JOHNSTOWN — Bob Smith hadn’t been inside Point Stadium for 59 years.

The stadium certainly had changed, but the AAABA Tournament still had significance to Smith, who was part of the Brooklyn Cadets’ 1951 championship squad.

A catcher on Brooklyn’s title-winning team in ‘51, Smith played a different role on Monday, as he watched his grandson Brendan Norton play left field and go 2-for-3 with a run scored and one batted in for the Philadelphia Bandits in a 6-1 victory over Altoona’s Johnston Realty at Lilly during the afternoon.

Several hours later, Smith was at the Point for the 66th AAABA Tournament’s official opener featuring Delweld and Cleveland.

“The ballpark is completely different. I remember the last time I played here was against Baltimore on a Saturday night,” Smith said, referring to the Cadets’ victory over Baltimore Butta in the title game. “There had to be at least 10,000 people in the old ballpark. It’s nice to be back. The people are great down here. Couldn’t be nicer.”

Smith played at the Point when the stadium had a grass playing surface, a metal screen left-field wall and an upper deck grandstand behind home plate.

The new-look point has an artificial surface, new bleachers and seats behind the plate as well as the trademark 58-foot high left-field screen.

“It looks a little bit like Fenway,” Smith said. “Not that I’m a Red Sox fan. This is a beautiful ballpark. This is a great place to play baseball. They love their baseball here.”

Norton appreciated the historical significance of his appearance in Johnstown.

Philadelphia will play Martella’s Pharmacy at 1 p.m. today at the Point.

“It’s really neat to be able to come out and see where he played, even though the field is a lot different,” Norton said. “This is part of the history of where he played. Being able to play on the same field is neat. He’s my best supporter day-in and day-out. Now, I’ll get a chance to play where he played.”

Smith was part of a 6-0 Cadets squad managed by Dan Hill and coached by AAABA Hall of Famer Jim McElroy, who still is part of the national committee.

“He was big, over 6-foot,” McElroy said of Smith. “I think he signed with Cincinnati and went away for a little bit. He was an outstanding catcher. He could hit and he could throw.”

That 1951 Brooklyn team is known for its three-man pitching staff.

Three hurlers combined to throw every inning in the championship run. Left-hander Jim McDonald, Bill Morrey and Jim King each had two complete-game victories. McDonald defeated Johnstown’s Westmont AC and New Orleans.

Morrey topped Springfield and Maryland State. King won over New York City and Baltimore Butta in the title contest.

“We had three pitchers throw six complete games. No relief,” McElroy said. “We won six straight. We beat Baltimore in the championship. It was an outstanding team and, basically, a neighborhood team. It was primarily a Brooklyn team with kids from Brooklyn high schools.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Smith’s son Chris is a manager of a current Brooklyn Cadets team and treasurer of the club, McElroy said.



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Seeing Green: The Pirate Parrot will make an appearance at Point Stadium for tonight’s game involving Delweld.

The popular Pittsburgh Pirates mascot traditionally is a hit with kids and even older fans who watch or participate in the Parrot’s routines.

The oversized green mascot will be at Point Stadium from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

“The Parrot is treat for kids and older fans alike,” Johnstown Oldtimers member Brian Vuletich said. “The Parrot is a blast to watch.”

Tribune-Democrat essay contest winner Eric Kist, a former Sani-Dairy player on the 1997 tournament team, will throw out the first pitch.



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Delay of game: Toledo’s victory over New Orleans on Monday featured what must rank as one of the strangest at-bats in tournament history, as it featured three batters and two pitchers.

New Orleans was trailing 5-3 with two outs in the seventh when Sean McMullen came to the plate with an opportunity to drive in Harold Toscano, who was on second. After reliever Mike Moyer threw a wild pitch that allowed Toscano to go to third, New Orleans manager Bill Babin opted to bring in a pinch-hitter. After right-handed hitter Angelo Bruno was announced as the new batter, Toledo manager Dale Gray countered by replacing the left-handed Moyer with right-hander Logan Brunkenhoefer.

Babin had one more trick up his sleeve, as he replaced Bruno with left-hander Briggs Barrios.

Toledo won the battle as Brunkenhoefer struck out Barrios to strand Toscano on third.



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Local MVP: The Tribune-Democrat will again award a trophy to the most valuable player from a Johnstown entry in the tournament, as selected by the sports department.

The first Tribune-Democrat Award was given in 2009 to Delweld pitcher Drew Shaulis, who threw a no-hitter against Martella’s Pharmacy on Aug. 14 at Point Stadium.

In that game, played before a packed house at the Point, Shaulis walked the first three batters before finding his groove. He retired the final 19 batters he faced, struck out eight and walked four.

This year’s winner will come from either Martella’s or Delweld and will be announced at the end of the tournament.