TyronePA.com

Getting involved Martin Oil players have a Corporal Miller baserunner trapped in a rundown during a regular season Kelley Federation game. Along with their teammates, Nate Gray (7), Trey Mock (5), Chad Coho (center, back) and Judd Manning (far right), begin the 2008 NABF Altoona Regional this morning at Mansion Park against Team Ontario, from Ontario, Canada. (The Daily Herald/File Photo)

The two local entries from the George B. Kelley Federation will open the Altoona National Amateur Baseball federation Regional to day.
Martin Oil will play Team Ontario, from Ontario, Canada at 12 p.m. Noon at Mansion Park, at the same time, ReMax Realty is taking on The Maryland Orioles, from Baltimore.
The tournament, originally scheduled for eight teams, is down to five. The difference in number will necessitate a change in format, from a double elimination to a round-robin, with each of the five remaining teams playing the other four. The two teams with the best records, will then play for the Regional championship and a berth in the National tournament at Jackson, Mississippi next week.
The local teams are always at a disadvantage to the visiting teams for several reasons. One of the most important is that only wooden bats will be used.
“The guys from Ontario were in other tournaments already in Oklahoma, Cincinnati and two or three other places in wood bat tournaments already this year,” said Martin Oil manager Ed Davis. “And their league is a wooden bat league.”
Another difficulty is the fact that Martin Oil and ReMax just finished a hard playoff, in which the two teams played eight ballgames in nine days, leading to tired arms on the pitching staffs.
ReMax is in better shape in that aspect, because as Kelley champion, they got first choice in picking up players from the rest of the league for the Regional. ReMax plundered the best pitching arms not on the two tournament teams, picking up pitchers Andy Smithmyer, the Kelley Federation Pitcher of the Year, and Andy Lytle from Juniata VFW, Tyler Nash from Barkman Oil, and Josh Smith from Corporal Miller, as well as Juniata VFW infielder Josh Weyandt and catcher K. J. Walters.
Martin Oil picked up just one player, Tyler Simpson, from Barkman Oil. Simpson’s parents have recently moved into the Bellwood-Antis School District and Tyler will attend Bellwood-Antis in the fall. Last year, Martin Oil picked up Lytle and Tyrone Legion’s Jamie Levinson.
“I think we are going to have a nice tournament, a very good tournament,” said tournament manager Tom Stout. “The teams are going to get to play four games, apiece, so that should make it a good tournament.”
Teams in the tournament include, in addition to the two local entiries, the Maryland Orioles from the Baltimore-Metro League, Team Ontario from Ontario, Canada, from the Ontario Baseball league, and the New York Outsiders from West Chester, New York from the Upper New York Area League.
Teams which did not come to the Regional, were two teams from the Pittsburgh area- one from Quad Counties North and the other from Quad Counties South. A team from Brooklyn, New York, canceled out on Tuesday, and a team from Long Island, New York, was assigned to another Regional.
“We have the option of running a bracket, or doing a round-robin, and we felt that the round-robin system would give us more ballgames, and give the kids, especially the young players, more opportunities,” explained Stout, who is also the president of the George B. Kelley League.
Martin Oil, the 2007 Kelley champ, added just two players last year for the 2007 NABF Regional, and added Simpson this year, because “Tyler gives us another left-handed power hitter,” said Davis. “Any time you can add someone like that, you jump at the opportunity.”
Following the two local teams Regional-opening contests this morning, the two will play each other at 7 p.m. this evening at Vets Field, with Kelley Federation awards being presented prior to the game.
Martin Oil will also play Friday morning against the Maryland Orioles at Vets Field at 10 a.m., and on Saturday against the New York Outsiders at Vets at 2 p.m.
The play for the Regional is a little different from Kelley games. There are wooden bats, as mentioned above. There is a designated hitter for the pitcher only, if used. There are no re-entry rules. Once a player is taken out of the game, he cannot return, and there is a must-slide rule for any play that is close, on any base.
“You still have to go out and throw strikes. play some defense, and hit the ball,” said Davis. “There’s no special strategy. We just hope to come out and be competitive.”

The Tyrone Annual Community Day Picnic is set for next Friday, August 1, 2008 and everything is ready to go. All residents and their families from the Tyrone area are invited to spend the day at DelGrosso’s Amusement Park.
The day consists of several activities including a Chinese Raffle where prizes are raffled off and those who enter may place their tickets in whatever prize bin they want. For example, if a special prize is out there that someone wants, they can place all of their tickets into that bin to better their chance to win.
The raffle will take place at the end of the Tyrone Talent Show around 7 or 8 p.m. All of the prizes are located at the Tyrone Chamber of Commerce across from Choice in Tyrone and the TACP Committee is still looking for more donations for the raffle so this year’s raffle can be the best yet.
Here are some of the items that have already been donated for the Tyrone Community Raffle: Silverscreen gift basket; Epworth basket; Patrice’s Boutique donated a watch; East End Pizza $15 gift card; Mac’s Market two liter and a pizza gift certificate; Community Players donated two season passes to their shows for next year; two 1985 reproduction maps of Tyrone; Borough donated a 2009 family swim pass; DJ Days Stained Glass donated a stained glass “T” and the TAHS donated two general admission season passes to all the home football games this year.
There are a lot of great prizes, but this is just a taste of what is coming next week at the picnic.
So here is what the day will be like at DelGrosso’s next Friday. Joshua House is hosting the Mini-Golf Tournament for grades Kindergarten through 2008 graduating class at 10 a.m. There are three different classes for the tournaments: K through fifth; sixth through eighth and ninth through 2008 graduating class. There are cash prizes for the winners of each division, so don’t miss out on this great opportunity to golf for free and have fun!
Albemarle will host the free Ride and Slide distribution to all grades through the 2008 graduation. This will begin at 10:30 a.m. and last until 6 p.m. This should be the first thing kids do when they get to the park so they don’t forget about it later.
Around 2 p.m., the children’s games will begin as they battle it out in the hula-hoop contest, peanut scramble and the lost shoe competition. Each child will receive a prize if they win an event.
Tyrone’s Finest will be showing off their bikes around 2:30 p.m. For those who are interested in checking out their sweet bikes, contact the Tyrone Borough at 684-1330.
If anyone wants to share memories, go visit Pavilion No. 2 where an All-Class Reunion will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Bring a yearbook and spend time with old friends. Talk about stories from high school and cherish every moment at DelGrosso’s for the time spent there. The day will go fast, so make sure everyone gets out and greets their old friends.
After the children’s games, STATUS will be performing on the Midway stage from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Come see their moves and enjoy some great music as well.
Dance Fusion will also be performing, but they will be at the main stage immediately after STATUS performs at 4:30 p.m. From 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., these young performers will be having a blast and showing off their skills to those in attendance.
Don’t miss out on these two great dance shows from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Midway stage and the main stage.
After all of the dancing and games, everyone will be able to relax and eat a nice chicken barbecue dinner from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are currently available at The Daily Herald, Tyrone Chamber of Commerce and the Tyrone Borough. Please buy tickets now before they are all out!
At the conclusion of the dinner, a Tyrone Talent Search will take place at 6 p.m. where any talent is accepted and anyone can win.
From a singer to a dancer and from a comedian to a dangerous fiery juggling act; anyone can win in the judge’s eyes.
The Tyrone Community Raffle will start at the conclusion of the Talent Search and the TACP is still looking for more donations from the local businesses or any business in general to donate more prizes. There is still time and if anyone wants to donate, please contact the Tyrone Borough or the Tyrone Chamber of Commerce at 684-0736. The deadline is next Wedneday, Juy 30.
This year, Tyrone is looking for the entire community to come and join DelGrosso’s in celebrating the annual picnic. It is a way of thanking the community and recognizing the hard work and efforts everyone puts in each day. The TACP would like to thank all of whom are attending, all of the sponsors, anyone who donated a prize for the Community Raffle and DelGrosso’s Amusement Park for making this day happen each year.

Yesterday workers from G&R Excavating & Demolition were busy dismantling the former Lincoln School building on Lincoln Avenue. The school was built in 1911 to serve as a high school, and in 1929 an addition was constructed for a junior high school. S&A Homes purchased the structure in 1999 after the present elementary school was completed. Nine years later, the historic building still was vacant and beyond cost-effective repair. Many Tyrone residents have fond memories of Lincoln School, and G&R owner Glenn Ray is offering a chance for people to purchase a piece of history. If anyone wants to purchase the unique bricks that once made up the building, they will be sold for $1 a brick and the money will be donated to the Tyrone Salvation Army. A coupon ad will appear in The Daily Herald this Saturday and next Thursday to explain how to acquire the Lincoln School bricks. Interested people can also call G&R’s office at 684-4424 for more information. (The Daily Herald/Kris Yaniello)