Bob Holder, a local sports radio personality known for his “After Further Review” shows on several local stations, has died at the age of 63.
Holder, a 1980 Whitehall High graduate and a member of the Zephyrs’ 1980 District 11 championship baseball team that went 22-6 and finished third in the state, worked in local radio for about 25 years.
Most recently, he hosted a show Saturday mornings on News Radio 790 WAEB-AM.
“It’s been one of those days where words just don’t seem to do justice,” Craig Stevens, vice president of programming for iHeartMedia’s Allentown/Reading/Wilmington/Atlantic City region, said on social media.
“He was the kind of guy who loved to stir the pot, in the best way. You’d say ‘up,’ he’d say ‘down.’ If the Phillies were on fire, he’d argue they were overrated. On Thursday night, I told him, ‘They can’t even beat the Mets?’ He’d be the first to defend them. That was Bob, never afraid to challenge, always ready to debate, and somehow, always making you laugh while doing it.”
Tom Fallon, program director for Fox Sports Radio of the Lehigh Valley, said: “Bob was one of a kind … a passionate and opinionated man. I am sorry to hear he is gone, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”
Andrew Stone, a producer at Fox Sports Radio who worked with Holder on numerous shows, said: “Bob was a character in the best sense. If you listened to him on Saturday mornings, you should know his own personality didn’t deviate from his radio personality. Bob lived life passionately, very freely. I was often envious of his lack of inhibitions. He lived the way he wanted to live and didn’t care what anybody else said. That’s a trait I sometimes wish I had.
“Part of the fun of working with Bob is that I had no idea what was coming next half the time. I had no idea what the next segment was going to be, and sometimes I didn’t know what the next word out of his mouth would be. And that was thrilling for me. That was so much fun. I remember kind of just going along for the ride. It might have been part of the game plan we scripted before the show, and maybe we didn’t get to everything that we said we were going to, but who cares? Bob just followed his whims and created good radio that way.”
In a social media post Aug. 20, Holder recounted how he got into radio.
“April of 1998, I was driving the Frito Lay truck one morning, headed down 22 listening to the Bearman and Keith on Z95, and I heard a commercial that said, ‘Do you want to work in the world of music, sports, and entertainment? And have fun doing it?’ I said that’s me. I parked the truck, made the call, had an interview, and never looked back.. Listening to the radio changed my life. I’m so glad I was tuned in.”
In a Morning Call story in 2012, while he was between radio gigs, Holder said: “I know some people thought I was a clown, but I thought I was entertaining,” he said. “The media is my love, and on-air is my talent. I am sure I will be back on the air somewhere before too long.”
And he was, with several different shows.
“We’ve all said it at some point: ‘Bob, you’re being a pain in the [butt].’ But then we’d pause, smile, and realize it was just Bob being Bob. Passionate. Fierce. Unapologetically himself. He loved radio, not just on air, and sales, but the soul of it. The radio of yesterday, the radio of today. He bled WZZO. He lived Z95. He loved his clients. If a client had a request, he’d roll up his sleeves and just do it!”
Services have yet to be announced.
Milestone for Freedom volleyball standout
Freedom volleyball coach Lori Guman said preparations were made at the end of last year for Sara Kokolus to reach the 1,000-assist milestone in her career.
“She missed it by three,” Guman said. “So that meant we were ready for it in her first match of this season, and it was nice it was at home against Nazareth, and we got a big win. We had a nice celebration for her, and with her being a senior and the other seniors being such great leaders, it was just so awesome she got that milestone, and they could celebrate together.”
Kokolus has been a four-year starter for the Patriots.
“She’s a great kid, a great player, a great leader,” Guman said. “The girls respect her. You can’t get an assist without being able to work with your teammates. It takes a good pass and a good swing. She’s very smart and moves the ball around. She knows who’s on and who’s not. She works with our hitters, and that’s what it takes to get a milestone like this. She has a great future at Bloomsburg.”
Kokolus, who is also a basketball standout, said: “The milestone was meaningful because since I got here as a freshman it was something I worked hard toward. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, my coaches and the support from parents, family and friends.”
Freedom has been in the shadow of some other prominent programs in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, such as defending league champ Allentown Central Catholic and defending district champ Liberty, along with Emmaus, Parkland and Bethlehem Catholic.
Kokolus thinks her team could be in that title mix.
“We’re really working on building and growing as a team,” she said. “We have some younger key players who haven’t played varsity before. We also have others who have been on varsity for awhile, like me and Landry Guman, who have been on varsity for awhile. We’re just trying to all come together and play as a team. It has been going very well. We have to keep coming out and playing hard and staying focused on our side of the net.”
Freedom was off to a 2-0 start in the league as it hosted a tournament Saturday.
Kokolus is also looking forward to getting to the next level.
“I committed to Bloomsburg last November, and it was my No. 1 choice,” she said. “The coach is a very nice guy and I know most of the girls I will be playing well. I am excited to start playing there next year.”
Parkland perfection
The South Parkland Bombers 8U baseball team made history recently at the Cal Ripken 8U Player Pitch World Series, delivering the tournament’s first perfect game.
The World Series featured some of the best 8U teams from across the country as well as international teams.
The perfecto came in a game against Idaho.
“This was an incredible moment not only for these kids, but also for South Parkland Youth Association,” coach Jim Brezack said. “To come here as the first SPYA team ever to play in a Cal Ripken World Series and then achieve a perfect game is something they’ll always remember. When we were asked to participate, the coaching staff wanted to do this for the kids. Every 8-year-old baseball player dreams of playing in a World Series, and this gave our players a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The Bombers’ roster included Lucas Angelina, Landon Anthony, Tate Bigley, Archer Bingaman, Brighton Brezack, Brennan Campanell, Kieran Fanslau, Grayson Jaindl, Price Karoly, Cameron Kuncio, Bryson Lamendola, Aiden Ondrejca and Colbin Sibley.
“What impressed me the most about this team was their willingness to learn the game,” Brezack said. “We brought in some people to work with the kids, and every person who worked with this group found it amazing how much they wanted to grasp the game of baseball. They wanted to learn more and more. They love the game.”
Brezack, a former Dieruff High and Delaware Valley University standout, said he has been involved with baseball for more than 25 years and had never experienced a perfect game before. He said this year’s effort is just the start of the successes the kids will have in the future.”
“They showed passion in how they prepared, supported each other, and played together,” Brezack said. “They proved what’s possible with true teamwork and heart. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
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