Frank Germino says "Words can't explain" his days wearing blue in Williamsport. The long-time local umpire was kept very busy during the world-famous Little League World Series event, with sometimes less than an hour to rest and re-group between games.
Germino worked all over the field throughout the tournament, and even had a call reviewed under the new instant replay system. During the Monday afternoon contest between the Caribbean and Europe, Frank ruled a Curacao hit down the left-field line "Foul." The video review confirmed his ruling.
Germino had a better-than-front-row seat for the championship game between Hawaii and Mexico, umpiring first base. With shouts of U-S-A raining down from the stands, the Hawaiians cruised to the 12-3 win, the fourth straight championship for an American team.
Umpires may be selected for the LLWS only once in their career, and Frank knows he'll appreciate the honor more and more as the years go by.
"It was great," he said. "From the kids to the managers to the other umpires from everywhere, it was a lot of fun, something I'll cherish for a lifetime."
To make the experience even more special, Germino says he's proud to be the final group for Little League Umpiring Chief Andy Konyar, who is retiring this fall. Frank certainly represented himself and our area very well.
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The Penn State women's soccer team hosted No. 1 Notre Dame last weekend in front of a Jeffery Field crowd of nearly 3,000 spectators.
The Irish defeated the Nittany Lions, 3-1, in the early-season showdown, part of a grueling non-conference schedule for Penn State. The Lions opens Big Ten action this Friday at Indiana, beginning the quest for an 11th straight conference crown.
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It's been a tough few weeks for Temple head coach Al Golden.
The former Nittany Lion football captain watched his team drop back-to-back heartbreakers before their trip to Happy Valley to face his nationally-ranked Alma Mater. But if given enough time, Golden will turn the Owls' program around.
He's already injected not only his strategic expertise into the squad, but also a positive attitude, strong work ethic and a desire to do the little things right on and off the field. And the Paterno protege says he doesn't pay any attention to the media. Sounds like somebody else we know.
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How cool is that Oreo Cookie campaign pitting football's Manning Brothers against the Williams sisters of tennis fame?
What could be next? NASCAR's Labonte brothers going head to head against basketball's Cheryl and Reggie Miller.
How about a local version with some of Blair County's most successful sporting families? Round one could pit the Taneyhill's against the Irwin's in an all-star dunk-off. Fun stuff - I'll bring the milk.
Goodman can be reached at kgoodman@amcvb.com.
