What’s your favorite memory of the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament?
Being excused from school early ... all right, playing hooky ... to walk downtown, hang out, and then get up the hill to the Allegany gym every third Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of March?
Appreciating how every third Thursday, Friday and Saturday of March were seemingly the most beautiful days of the year?
Gene Turano’s “ACIT SEZ: WELCOME!” banner overlooking downtown from high atop his Brunswick building?
Picking up a copy of the Evening Times at a newsstand to read what was on Suter Kegg’s mind?
Having newsstands?
Walking up the steps into the Allegany High School gym and buying one of those to-die-for pretzels before taking a left or a right for a smaller set of steps, depending on where you were going to sit?
Walking into the Allegany gym before it lost seating to fire codes, seeing it jammed packed and just knowing it is the biggest room you will ever be in in your life?
Hearing Tom O’Rourke’s perfect voice on the public-address system?
Sitting in the balcony of Allegany’s gym with all of your friends and feeling so grown up?
Sitting at the scoreboard end of the Allegany gym in those bleachers right behind the basket, having the time of your life trying to distract free-throw shooters and feeling so young and silly?
Sitting with your mouth dropped wide open in wonder and delight while you watch Sammy Puckett and Hales?
Getting Adrian Dantley’s autograph?
Getting Lefty Driesell’s autograph during his unsuccessful recruiting visit for Adrian Dantley?
Having Morgan Wootten sign your personal copy of his book “From Orphans to Champions?”
DeMatha’s cool high-top Chucks before being old enough to understand Carolina blue is part of the force of evil?
Langloh?
Donald “Duck” Williams and Keith Herron vs. Kenny Carr and Hawkeye Whitney in the 1974 final?
Getting another one of those pretzels?
Speedy?
Roman Catholic’s 1975 and 1976 titles?
Stopping by the Fort Cumberland Hotel on the walk to and from the Allegany gym to get a look at all those star players staying there for the weekend? Not to mention all of the girls hanging around them?
Going across the street from the Fort Cumberland and knocking down about six Coney Islands with the works?
Whittenburg and Lowe?
Peter Giftopolous, John Kijonek and Rocco Romano?
The joy on Joe Gallagher’s wonderful Irish face after his St. John’s Cadets, led by Mike Tate, defeat DeMatha, 61-60, for the 1985 ACIT championship?
Seeing the disappointment in Danny Ferry’s face as he punches his fist into the air as the final buzzer ends the ’85 title game, and finding yourself thinking, “That’s a guy I want on my team. He absolutely hates to lose?”
Rodney Monroe vs. John Gwynn in the 1987 semifinals?
Jimmy Soto?
Watching Carroll Holmes, his Archbishop Carroll coaching staff and their wives and girlfriends do the Electric Slide at the Saturday night party after winning the 1989 title?
Everybody from Philadelphia?
The Philadelphia hospitality room?
Stat wizard Tom McKenna?
The Maple Leaf lapel pins?
Cokey?
Bob Schubert?
Bob Schubert’s stick dance?
Talking Orioles baseball with Jerry Savage?
Remembering when Joe Wootten was a runny-nose kid playing on the elevators of the Holiday Inn as you watch his Bishop O’Connell team win its third straight ACIT title?
Just listening to Jim Yerkovich talk anything basketball, but particularly the “We” approach he incorporated into his program early in his 44-year career, stressing, “basketball is a classroom for values?”
Wishing Anna Margaret Connelley, God love her, a Happy Birthday every St. Patrick’s Day?
Talking to Joe Divico in the empty Holiday Inn lobby in the still of Wednesday evening’s late hours and Thursday morning’s early moments?
Watching the ACIT grow stronger and stronger, and better and better thanks to Joe Carter and his devoted and caring gang at Wamba Caravan 89?
Listening to somebody your age say, “I used to go to the ACIT when Dantley and those guys came here,” and taking great delight in saying, “As great as the talent pool was then, it’s even better now.”
By merely buying a ticket, helping the developmentally disabled?
The fellowship?
Making new friends?
Catching up with old friends?
You know what? They, and thousands more, are all your favorite memory of the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament.
More to come.
Starting now.
Mike Burke is sports editor of the Cumberland Times-News. Write to him at mburke@times-news.com
Mike Burke - Sports
50 years can go pretty fast
- Mike Burke - Sports
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Somewhere over the rainbow starts here
During a break in the program Sunday night, former Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Bob Robertson sat at a table backstage sharing some stories from the day when he played some of the finest defensive first base and hit some of the longest home runs in the major leagues in helping the Bucs to the 1971 world championship.
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Ronnie Cage’s life was deeds, not words
It was right they observed a moment of silence at the Allegany-Fort Hill basketball game. And I hope they observed a moment of silence at all of the games this week — boys and girls, men’s and women’s — in all the area gyms — Maryland and West Virginia.
That’s because Ronnie Cage worked them all. And before that he played them all. -
No plus-one would have come out of this Orange
Having never been what one would call a big West Virginia fan, I nevertheless find myself entertained by Mountaineers head football coach Dana Holgorsen whenever I take in a WVU game.
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Daumie No. 51
It’s difficult and it’s unsettling — something we’re not ready to come to terms with, really — when we lose Larger than Life.
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At Fort Hill, they’re all in it together
They still decorate their homes and neighborhoods with red and white streamers and signs. They hang football helmets with jersey numbers on telephone poles and trees, and they leave them there until it’s pretty much time to decorate for Christmas.
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Let’s keep lips zipped and just go about our business
The worst part about snow, other than shoveling it, of course, is being surrounded by all the moaning and groaning about how much it’s going to snow before a flake even touches earth and then having to put up with the same moaning and groaning once it begins to snow.
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There are no queens on the sports page
Some high school football seasons it is easier to tell when big things have happened and when big things are ahead by some of the phone calls and letters we receive here in the Times-News sports department. There just seems to be more of a chippiness some years than in others, and this year has been one of those years.
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K.C. latest Laffey Tour over America destination
As of now it appears Aaron Laffey will be wearing royal blue again — Kansas City Royals blue, that is — as the Royals acquired the former Allegany High School left-hander from the New York Yankees in a waivers claim on Tuesday.
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In America ...
Of course you remember where you were when you heard.
What you really remember is how you felt when you realized it wasn’t just a bad pilot or an airplane malfunction when you saw the second plane go into the second tower.
Until the day we are no longer here, the realization that we had just been attacked — somehow, by somebody — will stay with us and move us. -
Keyser, Fort Hill clash tonight
Fort Hill and Keyser, both coming off lopsided season-opening victories, will square off at Greenway Avenue Stadium, while Frankfort entertains Grafton in the Falcons’ home opener in two of seven high school football games featuring nine area teams taking place tonight.
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