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Gimenez, Owens named to Eastern League All-Star squad
PORTLAND, Maine -- Altoona Curve catcher Hector Gimenez and left handed starting pitcher Rudy Owens have been selected to the end of the year Eastern League All-Star team, the league announced today. It is the first time since 2007 that the Curve have had a member selected to the end of the year squad and the first time since 2006 that multiple players have been chosen.
-- Gimenez, 27, has been a rock behind the plate all season long for the Curve and has had a career year offensively. Entering Thursday night’s action, Gimenez is hitting .301 with a career-high 16 home runs and a career-high 66 runs driven in. His .301 clip is fifth best in the E.L. while he ranks second in slugging percentage (.540) and OPS (.925). The 16 home runs is the highest total of any catcher in the league.
-- Behind the plate, Gimenez has thrown out 34 percent of would be base stealers this season, which is fourth best among catchers in the E.L.
-- “Hector is one of our leaders and puts the team before himself every day,” said Curve Manager Matt Walbeck. “He is a true field general that has carried us with his bat all year.”
-- If Gimenez has been the Curve’s anchor behind the plate, Owens has been its anchor in the starting rotation as the southpaw has continued to succeed in 2010 after a breakout 2009 campaign. The 22-year-old enters his start tonight against Richmond leading the league in ERA (2.67) and WHIP (1.01) but also ranks among the league leaders in strikeouts (4th – 118) and batting average against (5th – .232).
-- He’s 10-6 in 24 games started for Altoona in 2010 and he has given up more than three earned runs in only two starts this season.
-- “Rudy is the model of consistency with incredible poise and focus,” added Walbeck. “He has amazing control and prepares as well as anyone I’ve seen."
-- This is the second end of the year All-Star selection for Owens, who was named to the 2009 South Atlantic League Postseason All-Star squad, and the first for Gimenez. Both Owens and Gimenez were selected to the E.L. midseason All-Star squad as well.
-- “Both Rudy and Hector played at a high level all year and were supported by a great group of players on and off the field,” said the Curve’s second-year skipper. “This is certainly a reflection of the Pirates farm system and the direction we’re heading along with the work of Bryan Housand, Chad Uihlein, Ryan Long, and Tom Filer.”
-- The last Altoona Curve player to be voted on to the E.L. All-Star team was RHP Matt Peterson in 2007. Altoona last had two selections in 2006 when outfielder Vic Buttler and LHP Shane Youman were voted selected to the team.
-- The Eastern League All-Star team is voted upon by respective Eastern League team managers and coaching staffs, sportswriters, radio and television personnel and other media members. A complete Eastern League All-Star team roster is attached.

Curve playoff tickets on sale now
CURVE, PA -- With the Altoona Curve attempting to reach their first post-season berth since 2006, the franchise is pleased to announce that tickets for the 2010 Eastern League playoffs are on sale.
-- Fans can reserve their seats over the phone by calling 877-99-CURVE, online at AltoonaCurve.com or at the Blair County Ballpark ticket office.
-- The Eastern League playoffs consist of two rounds, with both series being best-of-five formats.
-- The Divisional Round, which will match the top two teams in the each division, begins on Wednesday, September 8 in a 2-2-1 format. The regular season division winner will host games one and two, and number five (if necessary).
-- Dates of games in the Divisional Round will be as follows:
Game 1: Wednesday September 8 - Western Division runner-up @ Western Division winner
Game 2: Thursday, September 9 – Western Division runner-up @ Western Division winner
Game 3: Friday, September 10 – Western Division winner @ Western Division runner-up
Game 4 (if necessary): Saturday, September 11 – Western Division winner @ Western Division runner-up
Game 5 (if necessary): Sunday, September 12 – Western Division runner-up @ Western Division winner
-- The Championship round will begin Tuesday, September 14 and consists of a 2-3 format, with the first two games being held at the home site of the Western Division representative and the final three at the home field of the Eastern Division representative. During even-numbered years, the East receives “home field advantage” and in odd-numbered years, the advantage belongs to the West.
-- Dates of games in the Championship round will be as follows:
Game 1: Tuesday, September 14 – Eastern Division Champion @ Western Division Champion
Game 2: Wednesday, September 15 – Eastern Division Champion @ Western Division Champion
Game 3: Thursday, September 16 – Western Division Champion @ Eastern Division Champion
*Game 4 (if necessary): Friday, September 17 – Western Division Champion @ Eastern Division Champion
*Game 5 (if necessary): Saturday, September 18 – Western Division Champion @ Eastern Division Champion
-- Altoona Curve game times will be announced at a later date.
-- Commemorative photographs of the 2010 Altoona Curve will be given away to the first 2,000 fans of all ages to each home playoff game courtesy of the Curve’s playoff sponsors McDonald’s, Peoples Natural Gas, Sheetz, Pepsi and Atlantic Broadband.
-- “We’ve seen some tremendous baseball from our team this season and we look forward to seeing how far they can go,” said Curve General Manager Rob Egan. “They’ve held first-place for most of the year and are hungry to win our first-ever Eastern League Championship. We trust our great fans won’t want to miss what could be a history-making run at a ring.”
-- Fans seeking more information regarding the 2010 post-season can contact the Altoona Curve front office during normal business hours at 877-99-CURVE or via e-mail at frontoffice@altoonacurve.com

A great costume could win a fantastic trip
EBENSBURG -- Participants are being sought for a brand new costume contest set to take place on Saturday, September 25th during the 19th Annual Ebensburg PotatoFest in downtown Ebensburg. Adults are encouraged to make potato-themed costumes to be judged as part of the contest.   
-- “The committee wanted to change things up a bit this year and have a costume contest for adults,” said Christine Strugala, Community Development Director. “We had always had one for children in years past and decided that this new spin would fit into our family friendly atmosphere.”
-- The contest is sponsored by AmeriServ Financial and will take place on September 25th at 1:00 p.m. Participants will be asked to present a short biography and show off their costume on stage. They will also be asked a potato-related question (chosen randomly from a list of questions that will be posted by 9/20 at www.potatofest.com).  Judging will be based 50% on crowd response and 50% by a group of judges. The grand prize will be a trip to New York City for TWO – November 19th-21st! The trip includes roundtrip motorcoach transportation and two night’s accommodations at the Hotel St. James (all taxes and drivers tip are included)! The trip is valued at $650 and presented by A-Z Travel Agency in Ebensburg! A runner-up prize will also be awarded.
-- “Contestants may participate alone or as a group of two,” said Melissa Garrity, Contest Organizer. “We hope people will really get creative and show off some great costumes.”
-- Participants are encouraged to pre-register for the contest; however, if spots are still available, registrations will be accepted on the day of the contest. Registration forms are now available online at www.potatofest.com, at the Ebensburg Borough office (300 West High Street), and at AmeriServ Financial in Ebensburg (Lovell Park). There is no cost to participate. The contest will take place at the corner of West High and Julian Streets in Downtown Ebensburg. Please see rules for age restrictions and guidelines.
-- Information: www.potatofest.com or call Melissa Garrity at (814) 243-4325.

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Starting over
-- UPDATE: We've gotten no response from the previous host of our bulletin board and forums, and even though we had put a lot of work into getting it set up, it looks like we have to start over. You can find the new board HERE. So far all we have posted is the "Where's Your Beef" forum, but hope to get more back online soon, if we can remember what we had, thought "Beef" seemed to be the favorite. On the down side, it appears that the new host site insists that you register, guest posting is not permitted. Please stop by and register, or email us your post and we will add it for you.
-- Our thanks again to everyone who has shown an interest in the bulletin board and forums. It was getting a lot of use, and we appreciate all your input. Please be patient while we get everything back in order, and be sure to let us know if there is something we can add to make it better.
-- So, back to our original question... "What's YOUR Beef?" NorthernCambria.com and the NCABA want to know, "What's Your Beef?"!! Let us know what's on your mind. Good? Bad? Need to vent? Just have something you want to discuss? Let us know! We'll also be giving you topics to discuss and give your opinion on. Watch for new topics in the NCABA ad in the Barnesboro Star, check NCABA-PA.com, or click the "What's Your Beef" logo to find the current topic!!

Ebensburg computer specialist keys in win as Western Pennsylvania SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award
EBENSBURG -- More than a dozen years ago, Brian Shrift began helping small business owners hammer out hardware issues on their computers. His unique niche market enabled him to grow from running a freelance business to founder and president of Precision Business Solutions, a full-service information technology consulting firm.
-- It’s no coincidence that the young man who has grown his business catering to small business owners will be honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as the 2010 Western Pennsylvania Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
-- Shrift and eight other local small business owners and advocates will be lauded at the Western Pennsylvania SBA May 28th Awards Luncheon which will be held at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel Pittsburgh. The luncheon is held in conjunction with the 47th annual celebration of National Small Business Week.
-- Shrift, 29, knew he would be doing something with computers when he found himself taking apart the family’s computer and putting it back together. “My dad was an accountant and we had an old 286 computer in the basement,” he explained. “I wanted to see how it worked so I would take it apart and put it together rather quickly.”
-- Shrift began charging for his consulting services in high school when he assisted a local engineer --- showing him how to use the computer and scanner, as well as set up a web site. After attending technical school and entering the workforce, Shrift set his sites on Saint Francis University, where he simultaneously majored in management information systems and started his own consulting company. “I was the sole employee and had a nice handful of clients,” he said chuckling. “The day I graduated, I hired one of my classmates as a technician.”
-- While Shrift may have graduated from Saint Francis, he found himself back on campus utilizing their Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to grow his business. “Because I went there, I knew about the SBDC and they helped me finalize my business plan,” he explained. “I went to a local bank for financing and they suggested an SBA loan.”
-- He set his sites on assisting small business owners whose company had less than 40 computers and catered to their hardware needs. “We help companies that don’t have an internal IT person and offer them solutions,” Shrift stated. “Whether they need a new server or phone system we work with them to help them obtain affordable hardware that is both cost-effective and efficient. For example, we put in phone system for a medical supply firm and saved them $26,000 a year.”
-- Shrift and his staff of 11 often are on the road from their base offices in Ebensburg and Johnstown, selling IT services and maintaining their client base of 50-60 managed accounts. “Most of our work is done remotely, so most of our clients rarely see us,” he said. “They come back from lunch and their hardware problems are solved.”
-- Carl Knoblock, Western Pennsylvania SBA district director, said that Shrift is a prime example of thinking outside the box in today’s technologically advanced world. “Brian has truly carved out a market where he can offer small business owners the equivalent of employing their own IT person, “Knoblock said. “His clients are benefiting from his knowledge while remaining both viable and technologically competitive.”
-- For Shrift, who logs some 60 hours at work each week, his selection as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year serves as a testament to his dedication.
-- “It was truly an honor to be considered, let alone win this award,” he said. “But, I wouldn’t be here without the hard work of my staff, as we truly work as a team.”

CamConn.net Sold to In The Stix
-- CamConn.net, a division of Precision Business Solutions, was sold to In the Stix Broadband, effective March 4th, 2010.
-- Precision Business Solutions focuses on providing IT Management and Support Services to businesses and local government. CamConn.net was sold to allow Precision Business Solutions to refocus all their resources on providing IT Services to their clients.
-- “Our biggest concern were our CamConn.net customers”, said Brian Shrift, President of Precision Business Solutions. “Many of these customers have been with us since day one, and we wanted to ensure that whoever purchased CamConn.net would provide the same level of service they have been accustomed to. After talking to In The Stix and Cambria Connected, we all felt this was a perfect match."
-- Precision Business Solutions will be working with In the Stix to ensure a smooth transition. All open support tickets have been reviewed and transferred over to In the Stix for continued support. Any customers with questions regarding the transition are urged to contact either company for full details. Precision Business Solutions / CamConn.net: 814.266.0206, 814.471.0206. In The Stix: 1-866.590.6823

Precision Business Solutions provides free computer training
EBENSBURG -- Precision Business Solutions, an IT Management and Support Company, announces that it will provide free computer training to businesses and individuals.
-- Precision Business Solutions will be providing free computer training on the most popular business applications, such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and many more. This training will be available, free of charge, on the company’s website, www.PrecisionBS.com.
-- “This has been a pet project of mine that I’ve wanted to do for quite some time,” said Brian Shrift, President of Precision Business Solutions. “Technology is changing every other day, and it’s hard for most people to keep up. By providing free training resources, we’re hoping that businesses will better understand how technology can help make their business more efficient. And for those looking for a job in this economy, computer skills are a must!”
-- The training has been posted on the PrecisionBS website in the form of PDF documents, which are easily downloaded and printed. These courses are broken up into different levels based on complexity, guiding the trainee thru a series of exercises to expand upon or refresh their skills on the particular program they are working with. Over the upcoming year, PrecisionBS also will add video training, so the trainee will be able to watch the lessons on their computer, while following along in the training manual. The video training will also be at no charge.