On Nelson Munz Moments

After losing 8 consecutive games to the Red Sox and trailing 10-1 in the 7th, the O's scored 5 in the 7th and 5 in the 8th to beat the Sox 11-10.

On Geography

The Orioles took an 8-20 road record into Philadelphia over the weekend and improved it to 11-20, evening their June record at 9-9.

Perhaps the sweep merely highlights the Phillies struggles at home (13-22) this season. But perhaps, given Philadelphia's proximity to Baltimore, the young Orioles did not realize they were on a road trip. The O's are 21-17 in Baltimore (3-0 in Philladelphia).

The O's head next to "Philadelphia" to play a 3 game set with the Florida Marlins. Feed 'em some cheesesteaks, skip. Promise them a trip to see "Independance Hall". Or "CheerLeaders".

Nolan Reimold is hitting .287 and slugging .546 with 8 HR in 108 AB. It is far too early to declare the rookie a stud, but he's playing one on TV.

On Physics

...Einstein had said, "You know, once you start calculating (with abstract mathematics) you shit yourself up before you know it."

But suddenly, in 1912, he developed a fondness for this mess. Perhaps he saw darkly what Heisenberg would see very clearly: the 20th century would have a love affair with shit.

The century proved this in every field, from art to math to science to war to politics to entertainment to sex. The century loved nothing so much as watching someone foul himself in public, as long as that someone could sell the spectacle as a transcendent event.

- Miles Mathis Death by Mathematics

Stan's Amazing Sand Shot

On Shoes

The "other shoe" hasn't dropped yet. Today, Brad Bergesen tossed a complete game 5 hitter allowing 2 earned runs in 112 pitches against Atlanta.

Bergesen now has 32 innings pitched allowing 6 earned runs for a 1.69 ERA in his last 4 starts.

REPORTERS NOTEBOOK: 06/13/09 - "Radio Interview"

When you’re en route to and from church this weekend, I encourage you to tune into the Sunday Morning Magazine program on 1320 WGET.
I’m the guest of host Max Stevens on the weekly public affairs show, beginning at 10:30 a.m.
We chat about ongoing Gettysburg Borough business - - - the beat that I cover for this newspaper.
No, it was not difficult to fill the half-hour program.
We talk about a Sunshine Law suit filed against the municipality, ordinances, taxes, capital projects, and among other issues, borough finances.
It all adds up to an exciting program that you don’t want to miss.
But don’t skip church.
~ Scot A. Pitzer, Times Staff Reporter.

On Youth

The O's return to Baltimore tonight after completing a dismal 6 game west coast road trip to Seattle and Oakland. The O's left for the west coast at 5 games under .500 and return at 9 games under. They scored 10 runs in the 6 games. O's starting pitching managed a total of 4 2/3 IP in the 3 contests in Oakland.

The O's managed a 14-15 month of May despite turning over nearly the entire starting rotation. The optimism generated in May by the young starters from AAA, the promotion of Matt Wieters to the starting catcher spot and the hot start by rookie left fielder Nolan Reimold, did not even get a chance to dissipate. The 1-5 start to June on the west coast simply crushed it.

Considering the O's penchant for tanking mid to late season, this trip is even more the disappointing. Yet, the O's are a younger team now than they were even a month ago. The question is: Are they resilient?

060609: Reporters Notebook: "Wiffleball Recap"

My loyal readers were stunned last weekend when they opened up the newspaper, and did not see a Reporters Notebook authored by Scot Pitzer.
They wanted to know who won the annual Wiffleball Bash at Mentzer Field on Memorial Day, but were unable to find results.
I tried to explain to my fans that it was my weekend to submit the video notebook, which is available on the Gettysburg Times web edition, and that I gave the wiffleball game full coverage. No one wanted to hear it.
“We don’t get the internet where we live,” a Mount Tabor resident told me.
One member of Wenksville United Methodist Church nearly sobbed, explaining that they drove down to Salim’s Mini-Mart in Arendtsville to pick up their Saturday newspaper, just to find out who won the game.
“I almost asked Salim for a refund,” the disappointed gentleman said.
Additionally, I received an anonymous letter in the newsroom this week, written by an individual claiming to be a “grandmother from Upper Adams.” She doesn’t get the Internet either where she lives, so I apologize.
For those that were unable to watch the video notebook, here is a recap: the Nieces & Nephews team won 18-17; Uncle Jeff chased a foul fly-ball down Grandma’s hill and nearly ended up in the Susquehanna River; Jamie Pitzer pitched a complete game; Gabe May played outstanding defense; and I clubbed two home runs.
“They’ll be talking about it for years,” said Umpire Pappy Mentzer.
Indeed, it was an inspirational showdown that will be forever etched in the chronicles of time.
~ Scot A. Pitzer, Times Staff Reporter

06/03/09 - "Hibbs acepts head position in York"

http://www.gettysburgtimes.com/articles/2009/06/03/sports/doc4a26654864150561283228.txt

BY Adam Michael - - - Times Sports Writer
Published: Wedesday, June 3, 2009 8:07 AM EDT

Hours after Tim Hibbs resigned from his position as head coach of the Biglerville High School football team Monday, he was named as the new head coach at William Penn in York.
William Penn athletic director Chaz Green announced the move following an emergency York City school board meeting, Monday evening.
“We saw all the experience he had, at the community college level, a Northern University assistant and with Gettysburg College,” Green said. “He had great references from former players.”Green also sited a passionate interview as a strong point for Hibbs, who was one of “eight or nine” candidates.
“He seemed like he had chills in his spine, anticipating working with the kids,” Green said.
As the head coach of the Canners for the last five years after replacing Tom Waranavage prior to the 2004 season, the 38-year-old Hibbs finished his career with the Canners with a 24-27 record. That record included a 7-4 slate in 2008 that included a share of the YAIAA-3 championship, marking the first time Biglerville captured a division title in 37 years.
The Canners followed up the regular season title with their first-ever District 3 playoff appearance, a 42-14 loss at Lancaster Catholic.Now replacing Matt Ortega, the popular and successful former head coach at York, Hibbs will hope to extend the success of a program that went 20-4 over the last two seasons, and 37-18 over the course of five seasons.
“It’s tough to leave Biglerville obviously,” Hibbs said. “It’s a place that’s been very good to me and it’s my alma mater. I was joking around today that Upper Adams is the place where I will be buried. I just hope it’s not in the next couple of days.”
Hibbs said Monday’s resignation followed by the news breaking Tuesday, was emotional.
“It’s tough because you grow an attachment to (the kids),” Hibbs said. “We don’t have kids and we always said our kids are our players and students at the school. Most of my time there is spent teaching. It’s hard to leave some of the students, too."
“I reiterated they needed to continue down the path that we’ve got them on," Hibbs continued. "Talking to the players, they started to understand and they knew why we were doing it. Every conversation ended today with a smile and a handshake.”
When Ortega left for Coatesville High School earlier this spring, Hibbs threw his name in the hat.
The same reasons he was so appreciated at Biglerville were also logical sticking points for those that selected him for his new coaching job in York.
Hibbs graduated from high school at Biglerville, but his football track record extends well beyond Canner Nation.
Hibbs earned a spot on the Temple University football team following high school before an injury in his senior year forced him into a role as undergraduate assistant with the Owls.
The Biglerville native has since made stops at Fort Scott Junior College in Kansas, Southern Illinois University, Gettysburg College, Ohio Northern University and has served in positions including defensive coordinator, strength coach, linebackers coach and special teams coordinator.
Green said Hibbs’ certification as a strength and lifting coach also boosted his resume. The coach’s widely popular and effective Speed, Agility, Quickness program at Biglerville has helped all athletic programs become more competitive.
“I don’t care what level you are at or what sport you play, strength and conditioning has to be the spine of what you’re doing,” Hibbs said. “You can offshoot and change things here or there, but you have to have a formal program that everyone tailors to their needs, but has as a consistent philosophy.”
While at Biglerville, Hibbs created a program for at-risk students and also has experience with alternative education programs.
Moving from a small-town Class AA school to the urban Class AAAA William Penn will provide initial cultural challenges. There is also a stark contrast in demographics; at Biglerville, 93.6 percent of its students are white according to the most recent census. In a 2008 report of William Penn’s 1,480 students, 714 were black and 521 were hispanic while only 220 were white.Hibbs, a white coach, is confident his previous experiences will help him earn his new players’ trust.
Among his many experiences, he learned a lot from Ted Ginn Sr., while helping out at Glennville High School in Cleveland where he worked with Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr.
“I remember picking up kids from the airport that had a shopping bag full of stuff,” Hibbs said of some of his toughest cases. “The kids in York are like kids from everywhere. They’re faced with the same problems and have similar things to overcome. They live in a different environment, but the parents want their kids to be successful the same way people want their kids here to be successful."
“We’re all people and I can communicate with people," said Hibbs. "You have to communicate, build respect, show you love and care for them and in return they’ll do what we need them to do. That’s the philosophy I’ve had here and the philosophy I’ve always used. That’s the philosophy I’ll take with me there.”
Hibbs believes that passing along good values to kids who are working hard to succeed will be one of the most important parts of his job.
“When you’re brought up on Upper Adams values like I’ve been, you’ve got a chance to succeed in anything you do regardless of where you’ve been,” Hibbs said. “Because of some of the mentors in Upper Adams, I’ve been able to pass that on and gotten a personal feeling of satisfaction.”
Hibbs said that things haven’t progressed far enough to comment on his future coaching staff. He met with Green on Tuesday to begin laying out plans. Most importantly, he hoped to set up a meeting with his new team.
His wife, Stephanie Hibbs, will remain as a teacher in Biglerville and Hibbs said he will “pursue a faculty position at York High.”
“My wife is still going to teach at Biglerville and I’m not moving,” Hibbs said. “I’m just going to become Biglerville’s No. 1 fan instead of being a part of it.”
When reached Monday, the former Canner coach did not want to reveal his new position with York in part because of professional courtesy, and also in an effort to avoid a media frenzy prior to the Biglerville High School graduation ceremonies later today.“
The focus needs to be on the class of 2009, not me,” Hibbs said. “The only reason I teach is my belief in getting these kids graduated. Coaching is just an extension of the classroom. Without commencement, nothing I do really means anything.”
One of the Canners who will graduate today, Parker Showers, said it was sad to see his coach leave, but he was hopeful he’d have continued success at William Penn.
“What he’s done for our program, I can’t imagine what he could do for York High,” Showers said.
Adam Michael can be reached at amichael@gburgtimes.com.

06/03/09: "Hibbs Will Be Missed in Canner Country"

BY SCOT ANDREW PITZER — Times Staff Reporter

Biglerville High is losing a true Canner with the departure of Tim Hibbs, the five-year head football coach who is vacating the position to take over the reigns of the William Penn Bearcats.

Don’t believe me?

When Hibbs gets a paper cut, he bleeds black and gold.

The first real conversation that I had with Hibbs was an illustration of his passion for the Upper Adams community.

Hibbs was serving dual roles at Biglerville High School in the winter of 2004-05, as head football coach and athletic director. At the time, I was the Upper Adams beat reporter for the Gettysburg Times.

The student body was dealing with a tragic death, and before word even spread to this newsroom, Hibbs gave me a call. He knew I’d be covering the story.

“Remember,” he said, “keep your Canner hat on in this situation.”

From one Biglerville alum to another, Hibbs’ words struck a chord. After all, this is a guy who gets goose bumps anytime he hears the school’s Alma Mater.

His passion for Biglerville High was evident in the way he led the Canner football program — mired in mediocrity for decades — back to respectability the last five years.

Just a few short months after leading the Canners to their first division title in 37 years, Hibbs is leaving Apple Town to take over the William Penn football program in York. The career move became official Monday night with a unanimous vote by the York City School Board. With mixed emotions, Canner Nation bids farewell to Hibbs. The school is losing a grid iron leader, but with his impressive resume, the sky is the limit.

Biglerville finished 2008 with a 7-4 record, marking back-to-back winning seasons (6-4 in 2007). It was the first time the football team put together consecutive winning seasons since, well, the Stone Age.

Hibbs took over the program in 2004, simply because it was the right fit at the right time.

He didn’t have to come to coach here. With his previous coaching experience at Fort Scott Junior College in Kansas, Southern Illinois University, Gettysburg College and Ohio Northern University, taking the job at Biglerville seemed like the bottom rung on Hibbs’ career ladder.

He didn’t think so.

If anyone was going to put Canner football back on the map, it was going to be Hibbs. He was eight-months-old when the Canners won their last division crown, the Blue Mountain League title in Nov. 1971. It was time to bring another title to Apple Town.

The transition was rough at first, because winning was so new. After all, this is a program that won only 29 games during the entire span of the 1990s.

Hibbs added teams like Mount Carmel and Governor Mifflin to Biglerville’s schedule, to show the youngsters what it was like to compete against established programs. He was the perfect fit for a town that was starved for winner, because he hates to lose.

Hibbs took every loss personally, even when the Canners were beaten by much better teams. The 38-year-old often lost sleep when the Canners under performed, and vowed to be better prepared the ensuing week.

He cherished Friday night triumph, savoring every winning moment in a community where football victories were rare. But the celebration ceased every Saturday morning, when Hibbs awoke at the crack of dawn to begin studying the next week’s opponent.

The hard work and endless preparation paid off this year, when the Canners won a share of the YAIAA Division III Title, with Bermudian Springs and Delone Catholic. Biglerville also advanced to the post-season for the first time in school history.

It’s been a remarkable five-year run, that has now come to an end.

High school coaches come and go in this area, yet few have had as big of an impact as Tim Hibbs.

Coach Hibbs might be going to William Penn, but he’ll always have his Canner hat on.

Scot A. Pitzer is a Times Staff Reporter.

http://www.gettysburgtimes.com/articles/2009/06/03/sports/doc4a2665b5502f5002003562.txt

060209: "Hibbs tapped to lead Bearcats"

http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_12498734

"Biglerville coach Tim Hibbs was the unanimous choice to replace Matt Ortega."

BY FRANK BODANI - Daily Record/Sunday News

Updated: 06/01/2009 11:57:38 PM EDT

The new William Penn football coach comes with much more on his resume than success on the field.
Though, certainly, that helps.
Tim Hibbs, 38, not only drove Biglerville to its first division title of any kind in 37 years last fall, but he also made his mark elsewhere.
He created a program for at-risk students, working with the off-field issues that his school's junior high kids were facing. He also has experience in alternative education programs.
He even is a certified strength and conditioning coach -- which is a need he also will fill at William Penn.
The coaching appointment became official on Monday night with a unanimous vote by the York City School Board, which announced its decision after a short private executive session.
Hibbs replaces the highly-successful Matt Ortega, who resigned from the position in April to accept the head coaching job at Coatesville. Ortega's teams qualified for three-straight district playoffs, earned the school's first YAIAA Division I title in more than a decade and compiled a 37-18 record in five seasons.
"The man has big shoes to fill," said Jeanette Torres, school board president. "We're looking for a model. We're looking for someone to mentor our kids and never give up on them."
Hibbs took over the Biglerville program in 2004. He led the struggling Canners to a winning season in 2007 and a share of the YAIAA Division III title last year. He came to Biglerville after working as an assistant at Gettysburg College, among his coaching stops.
"He's worked with inner-city. He's taught on the alternative level. He's fully capable of relating to our kids," said Chaz Green, William Penn's athletic director.
"It's his passion. Just wanting to get here and help the kids in our district. You could see him getting chills down his spine talking about the kids.
"You can see the love and passion that he has."
Hibbs did not attend the school board meeting and could not be reached last night for comment.
He teaches social studies at Biglerville, though Torres was unsure whether he would seek a teaching job in the York City district.
Hibbs was one of "nine or 10" candidates who applied for the Bearcats' head job -- though none were internal -- and school board officials said they interviewed six. Officials did not name the others who were interviewed.

060209 - "Hibbs resigns as head coach at Biglerville"

http://www.gettysburgtimes.com/articles/2009/06/02/sports/doc4a2508c70f91c839765508.txt

BY ADAM MICHAEL - Times Sports Writer

Published: Tuesday, June 2, 2009 7:10 AM EDT

Tim Hibbs resigned from his position as Biglerville football’s head coach, Monday.
“I can confirm that one,” Hibbs said, adding he needed some time before revealing more information concerning his future plans. “I told the players today, so that is confirmed.”
As the head coach for a five-year tenure, Hibbs led his team to an overall 24-27 record, including a 7-4 slate in 2008 that included a share of the YAIAA-3 championship, breaking a 37-year drought of Biglerville teams without a division title. The Canners season ended when they lost their first-ever District 3 Class-AA game to Lancaster Catholic, 42-14.His efforts also earned him his first Times Area Coach of the Year award.
Biglerville athletic director Anthony Graham said it would be difficult to replace a coach as well respected as Hibbs.
The late resignation leaves the Canners at a bit of a disadvantage trying to find a head coach. With team camps beginning in mid-August, Graham will have to work quickly in order to advertise for the position, interview potential coaches and have one approved by the school board.
“Hopefully we can move quickly but not short-change the football players and student athletes as far as who we bring in,” Graham said. “We still want to find a quality coach to replace coach Hibbs. The standard is set pretty high, but we’ll just have to wait and see what we get."
“Hopefully with what coach Hibbs did with the program here in the last six years, we’ll gain some interest from some quality candidates," Graham said. "Coach Hibbs definitely turned the program around.”
Graham added that Hibbs has not indicated to him whether or not he will stay at the school as a teacher. However, Graham did say that Hibbs would be tough to replace in several facets.
“It’s going to be very difficult to replace a Tim Hibbs,” Graham said. “Not just as a football coach but as a strength coach and a track coach. He’s a certified strength coach. Everything he provided for the kids at Biglerville high school, it’s going to be greatly missed.”
The reaction from his players ranged from shock to sadness. Biglerville soon-to-be senior Zach Campo said the team met in the middle of the day because of a modified finals schedule.
The Canners meet once every two weeks to discuss workouts and to lay out plans for the summer.Expecting business as usual, Campo said they were stunned into silence.
"When he first told us it was kind of like, shock,” he said. “We didn’t know what to think at the time. There was really nothing said. Everyone was just kind of in disbelief. There were a lot of us really sad.”
Known for his tireless work ethic, his late night preparation of scouting reports following Friday night games, and his Speed, Agility, Quickness program, Hibbs will surely be missed, said Campo.
“I’m still a little upset because all I’ve known is coach Hibbs football,” Campo said, adding Hibbs was a mentor in all sports seasons. “He’s affected the way I played all my sports including basketball and baseball, using his philosophy of athletics. It’s a big change for me. I’ll come with his philosophy next year, 100 percent every single play, but it’s going to be a little different or a little weird.”
Hibbs took a temporary vow of silence with his students, not confirming his resignation from Biglerville, except as a football coach. He also declined to talk about his future in athletics.
“He just told us that he’s proud that we played for him and that if we need to talk to him, we can talk to him. He’ll be there,” Campo said.
Following the announcement, Graham, took over offering words of advice that Hibbs typically armed himself with.
“He just said we’re sad to see coach Hibbs go, but we need to understand that people move on and we just have to take from what coach Hibbs taught us: overcome adversity,” Campo recalled. “We’ll take from that and try to overcome this.”
The Times Area Most Valuable Player, graduating senior Parker Showers also said he was sad to hear that Hibbs was moving on.
Though players finished with the program were not invited to the meeting, Showers said he found out soon after.
“I was glad to have him as my coach, I’ll say that,” Showers said. “If he decides to go somewhere, I know they’re getting one heck of a coach. Biglerville would be losing a head football coach and all around athletic training coach.”
Adam Michael can be reached at amichael@gburgtimes.com.

On Why We Call Them the O's

On Short Term Thinking

The O's are 5-2 over the last 7 days with a team ERA of 3.18.

I could stand a few more days like this.