Playing softball thrills workers

One of the organizers expects the game to become an annual event.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- Roger Klempay, a worker at the Meshel MASCO workshop gave a prediction about the outcome of his Meshel team vs. the Bev Road MASCO's players: "I'm going to win."
Klempay, 49, of Canfield, jumped up and down, detailing his adventures on the baseball diamond Thursday at the Poland Community Baseball Club.
"I got a home run," he said.
He was one of the participants in the first softball game between the two workshops, which are a division of the Mahoning County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
Each team had its own cheering section, complete with pompoms, chants and posters.
Workshop employees perform jobs including packaging, production, manufacturing, assembly and shrink wrapping.
George Gabriel, Meshel workshop director, expects the game to become an annual event.
For hurricane victims
"We decided to do this for two reasons," Gabriel said. "The first was so they could have some fun and the second was to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina."
The workshops have raised about $170 so far and planned to sell ice cream during Thursday's game to add to that total. MRDD will give the money raised to the American Red Cross. Fund-raisers for charity are regular parts of workshop activities, he said.
Gabriel credited the Poland Community Baseball Association for helping ready the fields for the game, Maui Toys for contributing hula hoops to entertain the players between innings and Pepsi for donating bottled water.
The idea for the game came from Terri Lundy, a staff member at Meshel, who approached Gabriel and Dick Ranshaw, director of the Bev Road facility.
Roseanne Klempay, Roger's mother, said her son has been looking forward to the game.
"He thinks he plays for the Indians," she said. "He loves sports."
Roger's first at-bat got him to first base, and hits from his fellow Meshel players paved his way to home plate.
Gil DiNardo's daughter, Linda, 56, played outfield for the Bev Road MASCO.
"She just loves being with the whole group," said DiNardo, of Boardman. "It hurts her if she has to stay home; she'd rather go to work."