Penn Hills Baseball - Team photos

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Robins

First year of organized baseball. One game I made all three outs in the same inning. Our team was up at bat. I played second base and was jazzed that we were winning by so much. Then we took the field and my team mate, Kevin, (middle of the photo) revealed that obscure stat to me on my at-bat performance that past inning.

Orange team. 

I think we went with colors as the team name. I stayed, by choice, in farm league. Our teams always had a lot of double plays.

Back row: Timmey, Frankie, McBunney, Mr. Will.
Middle row: Maxwell, Me (Mark Rauterkus), Danny Anderson, Janokaweki, Higgins.
Front row: Dave Cioca, Duffu, Garry, P. Beraradino, M. Beraraino (brothers I guess). Spelling unsure. Source is scribble on back of photo.

Mavericks. 

Back row: Mr. Finn on back left, then me, Mark Rauterkus, ? George Boyle, Dan Anderson, Terry Flaherty.
Middle row:
Front row:

Angles:

Back row: Coach ?, me, Mark Rauterkus, ?, Timmy Meyers, Coach, Coach.
Middle row: Tommy, Jan B, Randy R, Binywild, Sammy.
Front row: Straw, Kevin, Joey, Mark Kucher, ?, ?

Preposterous! Penn Hills Parents go far from the Indian Reservation to dish out a living hell.

Gordon's coaching future uncertain'I just think you don't have the right to play God with kids' lives,' Mr. Rash said.

No coach wants to play the role of God with kids' lives.

However, some parents seem willing to put some coaches through a living hell with preposterous claims.

Go get your mail yourself. Check in. Self determination works.

Bogus Allegations Made Against Ex-Penn Hills Football Coach and AD @ junk mail

Mary Robb Jackson gives an interview. The story rehashes his "firing." Well, the job was just re-opened.

kdka.com - New Allegations Made Against Ex-Penn Hills Coach Gordon says he plans to apply for his old job.

Recruiting letters are mostly junk mail. Even the swim team was mentioned, in that there were letters found for swimmers.

These letters were from the past. Neil Gordon has not been the Athletic Director for more than a year. It seems to me that the old Athletic Director might want to take an inventory of the areas in the school. It shows that the new guy has made a serious fumble, more than Gordon.

If the mail was found in the basement of a postal worker -- then we have problems.

If the mail was being taken from student athletes who are in high school now -- and not delivered to them by design -- then we have problems.

If the mail was screened by the coach and INTENTIONALLY destroyed by the coach or AD -- then we have problems.

If the coach or AD contacted certain universities and told them to never recruit any Penn Hills student -- then we have problems.

Here, there are no problems. That story tells nothing.

If there is more to the story than is contained within the reporting of the story -- tell me. Post in the comments.

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P-G reports: Superintendent meets players

Patricia Gennari, superintendent of Penn Hills schools, met Thursday with the school's football players to get their feelings on the coaching situation.

A few weeks ago, the Penn Hills school board decided to open coach Neil Gordon's position, despite his successful record of 156-74-2 in 21 seasons. The board directed Gennari to inform Gordon of its decision.

The mother of starting quarterback Tom Fulton said Penn Hills' players were instructed not to talk to the media about their meeting with Gennari.

Some Penn Hills residents are upset at the board's decision and want to be heard at a meeting. The school board has a public meeting at 7, and the football coaching situation is on the agenda.

Gordon said yesterday he has reapplied for the job, and Penn Hills also is accepting applications from other individuals.

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Update from Feb 6, 2008:

kdka.com - Coach Situation Divides Penn Hills Community 'And yes there was a box of letters in the athletic office, but the players knew that there was a box and it was their responsibility to come down and get them themselves,' Bob Struss, a student, said.

Coach Gordon ousted at Penn Hills High School as football coach

Bam! Penn Hills should give walking papers to the mascot -- the "INDIAN" -- before it gives the ax (err, tomahawk) to the head coach. Coach Gordon was at Penn Hills when I was there. He wasn't the head coach then, but he was an assistant coach. We just celebrated our 30th high school reunion. The rest of my Mr. Gordon stories can wait -- as today's news is brutal.

Gordon ousted at Penn Hills Penn Hills has decided it does not want Neil Gordon back as coach after 22 seasons. Gordon, who won 156 games and guided the Indians to the WPIAL title game only two seasons ago, said he was 'blindsided' by his removal.

Perhaps he can do color commentary on the high school sports network like Bill Cowher's gig.

Is Mr. Gordon still the Athletic Director? Is that direction still on the map?

Update from the Trib article: Gordon retired as Penn Hills' athletic director following the 2006-07 school year and was working on a supplemental contract this past fall. Such contracts come up for review annually and are filled at the discretion of the school board, according to Teresita Kolenchak, public relations coordinator for the Penn Hills School District.

"A decision was made," Kolenchak said. "It wasn't a vote. No vote was taken."

That does NOT wash with me. No vote. That's not a decision I can live with.

Coaching in the region is important. And, the coaching relationships with schools here stink.

Because this is 'typical' does not make it 'right.' It is wrong.

Penn Hills Baseball Assn - M - Mavericks

Mr. Finn, Mark Rauterkus (me, back row 1st next to older coach), John S. George, Danny Anderson, Terry Flaherty.
Rusty Anderson, M. Collenger, Scott Wilson, ... Skip..
Front row unsure too.

Publish date on blogger can not be before 1970. I tried to set the date to June 1, 1968.