Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into Pennsylvania (21 page)

U.S. Rubber's plan was exactly the opposite of Stotz's vision; he favored autonomous local leagues, joined in a national organization run by representatives elected from the ranks of the local leagues. The discussions broke off without any change in the direction of Little League, and things seemed amicable. But, as Stotz later wrote, “In retrospect, though, I can see that it was the beginning of a deep philosophical conflict.”

By the early 1950s, Little League was doubling in size every couple of years. It was an enormous success, but Stotz was concerned about the increasing commercialism that accompanied its rise. Another concern was the prominence placed on the Little League World Series, which was played every year in Williamsport. U.S. Rubber and the Little League board of directors wanted to maximize the publicity value of the event, but Stotz wanted to de-emphasize the series. He feared that teams trying to “win their way to Williamsport” would encourage cheating at the expense of good sportsmanship and fair play. The lure of the national spotlight, he worried, would encourage teams to recruit players who were ineligible because they were either too old or lived outside their league's territorial boundaries.

Yet another controversy erupted when Stotz tried to invite legendary pitcher Cy Young, then in his 80s, to come to the 1951 Little League World Series. Two board members thought Young “was an old man who probably couldn't control his bladder, and would embarrass Little League.” Stotz invited Young anyway (the event went smoothly), but his differences with Little League, Inc. continued to fester.

In 1952, Stotz stepped down as the president of Little League, but remained as commissioner. A U.S. Rubber executive named Peter McGovern replaced him as president. Then, in 1954, the board of directors adopted a new set of bylaws that stripped the commissioner of much of his power and gave it to McGovern. A year later, McGovern fired Stotz's secretary while Stotz was out of town and replaced her with one of his own aides.

In 1956, Stotz resigned as commissioner and filed suit against McGovern, alleging that he was ignoring Little League volunteers. When Stotz lost the suit, he cut all ties to Little League. A few teams left with him to form the unaffiliated Original Little League, which played their games in a field not far from where Stotz had founded Little League in 1939. Stotz boycotted every Little League World Series game until 1989, when, at age 79, he attended a game to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of Little League. He died in 1992.

In the years since Stotz left the league, several of his fears have come true. Many leagues and players have been cited for unsportsmanlike conduct and cheating. One of the most publicized events was the case of Bronx pitcher Danny Almonte, who led his team to a third-place finish in the 2001 Little League World Series before officials discovered that he was actually two years older than the rules allowed.

But scandals aside, Little League and the Little League World Series have become positive fixtures in the lives of the millions of kids who participate in them. According to one player who went to Williamsport in 2008, “It's been the best days of my life, pretty much . . . It's unbelievable.”

 

 

The diner industry has taken a hit from the rise of fast food, but diners remain a fixture in Pennsylvania's culinary culture
.

Diners evolved from early lunch wagons, which first began popping up in New England during the 1800s to offer low-cost meals to urban workers. Restaurant owners set up shop in mobile, retired trolley cars, street cars, or railroad cars and started serving food where workers congregated.

At the turn of the century, there were so many lunch wagons roaming the streets that cities started requiring operating permits and restricted their hours of business. To bypass these rules, some owners started settling down in permanent locations where rent was cheap.

Around 1923, people started calling these stationary lunch wagons “diners.” By then, manufacturers had begun building them with restrooms and more counter and table seating. In the 1930s, they got another makeover when longer, sleeker, stainless steel models came on the scene. After World War II, the diner business was booming thanks to postwar prosperity.

Although the diner business was born in New England, much of the industry had shifted slightly south by the 1940s. Most of the manufacturers were in New York and New Jersey, and Pennsylvania's close proximity to them was a main reason that diners became so popular there. It's also why there are a lot more diners in the southeastern part of the state than there are in the west.

There are hundreds of diners in Pennsylvania today. Some things (like food and lingo) are standard from diner to diner, but others depend on the individual establishment.

Geography:
The Philadelphia area is home to the most diners in the state. That doesn't mean diners don't exist in western Pennsylvania, however. Most of the area's diner business is concentrated around Pittsburgh and Erie (which makes sense, since those were industrial hubs and provided a customer base). Although no one seems to know why, diners in and around Erie often use the spelling “dinor” instead of “diner.”

Diner Dating:
The part of town a diner is in can sometimes suggest how long it's been around. For example, diners in the middle of a town tend to be older because they once catered to local customers, before people commuted in cars. On the other hand, diners located close to highways are more likely to have come along later, after the growth and expansion of America's highway system.

Eats:
Throughout Pennsylvania, there are certain diner menu standards: meat loaf, milk shakes, triple-decker club sandwiches, chipped beef, French fries with gravy, sticky buns, and homemade pies. Naturally, though, different areas offer some variety—diners in Pennsylvania Dutch country also feature regional specialties like chicken and waffles, pork and sauerkraut, schnitz and knepp (ham and dried apples with dumplings), shoofly pie, and chowchow—a mustard-flavored relish made with corn, beans, onions, pickles, and other vegetables.

Lingo:
There was a time when diner owners and patrons spoke a language all their own. The terms are heard less often today, but here are some bits of old-school diner lingo you still might hear floating around the counter:

Most Original Name:
The Yakkity-Yak Diner in North Apollo. Order its namesake from the menu, and you'll get a fried bologna sandwich.

Most Famous:
The Downingtown Diner—currently called Chef's Diner and once called the Cadillac Diner—appeared in the 1958 Steve McQueen movie
The Blob
.

Most Political:
The American Dream Diner on Herr Street in Harrisburg is a favorite spot of Pennsylvania politicians; state legislation has even been signed at its tables.

Oldest:
Kay's Italian Restaurant in Daleville opened in 1920.

Most Successful:
German immigrant Richard Kubach opened the Melrose Diner in Philadelphia in 1935 and, according to Brian Butko, author of
Diners in Pennsylvania
, turned the run-down, abandoned business with just 19 stools into the most popular diner in the city in just one year. The diner's jingle: “Everybody who knows goes to Melrose.”

 

 

The place, not the guy
.

Town:
Jim Thorpe

Location:
Carbon County

Founding:
1818

Population (2008):
4,800

Size:
14.8 square miles

County seat:
Yes

In the early 20th century, athlete Jim Thorpe was one of the most famous people in the world. He won the decathlon at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, played professional football, and is frequently named as one of the greatest athletes of all time. Thorpe wasn't from Pennsylvania; he was born in Oklahoma in 1888. In fact, he never visited the town that came to bear his name.

Jim Thorpe died in 1953, and his body was placed in a vault, pending the State of Oklahoma's approval and financial backing for a memorial site in Tulsa. But in the end, the Oklahoma state legislature rejected the plan.

This is where the Pennsylvania town of Mauch Chunk comes in. In the 1950s, officials in the small city of Mauch Chunk (an American Indian name that meant “Bear Mountain”) were looking for a way to bring tourists and money to their town, and they needed a hook. So they asked Thorpe's family if they could build a memorial in Pennsylvania and inter his body there. To sweeten
the deal, they'd rename the town Jim Thorpe.

The Thorpe family consented, the town voted, and in 1953, Mauch Chunk became Jim Thorpe. Ever since, the body of Thorpe has lain in a park called the Jim Thorpe Memorial. His marble tomb is etched with pictures depicting him playing various sports.