BINGHAMTON -- Lying in a hospital bed in Hershey, Pa., John Carfley wanted his life back.

After nearly losing part of his left arm in a one-car accident, Carfley wanted to get better so he could resume his passions: skiing, following Penn State football and coaching his State College Post 245 American Legion baseball team.
"Anytime you're in an accident like that, you're motivated to be able to do all the things you did before," Carfley said.
Carfley, who returned to the bench the following summer, has made State College into one of the top legion teams in Pennsylvania.
But the one thing that has eluded Carfley and his team is a championship at the World Youth Classic. The team first played in the tournament in 1987 and has never finished higher than second.
This year, though, State College has an impressive team and opened the tournament with a 9-2 thrashing of Albuquerque Post 49, the defending New Mexico state champion, on Tuesday afternoon at Conlon Field.
"We'd like to win one this (tournament) for him," said Pete Carfley, John's oldest son and assistant coach.
A NEW OUTLOOK
Carfley doesn't remember much about the accident.
It was late August of 1994 -- he remembers this because it was right before the start of the Penn State football season. He was driving alone along Route 322 near State College when he fell asleep at the wheel and drove off one of the many curvy sections of the highway.
His car rolled over, crushing his left elbow.
"It was a real scary time for us," Pete remembered. "Thank goodness the first news I got was that he was stable. But there was a question about his arm."
John's arm was so damaged, doctors considered amputation just above the elbow.
They had no chance.
"Unless they were coming in with a chainsaw, that wasn't happening," Pete said.
The bones gradually healed and regrew, though the elbow joint was destroyed. John didn't want an artificial elbow, because the rate of infection is higher with those than with, say, an artificial hip, he was told.
So Carfley's elbow hangs at a permanent 45-degree angle. When standing still, he tucks his left thumb just under his belt. His left arm remains swollen at the elbow, much more so than on his right arm. He can still use his left hand just fine.
"When you're young, you feel like you're invincible," John said. "After an accident like that, you realize that you're not invincible."
Pete added, "If anything, it mellowed him out a bit. He used to be real feisty guy who would get in your face. He's mellowed in a good way. You see that this is a baseball game, it's not life or death."
The accident also drew John closer to his wife and three children. John and Pete are both lawyers in State College, running a general practice firm together.
State College baseball is a family affair. John's youngest son, David, coached with his dad for two years before taking his current job as a college coach in Pennsylvania.
Pete played for his father for three years, took two years off to play in college and has coached with him for another 15 years.
"I couldn't imagine doing this without him," Pete said.
A LONG HISTORY IN CLASSIC
State College was one of the first non-local teams invited to the World Youth Classic. In 1987, its first year of competing, State College lost two games of the then-double elimination event and went home quickly.
In 1993, World Youth Classic tournament director Gil Wood kicked State College out of the tournament because of shenanigans some players pulled at a local hotel.
When Carfley was in the hospital, Wood called -- and invited him back into the tournament.
"We had some guys doing things they shouldn't have been doing at the hotel," Carfley said. "Gil's a good friend.
On Tuesday, State College impressed onlookers by beating an Albuquerque team that has won four of the last five New Mexico state titles.
Matt Moberg, who is bound for Siena next year, threw a complete-game five hitter for State College. First baseman Cory Wine -- son of Penn State coach Robbie Wine -- went 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI, including a mammoth blast to straight-away center.
"He's a great coach," Wine said of Carfley. "He makes you want to play for him. It's hard to explain. It's like he's one of us."
Moberg added, "He expects us to play hard every game. He expects us to be a really great team."
State College takes on the Napean Knights at 4 p.m. today at Conlon Field and plays back-to -back games at Vestal on Thursday.
"We love this tournament," John said. "This is a really good tournament."

BY BRIAN MORITZPress & Sun-Bulletin