Pamela J. Mayer never hit a home run or pitched, a no-hitter, but she has been a key player in the success of Johnstown's All American Amateur Baseball Association tournament.

Mayer, publisher of The Tribune-Democrat, and four others make up the AAABA's Hall of Fame Class of 2002. The inductees will be honored during a banquet Aug. 3 at Sunnehanna Country Club.

George Arcurio III, vice president of the AAABA's national board, said the award is in recognition of Mayer's unwavering support and an initiative to produce a 50th anniversary booklet in 1994. The project breathed new life into a tournament that had become lethargic in the early 1990s.

“The book signified a resurgence of the AAABA tournament,” Arcurio said. “Just a few weeks ago, we had people requesting copies. Without Pam Mayer and the Tribune's staff, the tournament would not succeed. The newspaper supplies a tangible way for people to preserve lasting memories.”

The Tribune-Democrat still gets requests for the book. Supplies have been exhausted, but many copies have been tucked away in attics or chests and preserved as keepsakes.

Other 2002 inductees are:

• Chris Sabo, former Detroit player and major league third baseman.
• Henry LaRocca, the first sponsor of the New Orleans franchise.
• David Niro, the AAABA national president in 2000 and 2001 and Milford, Mass., manager/representative for 20 years.
• U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, a key supporter of the annual tournament held in his hometown.

Arcurio said while he admires Mayer's desire to remain out of the limelight, he felt the decision to elect her to the Hall of Fame was overdue.

“She is the backbone of the media coverage, but prefers to remain behind the scenes,” Arcurio said. “That's just the way she is.”

Mayer is eager to point out that the award really goes to the employees who have provided tournament coverage for the past 57 years.

“It's an award that signifies the recognition of all the people who worked at The Tribune-Democrat,” she said in an interview.

Mayer said she views her induction as the Old-timers' way of expressing their gratitude to those individuals who covered the tournaments.

AAABA week is sacrosanct at The Tribune-Democrat. Photographers and sports personnel are barred from taking time off because a full contingent is needed to cover the event.

“This Hall of Fame Award is for all the photographers that were run ragged and all the writers and editors who sweated out deadlines,” Mayer said.

“People like Ken Horoho, Jim Torr, Merle Agnello, Larry Hudson, John James, John and George Visnovsky, Jess Isenberg and all the others who contributed so much. We also had many other employees who volunteered time to help keep things running. This award is for them.”

Mayer is a native of Johnstown and understands the hoopla generated by the tourney.

“I just wish people new to the area would go to opening night and feel what so many fans of visiting teams have learned about our city,” she said. “Discover that we truly live in a wonderful town with great family values and a hospitality that is unequaled.”

Mayer's earliest recollection of the AAABA occurred as a child. George Cooper, a neighbor and former Tribune-Democrat sports editor, would come to her parents' home and regale family and friends with his stories.

“Everybody who grew up in Johnstown has a AAABA memory,” she said. “Whether it's being part of a packed opening night crowd or actually playing in the tournament.”

David M. Levine, editor of The Tribune-Democrat, said the award is a true tribute to Mayer's devoted support of a venerated event.

“Her aggressive community-oriented leadership is reflective of the coverage in our newspaper,” Levine said.

That tenacity drove her to produce the 50th anniversary booklet.

Arcurio recalls the meeting when the project was first discussed. He said Mayer never hesitated and directed then-Managing Editor Larry Hudson to make it a first-class publication.

Demand was so brisk from street sales and out-of-town orders the newspaper had a rare second press run to meet the call.

That's not surprising in a city where the tournament and sports in general mean so much.

Mayer said anyone who doesn't respect or recognize the tournament's meaning just doesn't get it.

“There are people who have given up wedding anniversaries or missed a child's graduation to be a part of the tournament,” she said. “That is powerful stuff.”

She pointed to people like Steve Seman, 86, a resident of Atrium Manor at 216 Main St., who can no longer attend games but still has an instant recall of events that happened decades earlier.

“Steve is considered by many to be the area's top sports historian,” she said. “As a longtime statistician and scorekeeper, he can remember a spectacular play in any given inning of certain key games.”

Mayer said current generations are just guardians of the tourney. It was another Tribune-Democrat publisher that deserves the accolades.

“Walter Krebs was such a visionary to bring this tournament to Johnstown,” she said. “He knew what it meant to have franchises such as Baltimore, Washington, New Orleans and Brooklyn coming here to participate in one of the greatest amateur spectacles of its kind.”

She said the key word to describe the tournament is respect.

It is held in such high regard that players who went on to the Major Leagues have only positive things to say.

“To think how Joe Torre, an icon in the sport, speaks so fondly of the times he and his brother, Frank, spent in Johnstown while playing in the tournament is impressive,” she said.

“We are still a place where people can go to an afternoon game and enjoy all the things that make baseball the great American pastime.”

Used with permission of The Tribune-Democrat

The Tribune-Democrat, July 21, 2002

Tom Lavis is a senior writer for The Tribune-Democrat.

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