. People who live in the Lehigh Valley tend to be self-absorbed little shits. That's the real reason our youth leave. They can't stand us, and who can blame them?

Let me give you an example. During the November 5 election, there were two precincts at my polling place. I asked people what street they lived on as they came in, so I could direct them to the right precinct and minimize their time in line. But even this seemingly inoffensive question was an affront to one voter. He snarled at me, and went on his way.

When the polling place became crowded, and I tried to limited  the number of people coming in, one woman just flat out ignored me, with a few asides that no one tells a woman from New Jersey what to do. . 

I see this when I go on walks. I completely understand why a woman would be reluctant to return a greeting, especially from someone with my stunning good looks. But about half the men I greet pretend they don't see or hear me.

This snobbery, of course, is more prevalent in swankier neighborhoods. I can walk through Easton's west ward at lunch time, and everyone will return my greeting. But as I trespass into more upscale areas, the attitude can sometimes be downright hostile.

"What are you doing here?" is how I was greeted last year by a woman who actually knows me when my walk took me into her neighborhood. No Hello. I felt I had done something wrong.

It's my home, but the Lehigh Valley is pretty much the most unfriendly place I know.

This attitude was nonexistent in Oneonta.

Get this. We all know what it's like to be stuck wanting to make a left turn when the traffic in the other lane is crowded. In Oneonta, people in the opposite lane will actually stop so you can turn. They return greetings when you say "Hi." And yes, shopkeepers actually try to be helpful.

During Friday night's basketball game, I suddenly noticed I could no longer see. One of the lens in the eyeglasses I recently purchased had fallen out, rendering me pretty much blind as a bat. Though I was able to find the lens, there is no way I could see well enough to get a screw back in.

After the game, I went to the Wal-Mart, looking for an eyeglass repair kit. A worker there not only found me the kit, but realizing my dilemma, he actually took the time to screw the lens back in my frame. He also refused to accept a dime. If you want to stop Amazon from taking over the retail industry, this is how.

In addition to Wal-Mart, I visited five local businesses (three eateries, one gym and one bookstore) during my stay. I found this same helpful attitude at them all.

Everyone there was just a little nicer than we are used to seeing. Briefly, it even infected me.

Don't worry. I got better.

There were only two downsides to this mini-vacation. First, it is bone-chilling cold. There are patches of snow on the ground, too. This failed to stop a soccer tournament coinciding with the basketball games. Second, I missed a Friday night card game (we play Hearts) at which I am the undisputed champion. This is against a collection of barely competent players. They claim they are the undisputed champions, too, but have no blog in which to spread lies.

DeSales Mens Basketball must like the cold. It won the two games it played there. The team unfortunately lost its home opener to a talented Muhlenberg team with a penchant for threes. DeSales can boast a 2-1 record going into next Saturday's game (away) against Rosemont.

Bangor School Board VP Resigns After Ejection

When then Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan was ejected from a wrestling match in which his son was a participant, that was news. Nobody questioned it, even though he quickly apologized to the referee who tossed him. So when Bangor Area School Board VP Stephen Bussenger was not just tossed from a basketball game in his own school's gym, and had to be escorted out by school police, I considered that newsworthy as well, and reported it. As a high school basketball fan myself who has seen Bussenger at several games, I noted I had never seen him act out. I even speculated that the ref may have confused Bussenger with someone else. But I added, "If he did misbehave, he certainly owes the referee and his school board an apology. A high school basketball gym is actually a classroom in which good sportsmanship is taught." According to Lehigh Valley Live, Bussenger did apologize half-heartedly at last night's school board meeting. He also resigned because, as I learned, he recently moved out of the school district. Finally, both he and his wife bashed this blog for allowing vicious anonymous comments about him.

You know, like the kind.that appear all the time on Lehigh Valley Live.  and set an

The attacks on my readers sound suspiciously like they come from Bussenger and his wife. Anonymously,of course.

I have three points for Bussenger et ux.

1) If you are an elected official, especially a school director, don't get tossed out of basketball games 

2) If you want to set a good example for your daughters, don't get tossed out of basketball games.

3) If you want to avoid suggestions of impropriety, don't sell candy from your chocolate store to the school district where you are a director.

DeSales and Fairleigh Dickinson - Great Places to Eat

My grandson is a freshman basketball player at DeSales. Last night the team played and beat Fairleigh Dickinson in Madison,NJ, in their first conference game. DeSales is 4-4 overall. Because of my time on the road last night, I have little to tell you today. But I thought I'd fill you in on my pre-game routine.

I get there early. Then I eat dinner at the cafeteria. I have a close friend who goes to hospitals or bars offering free happy hours so he can get off cheap. He does not know about college food. I have to tell you the food is both outstanding and cheap. I've feasted on paella, shrimp lo mein and grilled steak. If you're a calorie counter, the selections list the calories.

I walk to the eating hole from the rec center. At DeSales, it's pretty close. At Fairleigh Dickinson, it's a hike. At Salisbury U, I got lost.

At Fairleigh Dickinson, it's all-you-can eat. Last night, I could have shut the place down.

In my wandering, I came across the statue you see above. it kinda' looks like me, although I'm a bit more muscular. Anyway, do any of you know what this statue is? I'm trying to find out. I know Ulysses was an archer and my guess would be him.

Queen of the Court

Allentown's fall "Queen of the Court" basketball program is ready to tip off. It's a free seven week basketball fundamentals program for girls in fifth through eighth grade who attend school in Allentown.

It's an opportunity to learn basketball skills in a relaxed, fun and friendly environment.

The program is offered free of charge in the South Mountain Middle School gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30pm to 8:00pm from October 2 through November 15. Pre-registration is not required.

The program is in its eighth year thanks to the help of coaches and unsung heroes John Venus, Brittni Kholi, and Brandon Lister. It introduces the game to beginners and helps refine the efforts of more skilled players.

Queen of the Court features guest speakers consisting of former high school and college players, coaches and other community members that are sure to make a lasting impact on the girls.

I have offered to put on a clinic but my email was likely misplaced. Someone complained that last time I jumped there, I cracked the floor. That was somebody else.

Some 60-70 girls were regularly in attendance at the spring program.

South Mountain Middle School is located at 709 W. Emmaus Ave. Allentown, PA 18103. The entrance to the gymnasium is on Church St.

For more information, please contact the City of Allentown Department of Parks & Recreation at (610)437-7750 or visit us at www.facebook.com/AllentownParkandRec.

LV Basketball - The Prophet

Mohammad with Dat lambert
at a game last year. 

Basketball season is over for us in the Lehigh Valley. Despite valiant efforts from several local high schools, we came up short in the state tournament. But we have someone known is basketball circles as The Prophet. He has led the Michigan Wolverines into the Final Four of March Madness. A few short years ago, he was the floor general for the Allentown Central Catholic High School Vikings.

I first met Mohammad and his dad, Dawud, during youth football, believe it or not.When kids are younger, they play everything.

Dawud, currently the basketball coach at Lehigh County Community College, also coached my grandson in AAU ball. He put together a team that also included Central's Jay Vaughan, Sammy Vaughan and Kevin Kern. It included Emmaus' Zach Sabol, Easton's Trevor Storm, Parkland's Jake Bartholomew and Logan Rindock, Becahi's Ryan Young and Whitehall's Mikey Esquilin. Unlike most AAU coaches, who rely on run 'n gun and teach kids to be selfish, Dawud taught fundamentals. Every single kid he coached turned into excellent ballers. He also came to a lot of the summer games and would tell players like Dat what they are doing wrong and how to fix it.

Dawud is a natural mentor. His son claims that everything he knows about basketball, he learned from his father. I believe him.

Mohammad is named, not after The Prophet, but Mohammad Ali.

"It's a tribute to Ali. It's a tribute to my son. It's a tribute to me and what I feel is important. He wasn't a perfect man by any means -- none of us are. But his genuine concern for others and who he was stood up here (raising his hand above his head) at a time when people would not dare to say what he was saying.

"As a child growing up in the late '60s and early '70s, Muhammad Ali was among other African-American sports figures I admired, but he was my favorite. I was the child of a single parent, a mother, and there were very few examples of African-American men who were strong and tough. He was that man. I was enamored with him."

Mohammad is an Allentown kid who excelled. He was able to overcome adversity and succeed at Central. He was told he wasn't good
enough to play in a top division I school. He has scored over 1,000 points at Michigan.

I hope The Prophet is a symbol of things to come for Allentown youth. As their circumstances improve, so will Allentown.

Villanova Game Good Fix For Basketball Addict

OK, so you usually count on one or more stories from me, starting at midnight. Not today. I was at the Fed Ed trial, and while there, a prestigious local attorney invited me to join him for Villanova Men's Basketball at Wells Fargo Center. He only had to ask once.

While waiting for districts to begin, I've been suffering from basketball withdrawal, so this was the perfect fix.

Instead of starting the seniors, which is what most high schools do, Wildcats Coach Jay Wright worked them in the closing two minutes.

What was really nice for these guys is that two of them managed to sink threes.

My only regret is that my grandson was unable to be there.

Schoolwork. He'll be pretty busy himself, starting Monday.

By the way, Villanova's starting line-up is back.

Basketball Season Cometh

Some of you like the sound of the crack of a bat on a hot summer day. For others, it is the crack of shoulder pads amid the scent of decaying leaves as summer turns to autumn. For me it's the barely discernible but still sweet SWOOSH a basketball makes as the it arcs through a warm gym during the coldest days of winter.

High school basketball season has started, and the teams are on the court.

Allentown Central Catholic has already scrimmaged Scranton Prep, and will be trekking to Reading on Saturday.  

First tip off is less than two weeks away.

Who will be good this year?

They all will.

HS Boys' Basketball - Beca Wins Allentown Summer League 'Ship

Bethlehem Catholic, Summer League Champs

Hats off to Bethlehem Catholic's Golden Hawks Boys Varsity Basketball team. This talented squad defeated Allentown Central Catholic on Friday night under threatening skies to win the Allentown Summer League Championship, 44-21. These two schools participate in the "Big School" division of summer league that includes 18 area high schools. Another 12 schools play in the "Small School" division.

During the summer league season, Central beat Beca in their one and only confrontation Beca standout Ryan Young was nursing a sore ankle. But he was ready to play Friday. A shellshocked Central was down 10-0 before it knew what had happened. Though the team did finally start scoring, the Vikings had a 23-point deficit at the half.

Most teams would stay down after that thrashing. But the Vikings, who have come from behind several times this Summer, clawed their way back on Friday night and were three points away as the clock ticked. They ran out of time.

Keeshawn "the Beast" Kelman (Central) and Ryan Young (Beca) fought under the boards. Though I did not score this game, these giants almost certainly led their respective teams in scoring.

Both of these seniors are getting a lot of attention from colleges, but Ryan's "little" brother Kyle is going to be aneven bigger surprise. He's nearly as tall as his brother and is murder from both downtown and under the boards. Beca's third big man is Caden Giordano, who has developed very well over the Summer.

Allentown Central Catholic Vikings

Central will return with seniors Jay Vaughan, Dat Lambert, Jordan McChristian, Keyshawn Kelman and Kevin Kern. Like Beca, there is a lot of depth provided by Sammy "the Ice Man" Vaughan (Jay's brother), Chad Kratzer, Nick Filchner and Jayden Walsh.  

These two teams will certainly be at the top of the East Penn Conference and will meet again during the regular season.

Though Allen High School had nothing to do with this game, Coaches Ray Barbosa (Beca) and Dennis Csensits are both Allen grads.

These games would never happen without the tireless efforts of League Commissioner Glen Klein. He even persuaded The Morning Call's Keith Groller, who has kept the Lehigh Valley better informed about high school basketball than anyone I know, to hand out the trophies.  

Though both Beca and Central are both Catholic schools, they pretty much hate each other, no matter what sport. The games can be very physical. But I had to laugh at what happened when Central's frustrated Dat Lambert got swatted to the macadam by the Young wall in a failed attempt to take it to the hole.

As the game continued, Ryan stooped down and helped Dat to his feet.

Classy.

I told Ryan I would have stepped on him.

Dat scraped up his left knee on Thursday against Allen and actually had to be pulled out of the game when the ref noticed the bleeding. Friday night, the right knee got road rash.

A matching pair.

On Saturday, he was back on the court.

I'd bet they all were.

A-Town Boys Varsity Hoops Summer League to End in Holy War

I spent every night this week in Allentown. You might think this is because of all the excitement concerning the Fed Ed prosecution, but what really drew me there is basketball. Whether it's been at a high school gym on rainy night or Cedar Beach, it's been a great season. It's the last time my grandson, "Who Dat?," will be playing there, but he's going out on top. In his three previous years of summer basketball, his teams never even made it to the playoffs. But this year, the Allentown Central Catholic Vikings are going to the 'ship. They'll be playing Bethlehem Catholic in a Holy War scheduled to start tonight at 6 pm. The game will be postponed if it rains.

Throughout the summer, 30 talented boys high school varsity teams have played at Cedar Beach. JV and Girls' teams have also participated in this increasingly popular summer league. It was started 30 years ago by Glen Klein, a Parks employee who also runs the Cedar Beach Bash every summer. I don't know how he does it, but he makes it seem easy.

"It's all about the kids," he tells me.

And it is. During the summer, many varsity basketball players are away at camps, the beach or AAU tournaments. This gives an opening for other players to show a coach what they're worth, and excite the rest of us in the process.  Also, coaches become far more flexible. Because the games are unofficial, they are much more likely to experiment and just relax a little themselves

During the school year, these young athletes have to adjust to the academic grind, learning about sines, cosines and tangents. But on these hot Summer nights, they teach their parents (and grandparents) and make us all remember what it is like to have fun.

It's the perfect atmosphere for someone like Kwame Alexander's mythical and confident Filthy McNasty to emerge :

At the top of the key, I'm
      MOVING and GROOVING,
POPping and ROCKING--
Why you BUMPING?
      Why you LOCKING?
Man, take this THUMPING.
Be careful though,
'cause now I'm CRUNKing
      CrissCROSSING
FLOSSING
flipping
and my dipping will leave you
S
  L
   I
    P
     P
      I
       N
        G on the floor, while I
SWOOP in
to the finish with a fierce finger roll ...
Straight in the hole:
Swooooooooooooosh.

Above, you see poetry on a page. At Cedar Beach, you see poetry in motion as hundreds of Filthy McNastys make their mark and choose to do something positive

There's Sam "The Ice Man" Vaughan, whose excellent ball control, quick hands and eye for openings makes him an excellent guard. He never gets frazzled. When Sammy comes on the court, Central starts scoring and building leads. Chad Kratzer has come out of nowhere and is proving to be just as exciting as was his father, a former Dieruff Huskie, back in the day. Jayden Walsh is as smooth as silk. Downright elegant. Nick Filchner and Jordan McChristian, both of whom are growing about an inch every week, are deadly from the three-point zone. Kevin Kern is a warrior and team leader who will rip balls (and heads) off his opponents.

Who Dat never stops. Last night, he had a good game against Emmaus with 17 points. But his real strength is his defense. He pressures ball handlers and forces turnovers. He will do what he can to get that ball back, including diving right on top of it. He did that last night on the macadam surface and managed to get a nice gash on his leg. He tried unsuccessfully to hide this from the refs in the closing seconds of the game. But he was busted and had to back to the bench, where a coach threw duct tape or something on it.

But that was OK because as Who Dat went out, the Sam "Ice Man" Vaughan came in.

Game over.

Central took the sting out of the Emmaus Hornets in a 57-53 defensive contest.  

In other quarter-final action last night under threatening skies, Bethlehem Catholic's Golden Hawks clipped the Allen Canaries in a high-scoring 70-67 game that included a trademark Allen dunk and Becahi's murderous treys.

Both of these games could have gone either way. Allen and Beca were tied at 40 going into the second half. Emmaus and Central were never separated by more than 5 points.    

A-Town Throwdown -They do it for the Love

Hat's off to Randy Atiyeh and Toomey Anderson for putting together another smashing success in this year's A-Town Throwdown, which concluded last night at Cedar Beach Park in Allentown. They were able to move this tournament indoors for the rain on Thursday and Friday, but everything went off without a hitch. What they do is a great service to the community and our area youth.

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

These guys care.

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.

Allentown City Council President Ray O'Connell was there both Saturday and Sunday to root for Allen, which did make it to the sweet 16. He also watched nearly every Central game, and tried to have me arrested for being too loud. Council member Daryl Hendricks also braved the heat and stopped by to watch the action and see the Lehigh Valley's future. You might say they're playing politics but you would be wrong. Ray, in particular, comes every year and brings his family. As a former educator, he recognizes the value of this tournament.

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.

Hyman: "Taking down those basketball rims would have been the LAST thing I would have done! "

Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski recently ran headfirst into a buzz saw of public criticism over his decision to remove the basketball rims at Andre Reed Park, located next to Dieruff High School. He was placating campaign supporters who had hosted a house party for him, much as he has rewarded other campaign contributors with lucrative contracts. How would Mayor Nat Hyman, a Georgetown grad who knows a little bit about basketball enthusiasm, respond to this situation?

"To my mind, one of the biggest problems our City has is that 1/3 of our children in Allentown do not graduate from high school. Needless to say, without a high school diploma their prospects for success are dim and some of those who have problems finding employment may become involved in crime/gangs.

"With that in mind,I think it is essential to keep kids engaged in constructive activities, like basketball, 24/7, 365 days a year. That is especially true during the summer when school is not in session. Remember the old maxim "the idle mind is the devil's workshop."

"Taking down those basketball rims would have been the LAST thing I would have done! I would have increased police patrols and/or have the power turned off nightly at a source which could not be turned on and/or erected fencing to ensure that no one drives up to the courts and shines their headlights.

"Next to our youth, our parks are Allentown's greatest treasure. Unfortunately, they have fallen into terrible disrepair. 4 of the 5 swimming pools are not operating!! That is horrible mismanagement. All of our kids should be swimming to escape this long hot summer and they can't. I have already met with several of the people who are responsible for the parks and actively involved with them. Bringing all of our parks back to their former beauty and full operation will be a high priority for me as Mayor. I want to maximize their use by everyone, not lessen it!"

Fed Ed Reverses Course on Basketball Rim Removal

Allentown Mayor "Fed Ed" Pawlowski has reversed course on his ill-considered decision to remove basketball rims from Andre Reed Park. He had taken this action on the basis of complaints from neighbors, but without bothering to discuss the situation with local coaches and community activists who could have told him what he apparently has never learned - Allentown is a basketball town. So starting today. the rims will go back up. But now he wants them locked every night at 8 or 9 pm.

Fed Ed announced his decision during a meeting last night at Dieruff High School. I have linked to The Morning Call's story because I was unable to attend. I was at a basketball game myself. Allentown Central Catholic was expected to win easily. Unfortunately, they played Dieruff High School, and Coach Joe Jarjous' boys played like a team who had been disrespected and were out to prove a point. They did. We had our asses handed to us.

"Hey, we didn't take the rims away," I said to one of the victors, a young man who might be 5'6" and scored about 15 points.

He flashed a smile

In addition to her story, Morning Call reporter Emily Opilo live-tweeted the meeting.

"Pawlowski starts the basketball meeting by telling ... group that this meeting will not devolve into a shouting match."
(All he wants is silence,and damn little of that!)

"Pawlowski says he's not anti-youth or anti-basketball."
(I have attended Allentown basketball games for years at all three high schools, and have never seen him at a game. Not even last year, during Allen's fantastic run.)

"Pawlowski says they've installed boulders to deter people from driving up to the basketball court at night and shining headlights."
(He forgot to mention the bear traps.)

"Woman yells out 'You bought the house, the park was there.' It gets loud in here real fast. Now it's all yelling."
(And these are the people who complain about kids being too loud)

"Woman yells out: 'Mr. Mayor, what are you going to do when other people who live around parks complain?'"
(That's an easy one. It all depends on whether the complainer took Fed Ed's campaign signs, hosted a party or gave him a few bucks for his campaign.)

"League coach says the parks staff won't consistently put up the rims at the park."
(On the bright side, they'll be just as inconsistent about locking them.)

"Andre Reed's mother is here for this discussion. She hasn't spoken yet."
(But halfway through the meeting, the skies opened and she ascended straight to heaven, joining Elijah, Jesus, Muhammad, Harvey Goldstein and the Immaculate Mother of God.)

Janet Keshl: Don't blame the homeowners for moving near parks. Kids are different now, she said. Less respectful.
(Darker, too. Keshl is a Fed Ed toadie).

Woman: I learned how to work, and I learned how to compete. And that started at the park. Don't take away what kids need to develop skills.
(But do kids vote?)

"Woman says she doesn't like how basketball is being equated with crime. Half the room applauds loudly."
(Actually, it's football that should be equated with crime. Or pickleball.)

Pawlowski to woman: "And by the way, you don't even live in the city!" Good portion of this room applauds.
(Fed Ed himself is a Chicago carpetbagger.)

Mayor: "I’m not against basketball. I want your kids to play basketball. I also want to take care of these residents."
(After all, they contributed to him and took his yard signs. What's the over-under on him watching just one basketball game during the A-town Throwdown this weekend?)

The assistant principal of Dieruff asks Pawlowski to listen to input from the school basketball coaches but he hasn't opened the floor.
(Why on earth would he do that? It would only show he had zero interest in their concerns or the kids they mentor.)

Angry east side mom yells while storming out: "It’s way bigger than basketball. We’re going to take our community back, one way or another."
(Hopefully, she will register to vote and show Fed Ed the door, unless he is being housed by federal authorities.)

Resident asks whether they'll lock rims in the winter. Pawlowski says kids don't play in the winter and everyone yells "oh yes they do."
(And this guy is the mayor of a basketball town?)

Coach Jarjous stands next to Pawlowski and says this meeting should have happened before the rims came down. Ballsy.
(People should have been standing up to this bully long before last night, but it's nice to see someone who has his priorities right set Fed Ed straight.)

Thanks to Fed Ed, I can now launch my evil plan to take away all the rims at Dieruff and Allen High Schools. We'll put them in Pawlowski's back yard. ... and blame Emmaus. Nobody likes Emmaus.

Sportswriter Cries Foul Over Rim Removal

Morning Call sportswriter Stephen Gross has to have one of the best jobs in the world. He gets paid to cover the Phillies and the Phantoms. But yesterday, he was a columnist who penned one of the finest pieces of journalism (not that I'm any judge) in many years. His story is about Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski's removal of basketball rims from Andre Reed (Irving) Park. It struck a chord with me because when I read it, I knew it came straight from his heart.

Gross' roots are right here in the Lehigh Valley. He graduated from Dieruff High School and Moravian College. For the first 25 years of his life, he was an East Sider who lived near Irving Park. Until he was 19, it was the only park within walking distance.

He explained this Fed Ed folly. "What Pawlowski should do is immediately replace the rims and enforce the laws that are on the books," he writes. That's what I said. That's what blogger Michael Molovisnky said. Gross said it better.

Allentown is a basketball town. Some of you know how important this is to many of that City's kids. I know several living saints who sacrifice their time and money to help young men with nothing else.

One young man is a starter for one of the local teams. He is very gifted. But a few years ago, his father was arrested and jailed for dealing. This young man went into a depression, lost focus and began to think that he must be garbage. He stopped playing and began to hang with the wrong crowd. One man brought him back after being rebuffed a few times.

Another talented young man was homeless last year on the day his team played an exciting playoff game before a crowd of thousands. His mother spent the money intended for rent and was sleeping in a car with his sisters while he couch surfed. Some people and his coach got together and bailed out this kid's mother, although I learned that she herself is a scam artist.

For many of these young men, basketball is all they have. That is their family. For every one who gets some help, there are ten or more who fall by the wayside. I know one young man right now, a person who thrills everyone on the basketball court, who has stopped playing to become a rapper. His father - a good man - had a stroke. I think that has affected him. Everyone is reaching out to him. So far, no luck.

This is no excuse for rowdy behavior or violating park rules. But you don't punish everyone for the actions of a few.    

As an East Sider, Gross understands this. A carpetbagger from Chicago does not.

ATown Throwdown Starts Thursday

Unless Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski removes the rims up on the basketball courts at Cedar Beach Park like he recently did at Andre Reed Park, an exciting weekend of basketball will coincide with this year's Sportsfest. It's the "A-town Throwdown," starting this Thursday (July 13) with tip-offs 5 pm.. The tourney includes 48 boys varsity, 24 boys JV and 30 girls varsity teams. In addition to the local teams, there are entries from Philly, New York and even France.

The tournament itself has tweeted, "A lot of talk this summer about @Becahi_Hawks and @ACCHSboysbball . Who will make it to Sunday? #NoWhereToHide."

I think that qualifies as talking smack, which I love.

Allentown Central Catholic, currently tied with Reading at the top of Summer League at 7-1, is in a pool that includes heavyweights Northeast HS (Philly) and Bensalem. The Vikings will face Palmerton on Thursday night. Under coach Coach Dennis Csensits, they have developed into a tough team that combines a very stingy defense with a balanced offensive attack.

They're not hiding.

Nor is anyone else. This year there is far more parity than ever.

You can see the varsity boys tournament pools here. Click on your team and you'll see their schedule through Saturday.

Note to the tournament directors - just make sure the rims are there or there will be no place for you to hide.

Before Removing Rims, McDonald Mayor Tells Player to Act White

I told you on Friday that Allentown Mayor (for now) Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski has removed all but one rim from the basketball courts at Andre Reed Park to curry favor with a group that supported him in the primary. A few of you were delighted. "Basketball is the sport of inner-city thugs," said one of you. They were also called "hood rats" playing " street thug night basketball." These statements are racist and classist. What this person really wants is a park free of blacks.

It's happening in other communities, including McDonald Borough. Mayor Terry Bennett (no relation to Sam) ordered rims removed from a park, ostensibly because foul language was being used. He was unaware that one of these vulgar basketball players recorded him when he confronted them on the courts. "You're supposed to act like a decent, white kid," is what he said to one of them.

This story was reported by three news sources, but only WPXI published the Mayor's racist comment.

In Ohio, basketball rims have been removed in three communities, including one in which the police chief himself said there was no problem.

This type of municipal conduct caters to fear mongers, but is actually self-defeating. All Fed Ed has done is deprive kids and young adults of an opportunity to do something positive before it gets dark. Then, when they do get in trouble, it will be, "I told you so."

In Allentown's Andre Reed Park, where the rims have been removed, community activist Dennis Pearson has heard a less onerous solution. "The best suggestion I heard in regard to the resolution of Mayor Pawlowski's politically motivated over reaction to a problem existing at Andre Reed Park is place a rim lock on all basketball rims in Andre Reed Park at the hour the park officially closes for active activity for the evening and then take these locks off the next morning when the park officially opens."

Though that sounds reasonable, I doubt it will be implemented. Fed Ed has made a career in Allentown of pitting one group against another. In 2007, it was minority merchants along Hamilton Street, which were actually called a "cancer" during a Business Matters show. While offering lucrative county contracts to crony capitalists in exchange for campaign contributions, Fed Ed ignored the rest of the City. Firefighters have been hampered by ladder trucks and engines that constantly break down, forcing them to rely at times on pickup trucks. Cedar Beach Bool is still closed. And the rims were removed to placate his primary supporters, not because it is in the best interest of the city. Instead of removing basketball rims and screwing Allentown's youth, it is Fed Ed who must be removed.

Nine people have pleaded guilty to political corruption. All have directly implicated him. The US Attorney's office seems to be more interested in head hunting than in doing what is right for the people  They are charging hapless defendants with depriving we the people of our right to honest services, but they themselves are doing far worse by allowing the focus of their investigation to go untouched.    

The Best Referee in AAU Basketball

The high school basketball season may be over, but the die-hards have moved on to AAU. That includes my grandson, who has already played in two tournaments over the past two weekends. Last weekend, I met the funniest referee I've seen.

My grandson and his team were playing at Spooky Nook in Lancaster, which incidentally is the largest indoor sports facility in the country. The place is so damn big it could include a golf course. It even has its own hotel.

AAU basketball can get intense. Some out-of-control parents can really get on the men and women in stripes. Though the ref usually ignores them, I've seen refs eject these headcases and call technical fouls. But this ref, and yes that is a video of him above, has a completely different approach.

When I arrived, I was just in time to hear some fans accuse him of being paid off. Instead of getting angry, he told them only one of his pockets was full and it was their turn to pay up. When one rotund mother complained about a call she thought was unfair, he walked up to her and said, "You get on with your fine self." She was purring soon after that.

What made this guy really stand out was when he blew the whistle. It someone was out of bounds, he'd stand by the sideline and shake his ass. If someone traveled, he'd roll his arms. If there was a block, it was a pelvic thrust.

Before long, everyone was laughing and remembering that this is, after all, just a game.

He'd razz the players. When one of them asked who was shooting free throws, he said, "The guy standing at the line. Who do you think?"

And once it was over, he made sure everyone shook hands.

I Never Had Spring Breaks Like This

My grandson Dat is a basketball fanatic and had what had to have been the perfect Spring break for him. On Thursday night, he was in Anaheim to watch the Sooner crush the Aggies in the Sweet Sixteen.

Seeing a game like that would be enough to make any hoops fan happy. But it does not end there. The next night, he watched Kobe Bryant score 28 points for the LA Lakers in a losing effort against the Denver Nuggets.

That should be enough, but it does not end there. After the game, he was allowed to shoot around on the court. And one of the guys he bumped into was NY Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr...

"Like your do, man."

"No, I like your do."

SCBL Fall Basketball Championship On Sunday

Dat got banged up pretty hard before this foul shot. He was jammed, face first, onto the hardwood floor

Instead of playing football this Fall, my grandson Dat Lambert has been working hard to make Central's Varsity team, either as a starter or #6 or #7 off the bench. He does drills at South Mountain nearly every night, and on Sundays, has been playing in SCBL (Select Basketball Competition League). Players from high school teams all over the Lehigh Valley were pooled together and six teams were formed.

Dat is playing for the Bulls. His team includes Jordan Harrington (Whitehall), Justin “JP” Paz (BECA), Ryan Young (BECA), AJ (CCHS), Ryan Young (BECA) and Hector Morales (Allen). On Sunday, they qualified for the 'ship, and will face the Spurs on Sunday at 3 pm at the Swain School.

After that, it's tryouts time.

Downpour Fails to Mar Stellar Tourney

Becahi and Emmaus JVs

The Stellar "Catch A Rising Star" Basketball Tournament is billed as the nation's largest outdoor high school basketball tournament. But it's a good thing tournament organizers had a back-up plan. A sudden downpour at 7 pm made the courts at Allentown's Cedar Beach unplayable, and they had to be deserted for Parkland, William Allen, Whitehall and Salisbury High Schools, along with the East Side Youth Center.

When I arrived at Cedar Beach shortly before 6 pm, the skies looked menacing but no one was in a hurry to leave. Cedar Beach Park is simply beautiful, one of the nicest things about the Lehigh Valley and Allentown.

I watched Becahi's JV Boys Basketball team take on Emmaus in one of the most exciting games I've seen in a long time. Zach Sabol from Emmaus is a beast. If anyone could get the ball to him inside the paint, he'd put it in. The game went back and forth and even included a rare dunk at the JV level. When it was over, Emmaus was the better team by 2.

Incidentally, Becahi's JV Team includes Freshman Caden Giordano. I know him from CYO and his is a name to watch.

Viking Bezerkers

After the Beca loss, I went over to watch Central's opening game, which was starting at 7 pm on Court 1. My grandson has transferred there because it's closer to his home than Beca. Of course, he has dived right into summer league basketball, and seems to enjoy his teammates. Central was scheduled to play Governor Mifflin. But as the teams started to warm up, the skies began to cry, perhaps over Beca's loss.

The games were quickly scattered to the high schools, and an outdoor tournament suddenly became an indoor tournament. By this time, there were several thousand people at the park, most of them parked on the grass. And everyone was in a hurry to get to one of five locations. But no lives were lost getting out of there.

Central defeated Governor Mifflin by 19 points. They have a feverish defense and speed. In the winner's bracket, they will play Easton on Saturday.

The Morning Call's Keith Groller has a rundown on all the games played today.

What I love about basketball, a sport I barely noticed growing up, is the camaraderie among the players. Most of these kids know each other and have played against each other or with each other on AAU teams. Thanks to iPhones and all the chat devices, they get to know each other pretty well and most want to stick around after their game is over. It's a great melting pot for kids of many different backgrounds, united by their love of a strange game that wrestlers claim was invented for girls. .

If you've never gone to Cedar beach Park to watch these kids play, do yourself a favor and go watch them for an hour this weekend.I guarantee you'll leave with a smile.

Dieruff Throws Scare Into Parkland

Dieruff Scares Parkland

Summer league basketball is more relaxed than the winter games.Usually, teams are missing a few guys, and coaches are more apt to experiment. In many ways, that makes the games a lot more fun to watch. They are usually played at Allentown's Cedar Beach, with 20-minute halves in which the clock keeps running. If it rains, the kids descend on one of the area high schools.

That's what happened on Tuesday night. When the skies briefly opened up, the games were sent to Parkland High School. I was there to see my grandson playing for Central Catholic against Freedom High School. But in the court next to me, something very strange was happening, and just about everyone soon had their eyes on the other game.

Parkland High School is the elite basketball team of the Lehigh Valley. But they had their hands full with Dante Rockmore and the Dieruff Huskies. The Trojans were getting beat, at times by as much as eight points.

In the final two minutes of the game, however, Parkland's Trojans erased their deficit and finally took the lead with just three seconds to go. The Trojan who took the bite out of the Huskies is a very physical Jake Bartholmew, who plays with my grandson on the LV Blue Chips 15U AAU team.

Kids from high schools all over the Lehigh Valley will descend on Cedar Beach tonight for summer basketball. If you like basketball, drop in some time. You're in for a treat.