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12-27-2007 By ERIC AHLQVIST Editor The year began with a bang on Jan. 9, when baseball legends Cal Ripken, Jr., and Tony Gwynn were elected to the Hall of Fame by the baseball writers, setting off six months of anticipation and planning for village officials and residents. With an estimated 75,000 fans descending on Cooperstown on July 29, all the planning seemed to pay off as there were few problems and Ripken, baseball's "Ironman" delivered a home run speech. Ripken talked about the importance of being a role model and always striving to do your best. He said during his speech that he's no different than teachers and business people and all other people who get up and go to work every day because it's the right thing to do. "I want to thank all of you who show up, work hard and try to make the world a better place," Ripken said. "To me, that's what life is all about." In February, Cooperstown girls basketball player Samantha Fox became just the third player in program history to accumulate 1,000 career points, and the first to do so in her junior year. Fox reached 1,000 points in her team's final game of the season, a 50-40 Section Three Class C semifinal loss to undefeated Little Falls. On Friday, Fox ended the year in style as well, scoring 12 points to become the CCS girls basketball program's all-time leading scorer. In March, longtime Cooperstown boys track coach Don Howard announced the 2007 spring season would be his last. Howard coached the team on the varsity level since 1972, and was involved with the program since the 1960s. "It's hard to put into words what Don has meant to this program," said CCS athletic director Mike Cring. "He has great rapport with the kids, and even though he has built a powerhouse track program, his ability to interact with all of his athletes in a positive way is what I'll remember him for." Howard said his relationship with his athletes is what kept him going for so long. "I've always had fun, bright and talented kids," he said. "I'm thankful for all the hundreds of athletes who gave so much to this program. They're the ones who did it and I was just along for the ride." In early April, tragedy struck the Cooperstown community when three-sport star Chris Gentile died from injuries suffered in a car accident. Gentile was a key contributor in soccer and basketball, but it was tennis that was his best sport. He qualified for the state tournament and played at the site of the U.S Open tennis tournament in Flushing Meadow his junior season and likely would have played on the collegiate level. "He was a fun, great kid," said Dave Bertram, Gentile's tennis and basketball coach. "It's hard to explain about him. He was almost like a son to me." In May, the Cherry Valley- Springfield baseball team won their second straight Tri-Valley Championship title with a 2-0 win over Edmeston at Oneonta State. Winning pitcher Steve Herringshaw pitched a complete game one-hitter, striking out 10 and walking 10. It was a great spring season for CV-S, as the boys and girls track teams won their third straight T-V titles and the boys went on to a Section Four Class D title as well. In early June, the Cooperstown baseball team won the second Section Three Class C title in school history behind the pitching of Philip Pohl, who pitched a complete game shutout. After the season was over, Pohl was named the Class C player-of-the-year. He hit .473 with five home runs, 39 runs batted in and 41 stolen bases besides being the best defensive catcher in the area by far. After a July that centered on the largest induction ceremony in Hall of Fame history, Pohl was back in the news in August when he signed a letter of intent to play baseball for Division One Clemson University. "He does everything the right way," said Cooperstown baseball coach Frank Miosek of Pohl. "He gets good grades, he's respectful and he's eager to help his teammates. He's the total package, and the best I've ever had." In September, the Hall of Fame agreed to accept Barry Bonds' record-breaking 756th home run ball with an asterisk attached from Mark Echo, who bought the ball at auc- tion. After the Mitchell Report announced its findings in December, it seems steroids are something that will affect the Hall for years to come. In October, longtime Cooperstown boys basketball coach Dick White died after a two-year battle with prostate cancer. White won 410 games during his 27-year career. Also in October, the Cherry Valley-Springfield boys soccer team won the first Tri-Valley Championship in program history with a dramatic, comefrom- behind win over Laurens. Trailing 3-1 with 15 minutes left, the Patriots rallied for three goals to win, 4-3. In November, CV-S added its first Section Four Class D title as well, defeating Laurens again, 2-1. The Cooperstown boys basketball team's annual Holiday Tournament begins tonight, and fittingly the tournament will be renamed after Dick White, the Booster Club announced this week. In a story in the Town Crier in 1995 after White won his 400th game, he talked about his coaching philosophy. "I'd like to think I was fair above everything else. I hope all my players learned that to be successful you have to work hard and be dedicated," he said. "The hardest part about being a coach is to make sure that every player on the team feels like being on the team is worthwhile. "I often spent more time worrying about the last guy on the bench than I did about the leading scorer. Every person works hard and every person was important, and I always tried hard to make them feel that way." Looking ahead to what might be the top stories in 2008, Pohl will be back for his senior baseball season, and the 2008 Hall of Fame electees will be announced on Jan. 8. Beyond that, we'll have to wait and see. |
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