After 18 months of living in Batavia, local blogger Martin Szinger is getting settled into life in his new home town.

I was born and raised the Town of Tonawanda, a first-ring suburb of Buffalo. As an adult, I moved out to the "country" in Genesee County, Town of Batavia. Always Buffalo-facing, I never gave much thought to the City of Batavia, five miles to the east, other than it being the shopping destination of choice for most of life's daily needs. I came to understand that most of Genesee County is more likely to be Rochester-facing - we got the 585 area code with them, bland pollsters operating from a half a world away assume we watch the Rochester TV stations, and so on. But I never gave much consideration to the idea that any significant number of people could be Batavia-facing.

Great way of putting it: That you can live in Batavia and not look to Buffalo or to Rochester, but actually be Batavia-facing.

It's probably no surprise that Martin getting knee deep in appreciation for Batavia coincides with his reading Bill Kauffman's book.

Slowly, I've become more interested in the history of the place. I've just finished reading Bill Kauffman's Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette, in which the author's classic experience of the Native Son returning to his small hometown is set in the very same Batavia. It's his vehicle for bemoaning so much of what's been lost in Small Town America and also celebrating the good in What Remains There, but it's also very much about Batavia. Literate (probably to a fault) and witty (to compensate), Kauffman produces a veritable parade of references that shed light on Batavia so as to almost move it from the Real to the Mythic. You can feel the love, and it's contagious.

And we're gratified to know that Martin reads The Batavian and that he is considering taking our advice to subscribe to the home town newspaper. We also encourage him to make a habit of WBTA.

You can enrich your life when you turn to your own home town and make it not just a place where you watch TV and sleep at night, but where you actually live.

On an unusually warm Friday`night in early November what better place to be than Paetec Park watching two of Western New York’s finest football teams slug it out for the Section V class C championship.

Squaring off were two perennial powers: the LeRoy Oatkan Knights and the Oakfield-Alabama Hornets.

The highly anticipated contest resulted in a large turnout of supporters for both teams, both on the field and in the stands.

Bill “Bilko” Pangrazio, a LeRoy native and twenty-four year member of the chain gang for the Oatkan Knights was working the sticks for this contest.

“This is the best seat in the house”, he said in reference to being on the sidelines for the game. When asked about the quality of this years Oatkan grid squad he added, “This team lost 17 starters from last years state finals team. They remind me of the 1998 team.” The admiration he felt for this year’s edition was obvious.

Lynn Gehlert works days as an instructor at the Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School. On this Friday evening she came out to support the Hornets and take sideline photographs as she does at all their games. “I still have siblings in school. My sister Michelle dates Brad (O-A running back Riner) so the whole family turns out for games.”

In what was a see-saw battle for most of the game, bursts of crowd noise alternated, with roars erupting first from one side of the field then the other. Both teams - or towns in this case - were equally loud.

Kelly Kowalcyzk, whose son Tyler plays offensive and defensive end for the Hornets, saw O-A quarterback A.J. Kehlenbeck drop back to pass. She then turned and said to a fan seated beside her, “My son can’t catch the ball.” She turned in time to see Tyler catch a thirty yard touchdown pass in the end zone.

“This is more of a battle than last weeks game” she said in regard to some hard hitting and several lead changes. “Right now I think they’re playing for Tim”, she concluded, referring to O-A running back Tim Smith who was injured in a collision with LeRoy’s Travis Fenstermaker.

LeRoy’s next score gave them a lead they would not relinquish and the LeRoy faithful sensed the end was near. Among them were Steven Dumbleton and his son Steven Jr. Young Dumbleton plays for the LeRoy Jayvees and came to cheer on the varsity. “We’re here with everyone else in the stands to support the varsity team.” said his father. “The kids have a good coach and they respect each other.” he said in regards to LeRoy’s winning tradition.

While both teams gave their supporters much to cheer about, in the end it was the Oatka Knights who walked away with the sectional title. Still, its hard to imagine there could have been a loser in a game such as this. Both teams left it all out on the field.

 The Le Roy football team had allowed Don "Hooks" Robertson to hold the Section 5 championship trophy the last two seasons.

He didn't physically get to hold it this year, but he was without a doubt celebrating with the Oatkan Knights after Le Roy beat Oakfield-Alabama 27-17 in the Class C finals Friday night at PAETEC Park.

Robertson passed away last summer from cancer and Le Roy had the goal of winning the championship for him.

The game was an epic battle between two undefeated teams, with a lot of defense early in the game and a lot of offense after the half.

The Hornets forced Le Roy into a three-and-out on the opening possession of the game and then went executed the offensive game plan to perfection. O-A marched 66 yards on 16 plays, with Tim Smith breaking off a 32-yard run early in the drive. The eight minute long drive resulted in three points when Jon Fisher nailed a 27-yard field goal.

But the Oatkan Knights answered right back.

Travis Fenstermaker hooked up with Mike Humphrey on a 25-yard pass, and the 50-yard drive resulted in a score when Andrew Alexander dove in from a yard out. The extra point made the score 7-3.

Smith had a big return, but O-A had to punt the ball away.

Early in Le Roy's next drive, Smith was knocked out of the game when Fenstermaker took off on a scramble and hit him full-force. Smith's helmet was turned around, he attempted to get but flopped back down.

Smith - O-A's leading rusher - was diagnosed with a concussion and was obviously not coming back in the game.

Fenstermaker and Humphrey hooked up on another long pass, but this time the receiver, who was given the MVP award after the game, fumbled the ball away.

Oakfield-Alabama couldn't score and it was 7-3 at the break.

After Jason Stanley popped off a 20-yard run, the Hornets started off a series of scoring with a play-action touchdown pass. A.J. Kehlenbeck faked the hand-off and lofted a ball up fro Tyler Kowalczyk, who hauled in the 30-yarder for a score. That gave O-A a 10-7 advantage.

Fenstermaker then found Humphrey and he took it 54-yards for a touchdown, and the Hornets answered right back with a score when Stanley broke a 57-yard run, meaning Oakfield-Alabama had a 17-13 lead after three quarters of play.

The Oatkan Knights took the lead back when Fenstermaker hooked up with Quentin Humphrey on two passes, including a fourth-and-7, and John Casper scored a 1-yard touchdown.

Then, the biggest play of the game happened.

Le Roy was kicking off and bounced the ball off of one of the up-men, then recovered the onside kick.

Alexander caught a 26-yard touchdown pass with just five minutes left, giving the Oatkan Knights the 10-point lead.

O-A moved the ball a bit, but eventually turned it over on downs, meaning Le Roy wrapped up its 14th sectional title. 

And, they did it for Hooks.

John Koenig of O-A and Andrew Miller of Le Roy were given the sportsmanship award and Le Roy's Eric Stella was the game's top offensive lineman.

Fenstermaker, who had 28 rushing yards and went 15-of-19 passing for 201 yards and two touchdowns, was the game's most outstanding offensive back.

O-A's Chris Williams was the top defensive lineman and Derek Hicks was the top defensive back.

Humphrey was the MVP, catching 12 passes for 153 yards and the touchdown.

 In Friday's edition of The Daily News, Sam Pontillo gave reporter Joanne Beck his side of the story, and it is kind of confusing.

The Batavian broke the story about Pontillo's restaurant owing about $112,000 in back taxes on Wednesday after a story in the paper about it being closed for renovations.

Pontillo told Beck that he does not own the Batavia branch, but does own the Le Roy one. He says that the Batavia restaurant is still in his mother's name and the estate is being settled, blaming his brother John for the financial situation.

John claims that Sam and another brother, Paul, are at fault for the situation. It sounds pretty messy.

Sam Pontillo also says the Batavia restaurant will reopen in a few weeks with renovations that "won't be an obvious change that patrons will notice".

We encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

Much to my surprise today, local author, William F. Brown, Jr. came into the Holland Land Office Museum with a box of his classic book, The Linden Murders: Unsolved!

The book, originally published in 1984 and in its eighth printing, tells the story of a series of murders that rocked the countryside around the hamlet of Linden in the early 1920s.

The price of the book is $12.95 and will not be available for long. Get your copy immediately at the Holland Land Office Museum; they will certainly sell out before Christmas.

The Holland Land Office Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. For more information, call us at 343-4727 or check out our website at www.hollandlandoffice.com

Fire hydrants in the village of Oakfield will be flushed starting Monday and ending on Friday of next week, according to WBTA's Wayne Fuller.

Seventy workers at the Fisher-Price facility in East Aurora may soon be out of a job. The company, run by Mattel, plans to cut 1,000 jobs across the nation due to "the economic slowdown." About 900 people are employed at the facility in East Aurora.

Glenn R. Manes, 43, of Oakfield, was charged with a felony count of first-degree criminal contempt and third-degree stalking yesterday afternoon, city police said. Manes was picked up following an investigation into a potential violation of an order of protection. He is accused of repeatedly telephoning another person on Wednesday. Manes was sent to Genesee County Jail without bail.

Philip S. Hall, 21, of 313 Bank St., Batavia, was charged with driving while intoxicated and third-degree unathorized use of a motor vehicle Wednesday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Those charges stem from an incident in September when Hall allegedly drove a vehicle without the permission of the owner and crashed it while he was intoxicated.

Martin Pacer, 28, of Elba, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child Thursday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Pacer is accused of leaving two young children at home while he was out using drugs all night. When he arrived home that night, he allegedly caused a domestic disturbance after seeking more money for drugs. Pacer was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $800 bail, and an order of protection was issued for the children.

Terri Doctor, 29, of Basom, was charged with driving while intoxicated Thursday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies. Doctor was picked up on a warrant related to a drunk driving charge from December, 2007. She was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $500.

 I didn't know who the older man that was always at Le Roy practices for a few years. All I knew was that he seemed very nice and the kids liked him.

A few years back, he came up to me and shook my hand. He told me how much he appreciated what I did for the kids and how much he enjoyed reading my previews and coverage of Le Roy football.

That was the beginning of my relationship with Don "Hooks" Robertson.

I spend a lot of time at Le Roy games and practices during football season because it is the top program in this area, so I have gotten to know a lot of great people over the years.

Hooks is one of the most special.

I wrote a story about him in 2006 when he was battling cancer, and we became sort-of practice buddies after that. When the Oatkan Knights won the Class C title that year, the team gave the trophy to Hooks outside of the locker rooms at PAETEC Park, and the man was in his glory.

He had been through a lot, fighting off lung, throat, neck and back cancer. But when the kids that won that title showed him how much they appreciated what he had done, it was enough to render him speechless and make the tears stream down his face.

"It was a total shock to me," Robertson told me days after the contest. "I was thinking more about the kids and winning, not myself. I couldn't believe they gave me the trophy. Football is in my blood and I just broke down."

Hooks was back on the sidelines in 2007, and seemed to be in fairly good health. But the cancer had come back, not that he would ever talk about it. He always talked to me about football and the kids.

He passed away this summer.

I remember hearing that his days were numbered and wanted to get out and see him one last time. I had just had the first of two Carpal Tunnel surgeries when I heard his time was getting close. My second surgery came on the day that he died.

There were complications with the surgery and I was in a lot of pain. But I found myself thinking about Hooks more than the  minor health problems I was dealing with.

I never made it out to the funeral. It killed me, but I couldn't drive and getting a ride wound up being impossible. But in my mind, I was there.

Hooks is still with the Le Roy football team. Not physically, but so many players and coaches on that team have had special relationships with him that it is impossible for them not to think about him as Le Roy plays Oakfield-Alabama in the Class C finals Friday night.

I was never able to write about Hooks because of the surgery. But as the Oatkan Knights go into the finals, I find myself missing a good friend. Heck, I barely knew the man and I know how special he was. Just a good guy that loved Le Roy football and the kids that put in the effort. I couldn't even imagine what those close to him are feeling.

I put together a video that includes conversations with quarterback Travis Fenstermaker and coach Brian Moran, along with some amazing video of his grandson - Brock Pasquale - giving him the game ball after scoring a touchdown in the playoffs.

(special thank you to Ed Henry from www.leroyfootball.com for some video footage and photos) 

 Oakfield-Alabama (9-0) vs. Le Roy (9-0)

6 p.m. Friday, PAETEC Park

Oakfield-Alabama coach John Dowd has been saying for years that he wants to see his program have the wins, the respect and titles that Le Roy has.

There have been a couple Section 5 titles in there, and a couple of trips beyond sectionals, into the state tournament. But there is still a bunch of work to be done to catch up to Le Roy's 13 sectional championships.

Dowd's team, with its powerful double-wing offensive system that drives defenses crazy, will have to beat the Oatkan Knights Friday night to claim a Class C championship and get closer to the level he's looking to reach.

O-A does not have the numbers Le Roy does and that will be evident when you take a look on the sidelines. The Hornets have a small coaching staff, and about 25 players on the squad. The Oatkan Knights will have over 40 players dressed and a larger coaching staff than some Division III college teams.

It is tough to call a team that is 9-0 and ranked sixth in the state an underdog, but you kind of have to when they are playing another 9-0 squad that is ranked second in the state and has one of the most storied histories of any program in the state.

The Hornets have been great in recent years, making the Class D finals in 2003 while winning the title in 2004 and 2006.

But the Oatkan Knights have 13 sectional championships, including 12 under the direction of coach Brian Moran.

The game features two big, physical offensive lines and that might be the biggest advantage Oakfield-Alabama has as Chris Williams and Craig Campbell were all-state linemen two years ago.

The Hornets will attempt to pound the ball with the double-wing, take time off the clock and capitalize with touchdowns. Eight minute drives resulting in points in the best way to keep Le Roy's offense off the field.

The Oatkan Knights will try to stop O-A on first and second down and force them to pass on third-and-long situations.

Tim Smith and Brad Riner have been a great one-two punch carrying the football, with Smith currently at 1,040 yards with 16 touchdowns and Riner at 890 yards with 12 TDs.

Le Roy will be doing the opposite on the offensive side of the ball.

Class C Offensive Player of the Year Travis Fenstermaker and wide receiver Mike Humphrey will look to attack an Oakfield-Alabama defense that is great at stopping the run, but has been passed on in a couple of recent games. Pembroke moved the ball through the air in Week 6 and Dansville had a lot of success in the opening round of sectionals.

Fenstermaker has 1,030 yards passing with 18 touchdowns and just three interceptions and Humphrey has caught 37 passes for 592 yards and 11 TDs.

Running back Andrew Alexander is coming off a 300-plus yard rushing performance against Letchworth in the semifinals, and will still get plenty of touches. He has 1,347 yards rushing with 13 touchdowns.

There isn't much of a history between these two teams. The last time they matched up was in 1999 in the Class C finals, with Le Roy winning 34-3.

 The Batavia Muckdogs won the New York-Pennsylvania League title this past season with a sweep of Jamestown. It was Batavia's first championship since 1963.

Now the honors come rolling in.

Manager Mark DeJohn was named St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Manager of the Year by Scout.com for guiding the Muckdogs to the title.

"“To be very honest with you, I would put it right up there as probably one of my most rewarding years that I’ve spent in the game,” DeJohn told Scout.com.

It is DeJohn's second season in Batavia and the second year the Cardinals have been the parent organization of the Muckdogs.

Pitcher Scott Gorgen was named 2008 Minor League Rookie Starter of the Year after going 5-2 with a 2.32 ERA for the Muckdogs.

Adam Reifer was as good as they come in the closer role, making 23 saves for Batavia, including a 1 2/3 inning save in the championship win. He was named the 2008 Minor League Rookie Reliever of the Year in the Cardinal organization.

For those of you who want the numbers for all the races across the county, in all the municipalities, you can download the complete report here. For those of you looking for the specific breakdown in the vote for president in the city of Batavia, we've extracted those numbers for you. Adding up the totals for every municipality is much more of a tedious and consuming task than we had at first assumed, so we've scrapped the original plan of detailing all the race counts. Further, for the city, I've only tallied the counts for the Democrats and Republicans, since the others were negligible. Nader/Gonzalez drew the most of any of the other tickets, and they only pulled 16 at most per ward.

City of Batavia election results totals (by Ward):

Ward 1:

• Obama/Biden = 535 votes
• McCain/Palin = 704 votes

Ward 2:

• Obama/Biden = 501 votes
• McCain/Palin = 521 votes

Ward 3:

• Obama/Biden = 431 votes
• McCain/Palin = 421 votes

Ward 4:

• Obama/Biden = 568 votes
• McCain/Palin = 585 votes

Ward 5:

• Obama/Biden = 384 votes
• McCain/Palin = 345 votes

Ward 6:

• Obama/Biden = 404 votes
• McCain/Palin = 379 votes

In total, Obama/Biden pulled 2,823 votes in the city. McCain/Palin drew 2,955. (Please forgive me if I made any calculation errors, though I think everything should be correct.)

Batavia's Mall Merchants Association has requested the city to remove its appointed liaison to the group, according to the Daily News. A letter sent to City Council President Charlie Mallow asking for the dismissal of liaison Tim Paine cites Paine's "veiled use of a tape recorder during meetings, questioning the integrity of meeting minutes and being disruptive" among its list of reasons why Paine should go.

Mallow told reporter Joanne Beck that members of public committees "have the right to rexpress themselves and argue their points." Mallow added that Paine has done nothing to warrant his removal from the Mall Operating Committee and Association.

Association President Mitchell Chess said of Paine:

"He's not serving the role as intermediary (between the city and merchants). The relationship has become unworkable. He doesn't trust what we're saying and we don't trust him. It's not a good mix. We want someone to explain their point of view and not be antagonistic."

Tim Paine is a frequent contributor to The Batavian, and we've heard him express himself on many different city issues—never in any way that's been outright "antagonistic"—and it's pretty obvious that he takes an interest in the goings-on at the level of city government. If anything, we would have to say that he is an active citizen and be thankful for that in the face of so much general apathy on the part of the greater public.

Whether Paine is being "disruptive" and frustrating meetings of the mall association because of trust issues, we can't say. Chess went as far as to say that Paine is "looking for ways to undermine" the mall merchants. That sounds like a pretty heavy charge. But why would Paine even be in a situation to undermine the merchants? Who is he undermining the merchants to? Has the relationship between the city and the mall reached a point where it is perhaps too involved? Let's phrase this in another way: How does an association between the mall merchants and the city—to the point that paid staff spend time at such meetings—benefit the residents, a.k.a. taxpayers, of the city of Batavia?

The purpose of the Neighborhood Improvement Committee is pretty obvious. The Board of Assessment Review serves a pretty clear function.

One thing is clear: the city and the mall merchants just don't get along. Headlines pitting one against the other were splashed across the front page of the Daily several times this summer. Whatever the purpose may have been for a Mall Operating Committee and Association, it's obvious that it has been frustrated.

The Web site for the city of Batavia says this of the association: "The Mall Operating Committee is made up of mall owners and City staff and is responsible for overseeing the operation and maintenance of the mall."

That sounds simple enough. So why so much drama?

In other news, nothing significant happened at the town of Batavia budget hearing and the Genese County elections crew had no need of the emergency paper ballots, as all the machines remained in good working order throughout the day Tuesday.

And.... that's about it.

We encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

Casual Fridays or dress-down days are observed by businesses and organizations throughout the nation. At Byron-Bergen Central School they are a weekly event that has raised thousands of dollars for local organizations and charitable causes. Each fall the Byron-Bergen Faculty Association democratically designates a recipient to present the donations to that were collected through the school year. Through the generous donations of less than 120 members during the 2007-2008 school year, BBFA was able to collect $1600 to present to this years recipient, The Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern. 

Everybody knew Travis Fenstermaker was going to be a good quarterback for the Le Roy football team. But it is almost impossible to imagine the season that he has had for the 9-0, second-ranked team in the state.

Because of his incredible season, he was just named Section 5 Class C Offensive Player of the Year.

The senior has completed 64-of-108 pass attempts for 1,030 yards, including 18 touchdown passes compared to just three interceptions.

He has also ran the ball 87 times for 425 yards and four touchdowns, is sixth on the team in tackles and handles all of the kicking and punting duties.

He is 20-1 as a starting quarterback in his high school career.

The Oatkan Knights will be playing Oakfield-Alabama in the sectional finals Friday night at PAETEC Park.

Most viewed posts for October:

• Ron Paul: We're going to destroy the dollar, by Howard Owens

• Stabbing in downtown Batavia, by Philip Anselmo (Yep, it's that mug shot!)

• O-A stuns Pembroke in final seconds, by Brian Hillabush

• Blackboard awards at Batavia schools, by Philip Anselmo

• Oakfield-Alabama gets nine GR all-stars, by Brian Hillabush

• Liberalism has changed to Socialism, by Guy Gabbey Jr.

• Three Questions: Mike Ranzenhofer, by Philip Anselmo

• A sad loss for the Section 5 football family, by Brian Hillabush

• The case of the missing Democratic congressional candidate, by Howard Owens

• From Batavia to Radio City..., by Philip Anselmo

If you have a "favorite" post that maybe wasn't one of our most viewed for October, please add it in the comments section. This is a great way for folks to go back and check out what they may have missed. I'm going to go ahead and nominate my two videos on Rolling Hills Paranormal Research Center—the interview and the tour—along with Jim Nigro's coverage of the Notre Dame loss in the finals as my favorites of the past month, not including the few that already made it onto the most viewed list, including Hilly's great coverage of the first O-A vs. Pembroke match—sports writing at its best. That's if I'm allowed to nominate my own posts.

Batavia-based manufacturer Graham Corp. has seen its sales slow in the second quarter after so many months of strong growth.

From the Buffalo News:

The troubles in the financial market and the plunge in energy prices are taking a toll on Graham Corp.’s sales and orders, but company executives said Tuesday they don’t think the slowdown will last long.

Investors, however, had a more bearish view, focusing on the company’s slowing sales growth and flat profits during the second quarter and causing Graham’s stock to plunge by 27 percent, or $5.70, to $15.25.

Graham Corp. is no more immune to the current credit crisis than anyone else, it would seem.

Because of the upheaval in the energy and credit markets, which have made it difficult for independent refinery operators to borrow the money needed for expansion or upgrade projects, Graham’s new order bookings fell by 15 percent in the summer quarter. Lines said he also expects orders to be “light” during the final three months of the year.

Still, (Graham's President R.) Lines said Graham’s customers continue to work on new projects and noted that the company still has ample opportunities to bid on future work.

Don't expect any economic slowdown to slow down the company's own verve. Lines is already talking aquisitions.

With nearly $43 million in cash on its books and virtually no debt, Lines said he sees the ongoing economic upheaval as creating an opportunity for Graham to use its solid financial position to make acquisitions, although asking prices remain high.

Graham is interested in deals that would be less than $100 million in size and broaden the company’s line of custom- engineered products for the energy industry, ranging from refinery projects to the renewable energy field. The company also is interested in deals that would expand the company’s geographic footprint, he said.

Chili

Tossed Salad

Whole Wheat biscuits

Wild Cherry Frozen Yogurt for dessert

Despite high voter turnout for the elections Tuesday, Genesee County did not break its record of 74 percent from four years ago, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. Seventy-one percent of registered voters made it out to the polls in this county.

Newly-elected state Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer told Fischer that the voters of Genesee County gave him the edge to beat Democrat Joe Mesi and take over the seat in the 61st District that will be vacated when Sen. Mary Lou Rath retires at the end of her term.

Former Genesee County Farm Bureau president Dale Stein is included in a D&C story rounding up reactions to Barack Obama's historic victory Tuesday.

Dale Stein, a dairy farmer in LeRoy, Genesee County, supported McCain, but said he was "not massively disappointed" with Obama's win — and was pleased with other aspects of the election. "There was a (big) turnout. People finally got a reason to get out and vote, and that's a good thing," said Stein, 54. "I liked some things about both candidates. I just liked McCain more."

Stein's top hope for Obama is addressing agricultural issues, particularly about immigration policies related to migrant workers.

Stein said he hoped Obama would take measures to turn the slumping U.S. economy around, but said that Congress has more responsibility in that regard. Reining in excessive pay and compensation for corporate leaders is key, he said.

Stein was included in a pre-election series of stories by the D&C about important issues in the election. We posted about it here.

Congressman-elect Chris Lee spoke with WHAM's Evan Dawson this morning and promised to keep an open door, saying that if constituents aren't informed about what a congressman does, he doesn't deserve the office.