Hundreds of former players, coaches and fans gathered Saturday at Vets Field in Altoona to mark the ballpark’s 100th anniversary, a milestone that turned the historic site into a living museum of the city’s baseball roots.
A Century of Baseball
The centerpiece was an old‑timers game that featured veterans such as 86‑year‑old Gene Decker and 85‑year‑old Bob Nassif, who swapped stories of decades spent chasing fly balls and stealing bases on the same grass that once hosted legendary matchups.
Don Appleman, who took the mound for two innings, described the surreal feeling of stepping back onto the pitcher’s mound after half a century, noting that the rhythm of the game had never truly left him.
Tom "Turtle" Smith, now the head coach at Altoona Area High School, injected humor into the day, recounting how he once dreamed of playing in the majors and how the reunion reminded him why he fell in love with the sport.
Duke Neatrour, a former Altoona Rail Kings star, recalled a signature moment when his team’s rally sparked a surge of fans that helped pave the way for the Curve’s arrival in the city, crediting the Rail Kings with shaping the region’s baseball culture.
The ceremony also saw Tommy Edwards and Cory Geishauser toss the first pitch, while the original Curve mascot made a nostalgic appearance, underscoring the continuity between past and present generations of Altoona baseball.