Professional Baseball

If tight spots bothered Nick Adenhart, he would have to start worrying now. The pressure was on from the start. "In high school, I was voted most likely to succeed," he said. "I went and had the picture taken for the yearbook and didn't think much of it. But in my field, I had the slimmest odds to succeed. " Then it hit Adenhart. Sure, he was one of the best high school pitchers in the nation as a senior at Williamsport in 2004, but that didn't give him a free pass to the stardom and riches that are associated with being a professional baseball player.

The city is committed to keeping professional baseball in its corporate limits, the Hagerstown City Council said Tuesday, hours after Hagerstown Suns co-owner Tony Dahbura warned the Washington County Board of Commissioners that the franchise could leave town. Without commitment from the city and county to help pay for stadium renovations, Hagerstown might be on the verge of losing the Hagerstown Suns, Dahbura told the commissioners earlier in the day. "As we have been quietly saying and warning, it was only a matter of time before other communities come around and attempt to take the franchise from Hagerstown," Dahbura said.

Editor's note: The Next Generation is a series of stories highlighting young people in the Tri-State area. A story will run every Friday. wandaw@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - David Miner decided to stay close to home. That decision could help the Hagerstown Community College Hawks go far. Miner, who starred in football, baseball and basketball at South Hagerstown High School, is a freshman captain on the men's basketball team at HCC. He passed on a chance to play professional baseball, and instead accepted scholarships to play that sport and basketball at HCC. "We're blessed to get a homegrown athlete of his caliber," HCC basketball coach Kenny Keyes said.

An economic impact study evaluating the prospect of building a multiuse stadium in Fredericksburg, Va., is in the works, an official there confirmed Monday. The Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority last week approved spending up to $18,000 for a market study that analyzes potential attendance and gate receipts for a facility that could be used for professional baseball and other events, according to Richard Tremblay, assistant director for economic development in Fredericksburg.

Attracting professional baseball continues to be a major talking point in Fredericksburg, Va., and it's drawing concern from at least one Hagerstown City Council member. A study that examines the economic feasibility of a multiuse stadium in Fredericksburg will be presented Monday to the city's economic development officials, according to an agenda found on the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority's website. “I get a feeling that the Fredericksburg proposal, the movement down there is a serious proposal,” Councilman Donald F. Munson said Thursday.

Hagerstown Suns manager Matt LeCroy stepped onto the field at Municipal Stadium to begin practice Tuesday just as he has so many other days this season. But instead of professional baseball players taking part in these drills, it was a group of kids eager to learn how to properly field, throw and hit a ball. LeCroy and the Suns are hosting a three-day youth baseball camp which runs through Thursday. Boys and girls ages 7 to 12 will participate in drills and receive instruction directly from LeCroy and some of his players.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Bill Zeigler enjoys his current job ... and that's no bull. The former Greencastle resident is a trainer for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association - after spending 22 years as a trainer with American League baseball teams the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers. The 62-year-old Zeigler had seen enough of professional baseball in 1991 and decided to pursue another job. "Let's just say Mr. (Bobby) Valentine and I didn't see eye-to-eye on some things," Zeigler said of the former Texas manager who piloted the club then.

Sometimes prophecy can be found in stupid statements. About 20 years ago, a former Hagerstown Suns player was blindsided by a hometown newspaper friend. They were chit-chatting before an interview, but unbeknownst to the player, that sneaky journalist had a tape recorder running the entire time. A few days later, his off-the-cuff statement made it to print. “We have a saying around here,” the player said. “We say 'If you find a girl in Hagerstown with a full set of teeth, marry her.'” Not too bright.

Stadium will improve county's overall quality To the editor: I am writing to express my support and interest in the construction of a new sports stadium for our community. This project is important to those of us who live and work in the area for a number of reasons. Among those reasons: 1. The availability of professional sports is one measure of the quality of life available in a community. As we provide access to other important events such as the symphony, the museum, and the BluesFest, we should continue to support a local baseball team.

Editor's note: Each Sunday, The Herald-Mail will run "A Life Remembered. " The story will take a look back - through the eyes of family, friends, co-workers and others - at a member of the community who died recently. Today's "A Life Remembered" is about Robert Glenton "Bob" Minnick, who died Nov. 9 at the age of 77. His obituary appeared in the Nov. 12 editions of The Morning Herald and The Daily Mail. marlob@herald-mail.com While Phyllis Kelly Minnick said she doesn't remember the exact date when she first met her future husband, she knows she never will forget looking up and seeing him at Raney's Coliseum, a popular bowling alley on West Washington Street in Hagerstown in the late 1940s.

Attracting professional baseball continues to be a major talking point in Fredericksburg, Va., and it's drawing concern from at least one Hagerstown City Council member. A study that examines the economic feasibility of a multiuse stadium in Fredericksburg will be presented Monday to the city's economic development officials, according to an agenda found on the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority's website. “I get a feeling that the Fredericksburg proposal, the movement down there is a serious proposal,” Councilman Donald F. Munson said Thursday.

An economic impact study evaluating the prospect of building a multiuse stadium in Fredericksburg, Va., is in the works, an official there confirmed Monday. The Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority last week approved spending up to $18,000 for a market study that analyzes potential attendance and gate receipts for a facility that could be used for professional baseball and other events, according to Richard Tremblay, assistant director for economic development in Fredericksburg.

Sometimes prophecy can be found in stupid statements. About 20 years ago, a former Hagerstown Suns player was blindsided by a hometown newspaper friend. They were chit-chatting before an interview, but unbeknownst to the player, that sneaky journalist had a tape recorder running the entire time. A few days later, his off-the-cuff statement made it to print. “We have a saying around here,” the player said. “We say 'If you find a girl in Hagerstown with a full set of teeth, marry her.'” Not too bright.

The biggest favor minor-league baseball supporters could do for themselves is to stop talking about stadiums as an engine for economic development. That's like trying to sell a Land Rover based on its gas mileage. It's not just baseball that does this, obviously. Everything today is being touted as a “jobs creator,” most amusingly the ill-fated merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. For the last time that a merger of two corporate behemoths created jobs instead of destroying them, you'd probably have to go back to the Guilded Age. The next thing baseball supporters might consider is to stop placing the weight of city viability on the stadium's shoulders.

The city is committed to keeping professional baseball in its corporate limits, the Hagerstown City Council said Tuesday, hours after Hagerstown Suns co-owner Tony Dahbura warned the Washington County Board of Commissioners that the franchise could leave town. Without commitment from the city and county to help pay for stadium renovations, Hagerstown might be on the verge of losing the Hagerstown Suns, Dahbura told the commissioners earlier in the day. "As we have been quietly saying and warning, it was only a matter of time before other communities come around and attempt to take the franchise from Hagerstown," Dahbura said.

Hagerstown Suns manager Matt LeCroy stepped onto the field at Municipal Stadium to begin practice Tuesday just as he has so many other days this season. But instead of professional baseball players taking part in these drills, it was a group of kids eager to learn how to properly field, throw and hit a ball. LeCroy and the Suns are hosting a three-day youth baseball camp which runs through Thursday. Boys and girls ages 7 to 12 will participate in drills and receive instruction directly from LeCroy and some of his players.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Bill Zeigler enjoys his current job ... and that's no bull. The former Greencastle resident is a trainer for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association - after spending 22 years as a trainer with American League baseball teams the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers. The 62-year-old Zeigler had seen enough of professional baseball in 1991 and decided to pursue another job. "Let's just say Mr. (Bobby) Valentine and I didn't see eye-to-eye on some things," Zeigler said of the former Texas manager who piloted the club then.

If tight spots bothered Nick Adenhart, he would have to start worrying now. The pressure was on from the start. "In high school, I was voted most likely to succeed," he said. "I went and had the picture taken for the yearbook and didn't think much of it. But in my field, I had the slimmest odds to succeed. " Then it hit Adenhart. Sure, he was one of the best high school pitchers in the nation as a senior at Williamsport in 2004, but that didn't give him a free pass to the stardom and riches that are associated with being a professional baseball player.

bobp@herald-mail.com First impressions are supposed to be the ones that last. Many swear by love at first sight or that they can tell all about someone's character by that first handshake. As true as that may be, that makes the second meetings the ones that almost always cement any inklings from that first encounter. Elrod Hendricks was one of those people whom you liked at first glance before loving and respecting him the second time around. He gave a great first impression and drove it home with his sincerity the second time around.

Editor's note: The Next Generation is a series of stories highlighting young people in the Tri-State area. A story will run every Friday. wandaw@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - David Miner decided to stay close to home. That decision could help the Hagerstown Community College Hawks go far. Miner, who starred in football, baseball and basketball at South Hagerstown High School, is a freshman captain on the men's basketball team at HCC. He passed on a chance to play professional baseball, and instead accepted scholarships to play that sport and basketball at HCC. "We're blessed to get a homegrown athlete of his caliber," HCC basketball coach Kenny Keyes said.