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Hospitals have surge plans, Luzerne County official says

PLYMOUTH TWP. &mdash; The manager called them &ldquo;a motley bunch of crew.&rdquo;
				And that they were.
				A bunch of guys, friends/pals, who had marginal athletic successes growing up, were now assembled as a team sponsored by Lower End Pizza, courtesy of the owners, J.C. Born and George Dervinis.
				The skipper of this squad was the legendary Harry &ldquo;The Hawk&rdquo; Yurch, who sometimes inserted himself in the lineup as a pitcher.
				We played hard. We played ugly. We won.
				And despite what some will say &mdash; like my good friend Jack Barbose &mdash; we won the title, I believe, in 1971.
				We played our games on the hallowed ground of what was Plymouth&rsquo;s Yankee Stadium &mdash; the Ash Diamond.
				This field was &mdash; and still is &mdash; located across the railroad tracks at the base of the protective levee. For being so close to flowing water, grass did not grow on this field. The playing surface was made up of dirt, stones and, yes, ashes. There was a sparkle to the surface &mdash; some say crushed glass provided that glimmer.
				Whatever the case, the Ash Diamond was a one-of-a-kind ball field that provided some of the most hilarious and spectacular softball games ever. And be sure to note that there were coolers on every bench filled not with Gatorade or &mdash; shudder the thought &mdash; water.
				Fans would sit on blankets on the levee or in foul ground. Some groups would actually tap a keg of beer to help enjoy and endure the sights on the field.
				Barbose, mentioned above, played for Reese&rsquo;s &mdash; a team of men older than us who did have standout athletic names like Mullery, McDermott and Barbose.
				But this one season belonged to Lower End Pizza. Somehow, we managed to stay together &mdash; most of us showing up for most games. And we hit the ball and we caught the ball and we had fun.
				There were some iconic teams back then &mdash; Shawnee Auto Sales, Octagon Bar and Kuni&rsquo;s Cafe to name a few. Each had their own cast of characters. And we all got along.
				In addition to the regular softball league, there was also a 16-inch softball league. The ball was really big &mdash; 16 inches around. The players didn&rsquo;t wear gloves &mdash; they played barehanded, for the most part. When you hit that big ball, you felt it. It was unusual, to say the least.
				And when the games were over, we would jump in our cars and head down Route 11 for a dip in Harveys Creek, which runs along Route 29. That water was so refreshing after sweating through a softball game in heat and humidity.
				Harveys Creek had other uses back then: fishing, of course, car washing and moon gazing for starry-eyed young couples.
				Route 29 also took us to Lake Silkworth and if you passed the lake, you would hit Route 118, turn left and head down Sweet Valley Road. There we would find North Lake and Sylvan Lake &mdash; both with crystal clear water and plenty of summer fun.
				Life was simpler back then, and we had fun. And we survived.
				And no matter what some say due to their refusal to accept the truth, Lower End Pizza did win a championship.
				A motley bunch of crew, yes, but for one hot and humid summer at the Ash Diamond, we were the very best.
				Just look at that picture.

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