It's both Saladinos or no tournament at all

Once the namesakes of the long-running Hillsborough tourney die, the event will end.

By JOEY KNIGHT
Published March 13, 2007

TAMPA - In their septuagenarian hearts, Tony and Bertha Saladino truly believe no one can match the passion, zeal and meticulous attention to detail they annually pour into their nationally renowned high school baseball tournament.

Hence when they die, so will the tournament.

In an exclusive interview Sunday evening with the Times, the Saladinos concurred the 27-year-old Saladino Tournament - open annually to every public high school and select private schools in Hillsborough County - will cease to exist once they pass on.

Tony Saladino, the oldest working teacher in Hillsborough County, is 71. Bertha, who was hospitalized during last year's tournament with blood clots in her right leg, is 75.

"When God dictates or Bertha's health dictates, we're stopping the usage of the name," Tony said from a folding chair just beyond the leftfield fence at Brandon High, headquarters for this year's tournament.

"We agree that the tournament goes with us," added Bertha, seated next to her husband of 44 years. "We're not going to have anybody do it for us because you know how this tournament is."

The event was started in 1981 as a way for Tony to channel the grief over his father's death two decades before into a passion - baseball - they shared.

A quarter-century later, it has evolved into a de facto weeklong baseball festival, annually drawing dozens of big league scouts. Three full-size trailers are needed to accommodate memorabilia, a children's game room and kitchen where Bertha and a small staff prepare fresh meals daily for scouts, media and special guests.

This year's tournament, starting Saturday at five sites in Hillsborough County, will feature a record 28 teams.

"You may not get a whole lot of complaining from a whole lot of people (if the tournament ended); a lot of people will say it's gotten too big," said Gaither's Frank Permuy, preparing to coach in his 25th Saladino.

"Personally, however, I like it. I like the fact that it's a county tournament. It's a great atmosphere. I think it would be a shame if it just ended."

Tony said leaving the tournament's future in the hands of the couple's two grown children (Bertha has three other children from a previous marriage) isn't a viable option because they're busy with young families and careers of their own.

Incorporating the tournament and setting up a board of directors to carry it on also doesn't appeal to the Saladinos, Tony said, because they simply don't feel anyone will love the tournament the way they have.

"We've talked about everything," Tony said, "and we've just decided if we leave we're taking it with us."

Hillsborough County athletic director Lanness Robinson said he would be willing to assist any person or group that would like to continue the tournament under a different name.

"(Losing the Saladino) will definitely be a disappointment, but that is their decision because the tournament is theirs," Robinson said. "They have run it for all those years."

If there's any consolation for Saladino enthusiasts, Tony said he plans on living to age 100 and that a recent report from Bertha's doctor indicated she "belies her stated age."

"If I go, he probably can run it, and with all the girls, my daughters and everybody around, they could probably help him with it for a few more years," Bertha said. "But I don't know how much he would want to do it without me.

"I cannot do it without him."

Times staff writer Scott Purks contributed to this report. Joey Knight can be reached at (813) 226-3350 or jknight@sptimes.com.

[Last modified March 12, 2007, 23:44:00]