Collegeville folds team for time being

They are the New York Yankees of the Perkiomen Valley Twilight League.

They have won 23 league titles since 1971.

And now, at least for this season, they are no more.

The Collegeville Black Sox, once known as the Collegians, have folded, at least for this season.

The reasons are many, but the primary one given by those closest to the situation is that the team simply cannot find enough players to commit to the season.

At a recent league meeting team owner Carl Meixner offered the team up to anyone who wanted to sponsor it and even suggested a merger, but did not get a satisfactory response.

So for the moment, the most storied franchise in the league is in mothballs, at least this year.

“I think, between my core players moving on and many of the fellows I recruited being directed elsewhere by their college coaches, I ended up with a non-competitive team,” Meixner said. “Plus, Ursinus was rebuilding their field and the guys didn’t like bouncing around from field to field.

“So, for the moment, we have no team.”

It didn’t help that when the team moved to Ursinsus from the Collegeville AA field in town, some of the comments regarding the condition of that field were seen as derogatory by the borough.

“When we moved there were some comments in the story about the move that they got a red butt about,” Meixner said. “I got a letter back from the borough with some of the quotes highlighted.”

So without a sufficient talent pool and a home field a question mark, Meixner decided to fold the tents – at least for the moment.

“There was just too much to overcome this year,” Meixner said. “There were too many things that weren’t in the cards.”

The Sox have been the glamour franchise for the Perky League, producing the league’s most Hall of Famers (8) and the

most championships (25 since 1946).

Perky legends Dave and Randy Kurtz, Fred Faison, Wils Kulp, Todd Moyer and Greg Vermeesch have all toiled for the Sox.

And now, the possibility exists the franchise may not exist again.

“I think it’s something you could see coming over the past couple of years,” said Scott Young, long-time Sox player who this year is playing for Trooper. “Once (long-time manager) Bob Letter left, we were kind of stuck and we got Andrew Miller for one season as a player-manager and then (Matt) Eckman for last season.

“But you could sense that something like this might happen.”

“What I heard, they couldn’t get enough players,” said former Black Sox outfielder Matt Altieri, who now toils for rival Norristown. “Carl (team owner Carl Meixner) couldn’t get commitments from enough players.”

As for the immediate future, Young is optimistic there will be another franchise in Collegeville.

“I think Collegeville is too close to everything for there not to be another team there,” Young said. “It’s in the middle of where everybody plays.

“So I think, eventually, there will be another Collegeville team in the Perky League.”

But Meixner was less optimistic.

“Anyone who wants the team can have the team,” the former owner said. “They’re welcome to take the team.”