For all its shortcomings, and they are many, Johnstown has its moments when you almost forget all the bad. Such a moment is opening night of the AAABA Tournament.
This is the 81st tournament, which for all but two of those years has been hosted here. It’s a combination of Hollywood premiere, fan reunion and sporting contest.
These things have become more fun lately, now that Johnstown teams enter with the ability and likelihood to win games. But, even back in the days of the double-defeat elimination – so what’s new, out in two – opening night was an event circled on the calendars of both the sporting cognoscenti and the general populace.
Monday had the usual trappings of players parading into Point Stadium, the procession of Ambassadors in their fine gowns, most of them perched on Corvettes. Awards for the local league are dispensed and, at last, a game ensues. This time, Mainline Pharmacy dispatched New York City 13-3 in a seven-inning mercy-rule game.
My party included my wife, two granddaughters, my son, two of his friends and an assortment of their children numbering one girl and three boys. We occupied a space in the green seats, on the first-base line near home plate, and basked in the evening, both the picture postcard weather and the ambience.
Before the game, the two granddaughters and I made a pilgrimage to the small brick room in right-center field where the AAABA Hall of Fame is housed. The girls wanted to see my plaque and we took some photos.
Also, we bought two AAABA T-shirts for the girls, a deal at $10 each and when the granddaughters started looking at the box of AAABA pins, I asked the price and the nice man selling the shirts told the girls each to take one – free.
Earlier, I had bought each girl a black rubber AAABA wristband, at the giveaway price of $1 apiece.
Alas, concession prices were on the steep side. After the wife came back having spent $12 on three hot dogs and some fries, I was told of $4 Gatorade and $4 bottles of water, not to mention $7 funnel cakes that were the size of a postcard.
About the fourth inning, after the girls returned from a trip seeking cotton candy only to be told they were sold out – in the fourth inning, I tell you – they were looking to call a concession audible to some other treat. Eventually they got popcorn.
I only half-jokingly told them to hold off until after the game and I’d use the money we saved from not buying another round of concessions to buy them a new car.
It turns out, I still know a lot of people in this town, which tends to amuse the grandkids. I saw former colleagues from the sports department, Mike Mastovich and John James, and bumped into photographer John Rucosky, current publisher Chip Minemyer and Valerie Deater of personnel.
Eric Dinyar, a standout athlete I covered during his days at Johnstown High School, has a son starring for Mainline and I chatted with Eric after the game. Before the game, I’d parked near John DeFazio, and walked into the stadium with the longstanding Bishop McCort figure who does radio broadcasts of the game with Don Stanton.
Speaking of Stanton, when he saw me outside the the press box before the game chatting with Mastovich and Keith Rummell, he called me in to see he had my blog as a favorite pick on his cell phone.
The Oldtimers’ Mike Hudak was manning a ticket window and yelled out a hello as we walked into the stadium.
I bumped into the Oldtimers’ George Arcurio III for a brief hello just before the pregame festivities began.
Before, during, and after the game, I saw and exchanged waves with many others, such as Sam Zambanini.
Jim Kleban, the unofficial mayor of Windber, Scalp Level and Paint Borough, sat with our group much of the game and walked out with us.
Before leaving, the wife said she had yet to see my Hall of Fame plaque so we made another visit to the room.
Once again, the AAABA official opener had delivered a memorable night for a town short on such positives.
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