See bat exhibit at county sports museum
RADNOR » When a baseball player uses the main tool of his trade, the baseball bat, he is gripping the most important single weapon in his arsenal. Each is customized to a certain weight, length and feel. The current exhibit at the Sports Legends of Delaware County museum features numerous bats identical to the ones used by some baseball greats during their professional career.
Visitors have the chance to actually grip professional model bats just like the ones swung by Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Hack Wilson, Mickey Vernon, Mike Scioscia and Frank “Home Run” Baker.
The museum, located at 301 Iven Ave., Wayne, is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday.
The museum is truly excited to have as its very special guest the iconic Bobby Shantz, former pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and the New York Yankees. His appearance is in conjunction with that of three Delaware County baseball writers and a sale of baseball memorabilia at the museum from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9.
Shantz was the winner of the American League’s Most Valuable Player award in 1952 when he played for the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1958, he was a member of the World Champion Yankees.
Rich Westcott, the most prolific author Delaware County has ever produced, appears with Bobby, together with fellow authors Rich Pagano and Bob Mclaughlin. Their appearance is in celebration of the 25 books that Westcott has authored.
No ball park in Philadelphia is more revered than Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium, located at Twenty-First Street and Lehigh Avenue, and few players who played on that field were as outstanding or memorable as Bobby Shantz. He made his major league debut there in 1949 with the Philadelphia A’s and his last major league appearance with the 1964 Phillies.
Besides winning the 1952 MVP award, Bobby was also an eight-time Golden Glove award winner and threetime All-Star. In the 1952 all-star game, he struck out three fearsome hitters of the era — Whitey Lockman, Jackie Robinson and Stan Musial — in a row.
Mr. Shantz, a World War II veteran, is, at 92, the oldest living major league player to have won baseball’s Most Valuable Player award. Don’t miss this chance to see, upfront and personal, a true living legend of Major League baseball.
Also on display that day [see below] will be two of the most intriguing pieces of baseball memorabilia in the entire country. One is the National League Championship Silver Bat award that was presented to Roberto Clemente in 1967 by NL president Warren Giles. The other is a 25 inches by 42 inches horsehide having over 200 American League Baseball signatures of team players, coaches and managers collected by Mickey Vernon during the 1957 season at Fenway Park.
For information, call Jim Vankoski at 610-909-4919.
Unabomber profiler visits Neumann
ASTON » James Fitzgerald, the FBI profiler who played a pivotal role in the capture of the Unabomber, speaks at Neumann University at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8, in the Bruder Life Center. His presentation is free and open to the public.
In May of 1978, a package exploded at Northwestern University, injuring a security guard. It was the first of a series of 16 bombings that would occur over the next 17 years, killing three people and injuring many others. The suspect in the case, a shadowy figure who frequently used the U.S. mail to send his homemade explosives, became known as the “Unabomber.”
Fitzgerald had already spent 11 years as a police officer and nine years as an FBI agent when he received the Unabomber case as his first assignment as a young criminal profiler. In 1995, the Unabomber had mailed a 35,000-word, anti-technology manifesto to the Washington Post and New York Times, threatening to blow up a plane if they didn’t publish it and promising to stop his attacks if they did. Fitzgerald urged the FBI and attorney general to convince both newspapers to publish the document. “A few bosses were against it,” Fitzgerald said. “We didn’t want to cede to the demands of a terrorist ... there’s so much in the way of idiosyncratic language features, someone will recognize it – a teacher, a professor, a friend, a family member.” He was right. Soon after the Washington Post published the unedited manifesto in 1995, a man told the police that the writing sounded just like his brother, Theodore Kaczynski, an ideologically motivated hermit living in a cabin in Montana.
Fitzgerald’s 50-page probable cause affidavit, the first of its kind in federal court using text analysis, was the primary factor behind the judge signing the search warrant for Kaczynski’s cabin. Fitzgerald also worked on two other high-profile crimes: The Jon Benet Ramsey and D.C. Sniper cases. Today, he is a technical adviser to two TV shows, “Criminal Minds” and “Sleepy Hollow,” and the Discovery Channel recently aired an eight-part miniseries on the Unabomber case. In addition to his television consulting, he is the author of a three-part book series, A Journey to the Center of the Mind.
Get job search help Nov. 7
MEDIA » Joseph’s People Central Delco (JPCD) welcomes Nancy Brout to present “Losing Your Job & Finding Yourself” from 7-8:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at Media
Presbyterian Church’s Hassler Chapel, 30 E. Baltimore Ave. The chapel can be accessed from the Baltimore Avenue side, to the left of the main door, or
around back on East Franklin Street, enter the back door and go up the stairs. All are welcome, without regard to religious affiliation.
Whether attendees have lost their job by layoff or by choice, Nancy Brout’s story and job search guidance offer solace, insights, and actions to navigate a transition that can be traumatic, turbulent and triumphant. Discover how to use online job boards, social media and company career sites to generate interviews and offers or reinvent your career.
For information on Brout and her latest book, “Losing Your Job & Finding Yourself: Memoir, Myths, and Methods for Inventive Career Transitions,” visit www.wordsperfected.net/about
JPCD is a joint program of Media Presbyterian Church and St. Laurence Church in Upper Darby. The group has an active, free forum on LinkedIn, named “Joseph’s People of Central Delaware County-Free Job Search Group” in the LinkedIn directory. For information, visit www.josephspeople.org or email contactus@josephspeople.org
Rose Valley Chorus opens season
NETHER PROVIDENCE » The Rose Valley Chorus & Orchestra opens its 111th season with the Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta “The Mikado” in November. Performances of this fully staged show, accompanied by a full orchestra, are set for 8 p.m. Nov. 8 and 11 and 2 p.m. Nov. 11 and 12. All performances are held in the theater of the Strath Haven Middle School, 200 S. Providence Road (PA Route 252), Wallingford.
Tickets are available at the door. Cost is $20 for adults, $17 for seniors (60 and over) and students, and $7 for children 12 and under. Advance tickets are discounted and group rates for 10 or more attending the same performance are $12. For information, call 610-5655010 or visit www.rvco.org
Win designer bags, benefit after prom
MEDIA » Penncrest High School Class of 2018 holds a Designer Handbag Bingo event featuring the latest and most popular handbags and wallets (Kate Spade, Coach, Michael Kors) from 7-10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, at the Media Borough Community Center. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door.
The Designer Handbag Bingo benefits the Penncrest A.M. Prom that is held after the senior prom in keeping students safe while entertaining them at the high school. Now a yearly tradition, the A.M. Prom offers a safe alternative to seniors in lieu of going down the shore or a party after the senior prom.
Each ticket guarantees 10 games. Raffles and 50/50 are available for sale. The event is bring-you-own snacks and beverages. Advanced tickets are recommended; to purchase, visit www.penncrestamprom.org