When I learn the Mirror’s account final April of inductees into the Penn State Altoona Sports Hall of Fame, it was a sorry reminder of my private futility in nominating native athletes for each the PSA and Blair County Sports Halls of Fame.

In sport parlance, I’m 0-2, or oh-for-two.

In 2004, I nominated Jone Bush of Martinsburg for inclusion into the Blair County Sports Hall.

I compiled an intensive file of her accomplishments as an newbie {and professional} athlete and her stellar careers as a school coach and educator.

In the Nineteen Fifties, she was the primary lady to be proficient sufficient to interrupt into the varsity lineup of the boys Martinsburg High School baseball workforce. That resulted in her being recruited to play professionally for the Hagerstown Mollys, a Maryland feminine touring ensemble.

At the time, there was a serious league pitcher whose moniker was Bullet Joe Bush. So the proprietor of the Mollys featured Jone on publicity leaflets as Bullet Jo Bush.

Jone was a four-year catcher for the West Chester State Teachers College softball workforce earlier than gaining her grasp’s and doctorate levels and instructing and training on the faculty stage. Her softball and tennis groups received a number of Pennsylvania state faculty titles.

Alas, my nomination of Jone was not profitable, and I used to be proven the voting outcomes of the Blair selectors that affirmed her nonselection was slim, however honest and sq..

Jone now lives on the Homewood Retirement Center in Martinsburg.

In 2021, Penn State Altoona was going to pick out its first Hall of Fame class of sport inductees. I, once more, compiled a thick folder placing forth Frank Moore, who performed basketball for 2 seasons (1947-49) on the Ivyside campus.

He led the workforce to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title within the 1948-49 marketing campaign.

Transferring to the primary Penn State campus for his junior and senior years (1949-51), not solely was he a starter each years, he was named workforce captain by coach Elmer Gross his senior yr.

I do know of no different Blair County athlete who was ever a basketball workforce captain at Penn State.

Alas, the nomination was not chosen, and my Halls of Fame batting common slumped to oh-for-two.

Interestingly, when Frank was requested the identify of the perfect basketball participant he ever confronted, he cited Dick Groat at Duke, who was later an all-star shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and who died earlier this yr.

Frank handed away in 2015.

Looking ahead, I can solely conceive of 1 future Blair Hall nominating cycle that I would enter a reputation. If the Blair Hall opened a “writer-author-contributor wing,” I would supply the identify of a Blair sports activities historian or Mirror sports activities editor.

I’ve personally identified, or intently adopted, each editor for the reason that first, Herman Reifsnyder, who held the publish for 37 years (1912-49), and was my managing editor boss between 1952-57. Some of the distinguished names that adopted Reifsnyder are Short, Werner, Lane, Rudel and the current incumbent, Buck Frank.

The historic sports activities information of Os Figard, Herman Nagle, Frank Eby and Eric Shields advantage consideration.

One of these names can be my choice. I simply hope there is no such thing as a such factor as a Wentz jinx, by which my alternative is, in actuality, the kiss of demise.

I don’t need to go oh-for-three.

James Wentz is a Cove historian and retired naval officer. His column seems month-to-month.