Guest Speaker: Tommy John of the New York Yankees
MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Baseball Association will honor local student athletes and baseball coaches for their accomplishments during 2011 and will induct four new members into the Union County Baseball Hall of Fame during award ceremonies on Sunday, February 12.
The 76th Annual Hot Stove League Baseball Dinner begins at 1:00 p.m. at the L’Affaire Banquet Center, located at 1099 Route 22 East in Mountainside. The dinner is sponsored by the Union County Baseball Association, in cooperation with the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal.
Among the student athletes who will receive major honors are Westfield High School teammates Dan Kerr and A.J. Murray, who will share honors as Union County Baseball Players of the Year, and Jackie Lima of Linden High School, who will be honored as Union County Softball Player of the Year.
A special award will be presented to Ray Korn, former baseball coach at Elizabeth High School, for his overall coaching record of 653-236, the most wins in Union County history.
The four new inductees into the Union County Baseball Hall of Fame – Dennis McCaffery of Cranford, Ed Murzinski of Linden, Bob Riesener of Linden, and Jamie Shriner of Roselle Park – will be honored for their outstanding contributions to our national pastime on the baseball diamonds of Union County, New Jersey.
Former Major League pitching ace Tommy John, who played for the Yankees, Dodgers, White Sox and other teams throughout his 26-year career, will be the special guest speaker.
“We’re delighted to have former Yankees left-hander Tommy John as the guest speaker at this year’s Hot Stove League Awards Dinner,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “We hope that family members and friends of all the award recipients will enjoy the Sunday afternoon ceremonies in support of youth baseball and the new inductees into the Union County Baseball Hall of Fame.”
In addition to the new Hall of Fame inductees and student athletes, the Hot Stove League Baseball Dinner also will honor local youth league baseball players and American Legion teams for their achievements in 2011.
Tickets for the dinner are $40, with proceeds going to help fund the Union County Summer Youth Baseball League for youngsters 8 to 15 years, and the Fall Teen League.
Since 1937, the annual Hot Stove League Dinner has been the primary fund-raising effort for the Union County Baseball Association’s summer and fall programs. Over the years, the awards dinner has honored many local and national baseball luminaries – including Phil Rizzuto of Hillside, Don Newcombe of Elizabeth, Joe Collins of Union, Jeff Torborg of Mountainside, Willie Wilson of Summit, Jake Wood of Elizabeth, and Elliott Maddox of Union.
Tickets for the 76th Annual Union County Baseball Association Hot Stove League Dinner on Feb. 12th are available by mail for $40 from the Union County Baseball Association, PO Box 176, Fanwood, New Jersey 07023.
For more information, please call Jim Iozzi at 908-917-2523.
___
For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj .