Andre Williams and my day in the Poconos

FROM KEITH GROLLER

First up, a brief update on Andre. With respect to the wishes of his family, I will not provide specifics. Basically, there is little change. He's still in intensive care at St. Luke's/Fountain Hill, still recovering. He's still in for a long battle back to health, and has a lot to overcome. But the prayers seem to be working. Keep them coming. It has been heartwarming to hear the compassion and concern coming from so many.

It's obvious that our colleague and good friend has touched hundreds, if not thousands, of lives.

I can tell you that I visited him briefly on Tuesday and it's real tough see this big, strong guy, who has such a wonderful smile, going through this hell. But he's going to make it, and I have no doubt that we will be seeing that smile, and hearing and reading his special words again one day soon.

Fundraisers to defray medical costs are underway.

This was posted by his family on Andre's Facebook page:

There has been an outpouring of love and concern for Dre while he is recovering in the hospital. A [facebook] event has been created to help Andre defray his medical costs and help him while he is on the road to recovery. We, his family and friends appreciate your concern, love and support while Andre continues to recover. Thank you and God Bless.

The address to send donations is:

P.O. Box 6601 Largo MD 20792 or PayPal.com (DonatetoDrewilliams@hotmail.com)

************************************

Went from the hospital to the Poconos and stopped in at the Mount Airy casino before going to my softball game.

Mt. Airy is nice, but not spectacular. The golf course is still the centerpiece of the resort. I don't know how it compares to the Sands. At least they have hotel rooms with what seems like nice views.

But after being in Vegas and AC often, this one generated a lukewarm response from yours truly and is only the kind of place I'd visit if I happened to be in the area, as I was yesterday.

I was hoping for some good luck to make a nice contribution for Dre, but alas, 30 minutes at the slot machines produced a net gain of a mere quarter. And it took one last productive spin that generated $25 bucks to get me from the hole to the plus $0.25.

Place wasn't busy. Maybe that will change when the table games begin next month.

***********************************

Northampton's softball team had much better fortune than me, but it was talent and not luck that carried the Konkrete Kids past Pocono Mountain East, 5-0.

It's still hard to fathom why this team is 11-10. But Nazareth better be ready on Thursday because Northampton seems determined to extend its season.

Sally Whittaker-Kahan, the K-Kids coach, just amazes me with the fun she has with her team.

She really has coaching and teaching in perspective. She gets it. Sports is a means to teach life lessons. It's not only about pushing toward college scholarships and championships, it's about learning how to get along, how to help each other, how to handle adversity and digging deep when you don't know if you have any more to give.

We'll have more on Sally and the K-Kids in a column on Friday, but she is a special young lady and the K-Kids are winners no matter what happens on the scoreboard Thursday at Nazareth.

**********************************

The reason I went to the Poconos (in addition to my little stop at Mount Airy) was that I expected Liberty to blow out East Stroudsburg South. That didn't happen. Not at all. The 'Canes struggled offensively in that game, but survived and that's what it's all about at this point in the season.

So your Thursday 4A quarterfinals matchups: Liberty at Stroudsburg, Easton at Parkland, Emmaus at Pleasant Valley, Northampton at Nazareth.

FROM KEITH GROLLER