Monday, July 9, 2012
Father, coach leaves behind a memorable legacy.
Update, 8:42 a.m. Tuesday Funeral services for North High baseball coach and teacher Mike Amrhein were held in private by the family, but memorials in benefit of Amrhein's children can still be made. According to an obituary through Knollcrest Funeral Home in Lombard, memorials to benefit Amrhein's two daughters—Alexis (Ally) and Michaela (Ella) Amrhein—can be made at any5/3rd Bank branch. Original Story: Mike Amrhein, a former baseball star at Oak Park-River Forest High School, died on Thursday. He was 37. The DuPage County Coroner's Office has not released a cause of death, saying the case is still under investigation. According to various media reports, Amrhein leaves behind a wife, Jill (Lahey) and two young children. A standout All-…
Monday, June 25, 2012
Sit back, relax and enjoy some homegrown fun.
We've plucked a handful of Oak Park-centric videos from the wide world of YouTube. Happy Monday.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Mike Brennan's walk-off single puts Huskies on top. Here's a look at the community's reactions.
The Huskies are state champs. Oak Park-River Forest High School defeated Lyons Township 4-3 to take the Class 4A title. Twice this season, the Huskies lost to Lyons Township. But the past didn't matter during Saturday's game, which sounds like it was a nailbiter. The Oak Leaves reports: With the game tied at 3-3, Jack Picchiotti led off the bottom of the seventh with a triple. Lyons Township coach George Ushela then elected to walk the next two Huskies hitters. That put Brennan in the spotlight. Brennan had struck out three previous times at-bat. He didn’t waste any time, however, as he swung at the first pitch, sending it to right field for the game-winner. The IHSA's website has posted a play-by-play, along with the box score. …
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Mt. Carmel uses fake bunt to beat Huskies 3-2 in the Class 4A sectional finals.
The curiouser and curiouser Class 4A Mt. Carmel sectional championship baseball game featured a final twist in the bottom of the seventh inning. With Oak Park-River Forest expecting a sacrifice in the tied game, Mt. Carmel’s Frank Kelly faked a bunt and grounded a hit down the line past pulled-in third baseman Alec Jeffries. After Jason Gasser did lay down a sacrifice and Chris Sijka was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out, Jerry Houston bounced a hit over Jeffries’ head, lifting the Caravan over the Huskies 3-2 Saturday afternoon at Haggerty Field in Chicago. “I just tried to relax,” Houston said about his game-winning at-bat. “I’ve had a pretty rough tournament so far. My team needed some help so I just wanted to put the …
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Huskies rout Glenbard West 14-4 for fourth-straight victory.
Things are looking up for the Oak Park-River Forest baseball team. After being swept by Lyons Township in a three-game series, the Huskies now find their winning streak at four after thumping West Suburban Conference Silver Division foe Glenbard West 14-4 in five innings Wednesday in Oak Park. “We knew we could win these games,” said OPRF first baseman Nick Kowalczuk, who went two for three with a double, two RBI and three runs. “We just tried to keep the morale up.” The mental makeup of the Huskies (15-8, 9-6) was tested during the LT series. The April 29 finale saw the Lions hit eight home runs, including an amazing five in a row. “That was rock bottom,” OPRF coach Chris Ledbetter said. “I said to the guys that they have to be willing to…
Friday, April 22, 2011
Huskies strike out nine times in 10-4 loss to unbeaten Leyden.
As the Oak Park-River Forest baseball team seeks to improve its approach at the plate, all the Huskies had to do was look across the field Thursday to see how it’s done. An experienced Leyden club parlayed its discipline into offense throughout its lineup. The undefeated Eagles scored early and often on the way to beating the Huskies 10-4 in a West Suburban Conference crossover game in Oak Park. Leyden (12-0) scored twice in the top of the first inning, once in the second and three times in the fourth to take a 6-0 lead. The Eagles finished with 12 hits against three OPRF pitchers. “We’ve been hitting all year,” Leyden coach Gary Wolf said. “We have 14 seniors on the team and start nine of them. They’ve heard over and over again, ‘Hit …
Jolyn Crawford
8:19 am on Wednesday, July 11, 2012
So young to leave his wife, family and career! Good coaches and mentors are hard to find, but God must have needed him more. Go Huskie! more ›