Here's an interesting article from the Albany Times-Union's Mark McGuire, on the silver-medalled manager, Jim Pankovits:
“I was on the Little League World Series team that in 1968 finished second to Japan.
“I played on a senior league for 13- and 14-year-olds, (a) team that finished second in the World Series. It was (to) a team from California.
“In the American Legion, we went to the World Series. We didn’t finish second. We lost two games out there.
“And College World Series. Second place. Texas beat us when I was at South Carolina.”
He was also on the 1986 Houston Astros that lost to the New York Mets in 16 innings in Game 6 of the NLCS, with the unbeatable Mike Scott slated to go Game 7. He’s always been close, won his share of division titles as a manager, but this is the first time he’s been with a ballclub that closed the deal.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
