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Former WBPD officer Collins faces accusers

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Local peanut butter entrepreneur has cannabis-themed cartoon published

<p>WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; The first time I met Walter &#8220;Lefty&#8221; Dorzinsky was at a Teeners League Baseball All-Star game at Hilldale Park in Plains Township.</p><p>And in an instant, I knew I was watching the best umpire in the region.</p><p>Lefty never missed a call &#8212; you knew that because you never heard anybody question him. He had an uncanny vision of the strike zone and he knew baseball.</p><p>Whenever we had a big game, Lefty got the call behind the plate. Anybody who played in a game umpired by Lefty Dorzinsky benefited. They may not have realized it at the time, but they were in the company of greatness.</p><p>But Lefty&#8217;s greatness went far beyond his ability to call balls and strikes &#8212; he was a teacher of the game he loved as well. Whenever a player would be doing something wrong or having difficulty, Lefty would always take the time to talk to the young player and offer his expertise. Lefty&#8217;s advice was always welcomed.</p><p>Lefty always tailored his umpiring to the level of competition &#8212; Teeners League, high school, college. But no matter what the ages were of the participants, Lefty was always professional. You always knew who was in charge when Lefty was behind the plate. And you also knew you would never have to question any of his calls.</p><p>Lefty called them as he saw them and he always saw them correct.</p><p>And Lefty loved to talk about baseball. He was a student of the game and he could teach baseball if a class was offered at Harvard. You don&#8217;t often encounter people with the level of expertise that Lefty had when it came to baseball or basketball &#8212; Lefty was a high school referee, as well as a baseball umpire.</p><p>At Lefty&#8217;s wake service the other night, it was good to see so many athletes come out to pay their respects to the guy who earned that respect. These were athletes who saw first-hand the greatness that was Lefty Dorzinsky. They knew Lefty would always assure the game he was umpiring/refereeing would be won on the field or court.</p><p>As I waited to pay my respects to Lefty&#8217;s family, I looked at the umpire&#8217;s gear that was placed next to Lefty&#8217;s casket. It took me right back to those days when Lefty would be behind the plate. It had a feel of a first-class game. Lefty saw to it that the participants, coaches and fans would witness a quality contest.</p><p>That was just Lefty&#8217;s approach to officiating. It was never about the paltry sum he would be paid. Nor was it about making sure he was noticed. With Lefty, it was only about doing the best possible job for the players.</p><p>I wish we had some of those games on film so we could use them to train up and coming umpires and referees to show them how it&#8217;s supposed to be done. Everyone who ever witnessed Lefty behind the plate learned a lot.</p><p>As Lefty leaves us and enters the next life, I&#8217;m sure he will find a baseball game and he will want to umpire.</p><p>And if those in charge care anything at all about fairness, ability and quality, Lefty will be behind the plate.</p><p>I can just here Lefty say, &#8220;Play ball!&#8221;</p><p>Godspeed, my friend. Thanks for all you did for so many.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Bill O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Columnshot-1-1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bill O&#8217;Boyle </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_lefty-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dorzinsky </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_lefty-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Dorzinsky </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Beyond the Byline: ‘Lefty’ always got the call right