The following was reported in the Pottsville Republican and Herald today:
ESPN Writer David Fleming was hoping to debate the Pottsville Maroons controversy next week with a representative of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Maroons’ adversary Joe Horrigan.
But Horrigan, the hall of fame’s vice president of communications/exhibits, won’t have time to come to Pottsville Dec. 5 through 10, when Fleming will return to further promote his book, “Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship,” according to Ian Lipton, a member of Lasting Legacy of Pottsville.
“I think they should make time,” Fleming said Monday.
Lipton, however, is still determined to bring Horrigan and Fleming face to face, confident such a debate could further encourage the NFL owners to give back the championship taken from the Pottsville Maroons in 1925.
“(Horrigan’s) got the authority and the credentials. And he’s not on the fence. He’s our chief adversary and if he can be beaten soundly, we are in a position where we can use that. And I’m convinced that Fleming cannot only hold his own, but win points during the debate,” Lipton said.
Fleming said he would very much like the opportunity to participate in such an event.
“The reason the event excites me — and maybe it’s the reason why they can’t get anyone to make time for it — is that it would finally bring to light the fact that the NFL has been so wrong for so long,” Fleming said. “And I respect Joe Horrigan, but I also think that they owe it to the NFL fans to sort of stand up and be challenged on the misinformation they’ve been giving out for 50 years. And I think he should make time. It’s a half a day.”
Horrigan did not return calls for comment Monday.
Lipton said he discussed the matter with Horrigan over the phone Monday afternoon, and Horrigan said he wouldn’t be available to participate until after the NFL Pro Bowl.
There were two reasons he wouldn’t be available, according to Lipton. One was the nominations and voting on this year’s group of NFL hall of fame candidates. Second, Horrigan is working to conduct a $4.5 million renovation to the hall of fame in Canton, Ohio, Lipton said.
Lipton also said Horrigan told him to call back in February.
Since the debate won’t be happening next week, Lipton said the “big event” will be Fleming’s appearance before the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives on Dec. 10.
State Rep. Tim Seip, D-125, and state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, are planning to present a resolution that morning to the House, requesting that NFL owners return the title to the team.
“That’s a wonderful opportunity to get it outside of Pottsville and outside of Schuylkill County,” Lipton said.
Fleming will also be asking people to sign the online petition he started Oct. 16 demanding the return of the Pottsville Maroons’ 1925 championship at www.petitiononline.com/Maroons
To date, the petition has accumulated 9,576 signatures.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Pottsville readies as Maroons Week returns for encore
The following was reported in the Pottsville Republican and Herald today:
The overwhelming response to Maroons Week in Pottsville in October inspired Lasting Legacy of Pottsville and ESPN Books to schedule another.
Pushing to help the former Pottsville National Football League team reclaim its 1925 championship title, David Fleming, author of “Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship” will return to the area from Dec. 5 through 10.
Fleming will sign copies for fans locally in Pottsville and Tamaqua, and regionally in Berks, Dauphin, Lehigh and Luzerne counties. Other special events, including a visit to students at Blue Mountain Middle School, are being planned, according to the ESPN Books Web site and Eric S. Lipton, Pottsville, a representative of Lasting Legacy.
“I’m excited to be coming back and I’m hoping we see the book grow and find a regional audience. That’s the next step it needs to take,” said Fleming, who is spending Thanksgiving with family in Davidson, N.C.
Fleming’s book, released Oct. 9, reignited an interest in the Pottsville Maroons. Lipton said he couldn’t remember the last time local interest in the team’s legacy has been this intense.
Between September and October, Lasting Legacy of Pottsville sold 1,640 copies of “Breaker Boys.” Lipton said Lasting Legacy has ordered another 500 copies for the upcoming events, but can’t say how many people will turn out for the December book signings.
“We really missed the boat on our estimates last time. We can’t make any intelligent approximation. I hope we run out again,” Lipton said.
Talking to students
Fleming will celebrate the 82nd anniversary of the Maroons’ Dec. 6, 1925, victory over the Chicago Cardinals at Chicago for the National League Championship by speaking to students at Blue Mountain Middle School, Orwigsburg.
“It will bring it to life for the students, since it falls on that day,” Fleming said.
This event is made possible by Fleming and The REPUBLICAN & Herald, according to Janet Joyce, director of marking and community services for the newspaper.
The newspaper had asked Fleming to make an appearance at the 21st annual REPUBLICAN & Herald Family Reading Festival at the Schuylkill Mall on Nov. 3. Unable to attend, Fleming said he’d love to help in some other way.
“One of the suggestions I put out was could we raffle off a chance to win a meet-and-greet and he agreed to it,” Joyce said.
The newspaper published a coupon for students to fill out in its Nov. 2 edition. Students filled these out and dropped them off at the newspaper’s booth at the festival. A winner, Tori Correll of Blue Mountain Middle School, was picked Nov. 4, Joyce said.
At 9 a.m. Fleming will speak to about 800 students in the middle school’s sixth, seventh and eighth grades in the auditorium, said Jane F. Dries, one of the school’s reading and social studies teachers.
“From what I understand, he’s going to speak to the students for about 45 minutes, then he’ll do a book signing for any students or staff who have books,” Dries said.
This is a great opportunity for students to embrace local history, Dries said.
“I’m a believer if you want children to understand and appreciate history, you have to start with history that’s close to them,” Dries said.
Book tour
Fleming will participate in at least 10 book signings during this five-day book tour, according to Lipton and the ESPN Books Web site.
The first will be sponsored by The REPUBLICAN & Herald at 123 Mahantongo St. from 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 5.
This will a great opportunity for people to get a newspaper subscription, said David R. Sickle, director of circulation for The REPUBLICAN & Herald said.
“If a non-subscriber would like to start up a subscription right up on the spot, they’ll get the book for free,” Sickle said Wednesday.
The newspaper purchased 360 copies of the book for the event, Joyce said.
Another new location Fleming will sign copies at will be Weis Markets, 500 Pottsville Park Plaza, Pottsville, from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 6. The event is being sponsored by Lasting Legacy, Lipton said.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to get involved with the community,” said Tony L. Cucunato, the store’s manager.
Fleming will return to a few locations he visited in October. From 3 to 5 p.m. Dec. 6, for instance, Fleming will sign books at Good-Will Christian Book Store, 310 N. Centre St., Pottsville, Lipton said.
When the author signed books there on Oct. 12, a scheduled two-hour event turned into a nearly five-hour event, the store sold 360 copies and more than 300 people came in to have books signed, said the store’s owner, Roy W. Musser.
Musser isn’t sure how many people will turn out Dec. 6.
“I don’t expect lines like the last time, but hopefully we’ll have a good number of people, it will bring a lot of new people into the store. We’re always trying to get new customers and maybe they’ll do some Christmas buying while they’re there,” Musser said.
More to come?
Lasting Legacy and ESPN Books are also trying to set up another special event for Dec. 5, a debate on the Pottsville Maroons controversy between Fleming and a representative of either the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton, Ohio, or the Professional Football Researchers Association, Huntingdon, according to Lipton.
“We don’t have anything scheduled yet. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. There’s a scheduling conflict,” Lipton said.
“But I think it’s a great idea,” Fleming said.
Since “Breaker Boys” was released by ESPN Books on Oct. 9, new efforts to help the team regain their 1925 title were launched. Fleming started an online petition to encourage the NFL to return the 1925 title to the Maroons. As of 9 p.m. Wednesday, it accumulated 9,350 signatures. State Rep. Tim Seip, D-125, and state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, are planning to present a resolution to the state House of Representatives on Dec. 10 requesting that NFL owners return the title to the team.
Aaron Schimpf, Minersville, also started a Web site for the Pottsville Maroons at breakerboys1925.com three weeks ago and a screenplay based on Fleming’s book is still being held in limbo due to the Writers Guild of America strike.
The overwhelming response to Maroons Week in Pottsville in October inspired Lasting Legacy of Pottsville and ESPN Books to schedule another.
Pushing to help the former Pottsville National Football League team reclaim its 1925 championship title, David Fleming, author of “Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship” will return to the area from Dec. 5 through 10.
Fleming will sign copies for fans locally in Pottsville and Tamaqua, and regionally in Berks, Dauphin, Lehigh and Luzerne counties. Other special events, including a visit to students at Blue Mountain Middle School, are being planned, according to the ESPN Books Web site and Eric S. Lipton, Pottsville, a representative of Lasting Legacy.
“I’m excited to be coming back and I’m hoping we see the book grow and find a regional audience. That’s the next step it needs to take,” said Fleming, who is spending Thanksgiving with family in Davidson, N.C.
Fleming’s book, released Oct. 9, reignited an interest in the Pottsville Maroons. Lipton said he couldn’t remember the last time local interest in the team’s legacy has been this intense.
Between September and October, Lasting Legacy of Pottsville sold 1,640 copies of “Breaker Boys.” Lipton said Lasting Legacy has ordered another 500 copies for the upcoming events, but can’t say how many people will turn out for the December book signings.
“We really missed the boat on our estimates last time. We can’t make any intelligent approximation. I hope we run out again,” Lipton said.
Talking to students
Fleming will celebrate the 82nd anniversary of the Maroons’ Dec. 6, 1925, victory over the Chicago Cardinals at Chicago for the National League Championship by speaking to students at Blue Mountain Middle School, Orwigsburg.
“It will bring it to life for the students, since it falls on that day,” Fleming said.
This event is made possible by Fleming and The REPUBLICAN & Herald, according to Janet Joyce, director of marking and community services for the newspaper.
The newspaper had asked Fleming to make an appearance at the 21st annual REPUBLICAN & Herald Family Reading Festival at the Schuylkill Mall on Nov. 3. Unable to attend, Fleming said he’d love to help in some other way.
“One of the suggestions I put out was could we raffle off a chance to win a meet-and-greet and he agreed to it,” Joyce said.
The newspaper published a coupon for students to fill out in its Nov. 2 edition. Students filled these out and dropped them off at the newspaper’s booth at the festival. A winner, Tori Correll of Blue Mountain Middle School, was picked Nov. 4, Joyce said.
At 9 a.m. Fleming will speak to about 800 students in the middle school’s sixth, seventh and eighth grades in the auditorium, said Jane F. Dries, one of the school’s reading and social studies teachers.
“From what I understand, he’s going to speak to the students for about 45 minutes, then he’ll do a book signing for any students or staff who have books,” Dries said.
This is a great opportunity for students to embrace local history, Dries said.
“I’m a believer if you want children to understand and appreciate history, you have to start with history that’s close to them,” Dries said.
Book tour
Fleming will participate in at least 10 book signings during this five-day book tour, according to Lipton and the ESPN Books Web site.
The first will be sponsored by The REPUBLICAN & Herald at 123 Mahantongo St. from 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 5.
This will a great opportunity for people to get a newspaper subscription, said David R. Sickle, director of circulation for The REPUBLICAN & Herald said.
“If a non-subscriber would like to start up a subscription right up on the spot, they’ll get the book for free,” Sickle said Wednesday.
The newspaper purchased 360 copies of the book for the event, Joyce said.
Another new location Fleming will sign copies at will be Weis Markets, 500 Pottsville Park Plaza, Pottsville, from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 6. The event is being sponsored by Lasting Legacy, Lipton said.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to get involved with the community,” said Tony L. Cucunato, the store’s manager.
Fleming will return to a few locations he visited in October. From 3 to 5 p.m. Dec. 6, for instance, Fleming will sign books at Good-Will Christian Book Store, 310 N. Centre St., Pottsville, Lipton said.
When the author signed books there on Oct. 12, a scheduled two-hour event turned into a nearly five-hour event, the store sold 360 copies and more than 300 people came in to have books signed, said the store’s owner, Roy W. Musser.
Musser isn’t sure how many people will turn out Dec. 6.
“I don’t expect lines like the last time, but hopefully we’ll have a good number of people, it will bring a lot of new people into the store. We’re always trying to get new customers and maybe they’ll do some Christmas buying while they’re there,” Musser said.
More to come?
Lasting Legacy and ESPN Books are also trying to set up another special event for Dec. 5, a debate on the Pottsville Maroons controversy between Fleming and a representative of either the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton, Ohio, or the Professional Football Researchers Association, Huntingdon, according to Lipton.
“We don’t have anything scheduled yet. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. There’s a scheduling conflict,” Lipton said.
“But I think it’s a great idea,” Fleming said.
Since “Breaker Boys” was released by ESPN Books on Oct. 9, new efforts to help the team regain their 1925 title were launched. Fleming started an online petition to encourage the NFL to return the 1925 title to the Maroons. As of 9 p.m. Wednesday, it accumulated 9,350 signatures. State Rep. Tim Seip, D-125, and state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, are planning to present a resolution to the state House of Representatives on Dec. 10 requesting that NFL owners return the title to the team.
Aaron Schimpf, Minersville, also started a Web site for the Pottsville Maroons at breakerboys1925.com three weeks ago and a screenplay based on Fleming’s book is still being held in limbo due to the Writers Guild of America strike.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Maroons campaign heads to Harrisburg
The following was reported in the Pottsville Republican and Herald today:
Inspired by a petition started by the author of a book about the 1925 Pottsville Maroons, two state representatives are writing a resolution requesting that the NFL owners return the championship to the team.
“This takes it to the next step,” said state Rep. Tim Seip, D-125, “ If the resolution is successful, it’s an endorsement of the entire Commonwealth — 12 million Pennsylvanians saying to the NFL ‘you know, you really should re-examine this.’ ”
Interest in the Pottsville Maroons has been high in the region since ESPN Books published a book about the team, ““Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship” by David Fleming on Oct. 9. Fleming visited Pottsville that week, signed hundreds of copies and started an online petition to help the Maroons get back the 1925 championship.
Now, Seip and State Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, are writing up the proposal requesting that NFL owners return the title to the team. And while Fleming is planning a return trip to Pottsville on Dec. 5, he said he intends to go to Harrisburg to hear Seip and Goodman present the resolution to the State House of Representatives for approval on Dec. 10.
“I’ll be there,” Fleming said Wednesday. “I’m running out of ways to describe my elation...but I think it’s great.”
State Rep. David G. Argall, D-124, Tamaqua, who said he signed Fleming’s petition online, said he’ll also support Goodman and Seip’s resolution.
“The resolution will be overwhelmingly approved by the House. I think it’s a great idea,” Argall said.
And Argall said he thinks this resolution will further encourage the NFL to give the Maroons the championship.
“Every little bit helps,” Argall said.
City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said Seip and Goodman’s proposal is “exciting.”
“Any movement that we have to help encourage people to remain interested in the Maroons and to keep that in the forefront is good for us and I think it’s good for the community,” Palamar said.
Seip said he’s heard some criticism of this project from one of his constituents, who stated he should concentrate on reducing property taxes instead. Seip said the Maroons are helping the local economy.
“The week that David Fleming was in Pottsville, I believe that was a real economic boom for the City of Pottsville and a boom for probably the highest concentration of constituents that I have. And if we’re able to successfully get that title returned, I think that this will foster a lot more tourism and interest in the area,” Seip said.
He noted that tourism is the state’s second biggest industry. And in 2005, about 138 million visitors came to Pennsylvania, spending over $25 billion dollars.
“If this is something that enhances our tourism, then I’d have to say that it is connected to property tax relief,” Seip said.
Goodman could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Meanwhile, signatures are still be added to the petition started by Fleming at Petition Online Oct. 15, “The Pottsville Maroons 1925 NFL Championship Petition to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL owners, NFL media.”
The initial flood of signatures on the petition has slowed to a trickle, but Fleming has hopes more will come.
“We’re almost to 10,000. We’re coming back to Pottsville that first week of December so I think everything’s going to get revved back up here pretty soon,” he said.
On Dec. 6, 1925, the Pottsville Maroons defeated the Chicago Cardinals at Chicago for the National League Championship, 21-7. But the NFL stripped the Maroons of the championship because the Philadelphia-based Frankford Yellow Jackets claimed the Maroons invaded their territory by playing a game against the Notre Dame.
The City of Pottsville petitioned the NFL owners to return the championship to the Maroons in 2003, but that Oct. 30, the owners decided not to reopen the case in a vote of 30-2.
Fleming is tentatively planning to deliver his petition Feb. 3 to the NFL owners at Super Bowl XLII at Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Chicago was the original home of the Cardinals.
Inspired by a petition started by the author of a book about the 1925 Pottsville Maroons, two state representatives are writing a resolution requesting that the NFL owners return the championship to the team.
“This takes it to the next step,” said state Rep. Tim Seip, D-125, “ If the resolution is successful, it’s an endorsement of the entire Commonwealth — 12 million Pennsylvanians saying to the NFL ‘you know, you really should re-examine this.’ ”
Interest in the Pottsville Maroons has been high in the region since ESPN Books published a book about the team, ““Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship” by David Fleming on Oct. 9. Fleming visited Pottsville that week, signed hundreds of copies and started an online petition to help the Maroons get back the 1925 championship.
Now, Seip and State Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, are writing up the proposal requesting that NFL owners return the title to the team. And while Fleming is planning a return trip to Pottsville on Dec. 5, he said he intends to go to Harrisburg to hear Seip and Goodman present the resolution to the State House of Representatives for approval on Dec. 10.
“I’ll be there,” Fleming said Wednesday. “I’m running out of ways to describe my elation...but I think it’s great.”
State Rep. David G. Argall, D-124, Tamaqua, who said he signed Fleming’s petition online, said he’ll also support Goodman and Seip’s resolution.
“The resolution will be overwhelmingly approved by the House. I think it’s a great idea,” Argall said.
And Argall said he thinks this resolution will further encourage the NFL to give the Maroons the championship.
“Every little bit helps,” Argall said.
City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said Seip and Goodman’s proposal is “exciting.”
“Any movement that we have to help encourage people to remain interested in the Maroons and to keep that in the forefront is good for us and I think it’s good for the community,” Palamar said.
Seip said he’s heard some criticism of this project from one of his constituents, who stated he should concentrate on reducing property taxes instead. Seip said the Maroons are helping the local economy.
“The week that David Fleming was in Pottsville, I believe that was a real economic boom for the City of Pottsville and a boom for probably the highest concentration of constituents that I have. And if we’re able to successfully get that title returned, I think that this will foster a lot more tourism and interest in the area,” Seip said.
He noted that tourism is the state’s second biggest industry. And in 2005, about 138 million visitors came to Pennsylvania, spending over $25 billion dollars.
“If this is something that enhances our tourism, then I’d have to say that it is connected to property tax relief,” Seip said.
Goodman could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Meanwhile, signatures are still be added to the petition started by Fleming at Petition Online Oct. 15, “The Pottsville Maroons 1925 NFL Championship Petition to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL owners, NFL media.”
The initial flood of signatures on the petition has slowed to a trickle, but Fleming has hopes more will come.
“We’re almost to 10,000. We’re coming back to Pottsville that first week of December so I think everything’s going to get revved back up here pretty soon,” he said.
On Dec. 6, 1925, the Pottsville Maroons defeated the Chicago Cardinals at Chicago for the National League Championship, 21-7. But the NFL stripped the Maroons of the championship because the Philadelphia-based Frankford Yellow Jackets claimed the Maroons invaded their territory by playing a game against the Notre Dame.
The City of Pottsville petitioned the NFL owners to return the championship to the Maroons in 2003, but that Oct. 30, the owners decided not to reopen the case in a vote of 30-2.
Fleming is tentatively planning to deliver his petition Feb. 3 to the NFL owners at Super Bowl XLII at Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Chicago was the original home of the Cardinals.
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