From Crystal Club Soda to Gertrude Hawk Chocolate

Fans will have their first opportunity to “Meet the Yankees” when the entire team will be on hand at a pre-season dinner sponsored by the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and Northeastern Baseball, Inc.  The dinner will be held on Wednesday, April 2, 2008, at Genetti’s Manor in Dickson City, PA.  Tickets are priced at $40.00 per person, with $15.00 being donated to a new program created by the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees called “Kids Night Out”. The program will provide tickets for children who may not normally be able to attend a game.  [OSC]

In June, the Electric City will host a NASCAR “Fan Fest” benefiting the Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeast Pennsylvania, an advocacy group for victims of child abuse and neglect.  The event will be held on the weekend of June 8 — when the Pocono 500 is scheduled — on Courthouse Square, where NASCAR vehicles will be on display. Attendees will be eligible for a giveaway of 1,000 tickets for the Saturday race and 100 tickets for Sunday. Four VIP tickets will also be up for grabs.  [Times-Tribune]  Editor’s Note:  I’m already digging around for my acid washed jean shorts and my Jeff Gordon Sucks t-shirt.

The baseball team formerly known as the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, moved into their new ballpark today. Editor’s Note: I have no idea what an Iron Pig is…. but I like the sound of it.[OSC]

Alexia Loukopoulos is the only girl on Scranton High School’s wrestling team and her story is worth checking out. [Times-Tribune}

The Times-Tribune writes about Scranton High School Alumn Ron Chiavacci’s attempt to make the Philadelphia Phillies’ roster.  Scranton’s Chiavacci heads to Florida

As a Scranton High alum, I was happy to hear that the Lynett Memorial Basketball Tournament will return to Lackawanna College Student Union in December, where it was played for 50 years when the building was known as the Catholic Youth Center.  The tournament has been played at the new Scranton High School since 2001.  Dates for the event are not finalized, but the fields are. Scranton, Scranton Prep, Holy Cross and Dunmore will play in the 58th annual boys event, while Scranton will join the field for the sixth annual girls tourney, which includes Scranton Prep, Dunmore and Abington Heights.

Harrisburg’s Patriot News reports that Dunmore High School’s football team used active college players, including former Dunmore and current Wilkes College quarterback Corey Gilmore, to simulate the speed of Jeannette all-state quarterback Terrelle Pryor in a practice this week. The use of college players in scholastic practice is prohibited by the PIAA and it could result in penalties

The Dunmore Bucks lost to Jeannette 49-21.  Congratulations on a wonderful season!

Today, the Dunmore Bucks try to become just the third Lackawanna League team and second from Dunmore to win a state championship when it faces District 7 champion Jeannette at Hersheypark Stadium in the PIAA Class AA title game at noon. Good Luck!

Congratulations to the Dunmore High School football team who advanced to the state championship game with a 28-7 win over Loyalsock High School. The Bucks (14-1), who set a school record for wins in a season, will play Jeannette (15-0) for the state title next Saturday at 1 p.m. at HersheyPark Stadium. Go Bucks!