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Luzerne County capital project requests exceeds available funding

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Not so fast on full custody, experts say of Jolie’s demand

<p>MOOSIC &#8212; Al Pedrique has been a part of the game of baseball for 38 years, including stints as manager of Major League Baseball clubs.</p><p>But the RailRiders skipper admitted that he&#8217;d never been a part of what occurred on Wednesday at PNC Field.</p><p>After Scranton/Wilkes-Barre closed out its season on Tuesday night in Memphis with a 13th victory in 14 games &#8212; this time to claim the Triple-A National Championship by beating El Paso 3-1 &#8212; the organization had a special surprise for the club when it returned home.</p><p>Hundreds of fans lined up on the concourse to greet the RailRiders. An enormous banner reading, &#8220;Welcome Home RailRiders. Governors&#8217; Cup Champions. Triple-A National Champions&#8221; was held by children as the team entered the parking lot with a police escort and riding on fire trucks. Lackawanna County commissioners also greeted the squad and distributed each player with a personalized plaque declaring that September 21, 2016, be RailRiders Day in Lackawanna County.</p><p>That wasn&#8217;t all the commissioners and organization had in store for the team, which claimed the Triple-A Championship for the first time in franchise history. The club arrived back to Moosic from Memphis via a flight to Philadelphia and then a bus ride before hopping on the emergency vehicles. The West Scranton High School band performed, while the Scranton High School chorus sang the national anthem.</p><p>&#8220;I won a championship in 2000 as a manager in Michigan (the Class A Michigan Battle Cats) and had nothing like this,&#8221; said Pedrique, who led a march down a red carpet hoisting the National Championship trophy. &#8220;I thank the fans for their support and understanding everything we went through and still came to the park to support the team, watch us play. So I really appreciate the RailRiders fans.&#8221;</p><p>The RailRiders ended a remarkable season with a total of 98 wins, including the playoffs, and racked up numerous team and league records in proving themselves as the best team in Triple-A after they already had the best record in the top ranks of the minors.</p><p>Pedrique, who earned International League Manager of the Year honors, was also the glue the held the team together through trying times when player movement was near an all-time high. Players were constantly being called up to New York, promoted from Trenton or vice versa, especially in the last three weeks. Yet the manager remained positive and never lost confidence in his players.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s been unbelievable all year. He&#8217;s the same guy everyday and knows what he expects out of us,&#8221; said relief pitcher Matt Wotherspoon. &#8220;He expects us to come to the baseball field and work hard and just be the same guys everyday.&#8221;</p><p>Wotherspoon, a Crestwood grad who pitched three scoreless innings in the RailRiders postseason run and ended his campaign with a 2-0 record and a 2.01 ERA with SWB, was part of something that no one from Luzerne or Lackawanna County has ever experienced on the professional level.</p><p>&#8220;It was awesome. I just couldn&#8217;t be happier for the group of guys we have here in this clubhouse,&#8221; Wotherspoon said. &#8220;They all deserve it, and it&#8217;s one of the best group of guys I&#8217;ve been around in my career.&#8221;</p><p>The right-hander was one of several key pieces in the team&#8217;s 7-1 record in the postseason. First baseman Chris Parmelee was named the MVP of Tuesday&#8217;s Championship Game. Outfielder Jake Cave was selected as the MVP of last week&#8217;s Governors&#8217; Cup Final. Lefty Phil Coke threw 16 1/3 scoreless frames in the postseason, including two on Tuesday. The list goes on and on.</p><p>&#8220;We had a mix of older guys that have played the game long enough and had been willing to help the younger guys, and the younger players, the prospects who would listen to those guys. The combination was outstanding,&#8221; said Pedrique, who declared to the crowd that this season was the best of his career. &#8220;It was special because they care about winning. And to accomplish that at the Triple-A level, sometimes it&#8217;s hard in a clubhouse.</p><p>&#8220;But it was teamwork. It was a family. It&#8217;s not about winning both championships. It&#8217;s how we stuck together.&#8221;</p><p>The 2017 Triple-A Championship Game will be held at PNC Field. And if next season goes as well as the one that just concluded, the host team could play in the contest for the first time in the 12-year history of the series.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players and coaches rode fire trucks and the Lackawanna County tourist trolley to PNC Field in Moosic on Wednesday as the team celebrated its Triple-A National Championship win. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-1.jpeg</photo0><caption0>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players and coaches rode fire trucks and the Lackawanna County tourist trolley to PNC Field in Moosic on Wednesday as the team celebrated its Triple-A National Championship win. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-3.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">A large crowd of supporters showed up to celebrate the Railriders&#8217; Triple-A championship on Wednesday at PNC Field. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-3.jpeg</photo1><caption1>A large crowd of supporters showed up to celebrate the Railriders&#8217; Triple-A championship on Wednesday at PNC Field. </caption1><photoCredit1>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-4.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">RailRiders manager Al Pedrique and his wife Marla (left) stand with fan Kathy Healey, Pittston&#8217;s Area&#8217;s girls basketball coach, and her sign of RailRiders first base coach Carlos Mota. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-4.jpeg</photo2><caption2>RailRiders manager Al Pedrique and his wife Marla (left) stand with fan Kathy Healey, Pittston&#8217;s Area&#8217;s girls basketball coach, and her sign of RailRiders first base coach Carlos Mota. </caption2><photoCredit2>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-5.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">RailRiders bullpen coach Jason Brown poses with a proclamation in his name given out by the Lackawanna County commissioners. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-5.jpeg</photo3><caption3>RailRiders bullpen coach Jason Brown poses with a proclamation in his name given out by the Lackawanna County commissioners. </caption3><photoCredit3>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-6.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">The RailRiders won the Triple-A National Championship trophy for the first time in franchise history by knocking off PCL champion El Paso on Tuesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-6.jpeg</photo4><caption4>The RailRiders won the Triple-A National Championship trophy for the first time in franchise history by knocking off PCL champion El Paso on Tuesday. </caption4><photoCredit4>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-7.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Area fans helped out in holding a large banner welcoming home the RailRiders from theie championship victory on Wednesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-7.jpg</photo5><caption5>Area fans helped out in holding a large banner welcoming home the RailRiders from theie championship victory on Wednesday. </caption5><photoCredit5>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-2.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders manager Al Pedrique carries the Triple-A National Championship trophy along sie his wife Marla. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-2.jpeg</photo6><caption6>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders manager Al Pedrique carries the Triple-A National Championship trophy along sie his wife Marla. </caption6><photoCredit6>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit6></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta></subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dave Rosengrant</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @TLsports</p></shirttailMeta></div>

RailRiders return home as champions