July 24, 2008 Issue                                                     

Local News

Attorney General to investigate association, fund
by JOEL HOFFMANN

The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General is investigating the accounting and managerial practices of the Chestnut Hill Community Association and the Chestnut Hill Community Fund to determine if either organization has violated state law, according to letters released by a senior investigator on July 10.

Chestnut Hill’s Mr. Basketball
From his Hill House apartment, Sidney Goldstein dispenses basketball fundamentals in newly revised books.
by PETE MAZZACCARO

Sidney Goldstein learned to play basketball on Philadelphia playgrounds. (Photo by Erin Vertreace)

Chestnut Hill doesn’t seem like the neighborhood for someone known as Mr. Basketball, but Sidney Goldstein, author of the much-heralded The Basketball Player’s Bible and the The Basketball Coach’s Bible calls the Hill House on W. Evergreen Avenue home.

From his high-rise apartment, Goldstein, 60, operates his one-man basketball publishing empire, Nitty-Gritty Basketball Series. He has completed 14 instructional videos, all edited on his personal Mac computer.  It was also here that he completed revised, second editions of his comprehensive compendiums of basketball fundamentals, which have been in print since 1994.

“Financially this is the most idiotic thing someone could do,” Goldstein said in a recent interview, waving his hand in the air. “I can’t believe I’ve been making money on this.”

Local Sports

Local players off to Junior World Squash Championships
by TOM UTESCHER

Alex Domenick

Scholastic squash isn’t the first sport that comes to mind during the dog days of summer, but last Saturday three local racquetmen from the Class of 2008 headed overseas to play some of the most important matches of their careers.

Twin brothers Alex and Matt Domenick, who helped Penn Charter win the national high school championship last winter, joined Chestnut Hill native and Lawrenceville School grad Thomas Mattson as part of the team representing the United States at the 2008 Junior Men’s Squash World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. Reigning U.S. junior champion Todd Harrity, a rising senior at Episcopal Academy, is the fourth Philadelphia area native on the team.

The biennial event consists of an individual tournament, running from July 28 to Aug. 1, and team championships from Aug. 2 to Aug. 7.

Mt. Airy “Stars” have great success at baseball tourney

The Mt. Airy Stars baseball team.

The Mount Airy Baseball program’s age-level tournament teams recently completed a very successful run last week at the annual 21st Ward Commissioners Cup baseball tournament in neighboring Roxborough.  Stars teams competed in every age group from the 9-and-under to the 14-and-under divisions.  The 9-U and 11-U teams both played in the finals, losing hard-fought games to the host teams.  The 12-U, 13-U and 14-U teams all played through the semifinal rounds of competition.