Ice dance champions will attend Ball Hall induction ceremony & sign autographs
St. Marys – Inductees Roberto Alomar et Paul Quantrill lead the list of celebrities coming to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Induction Ceremony June 19, but St. Marys will also have a chance to meet another pair of Canada’s sweethearts, Olympic ice dancing gold medalists Tessa Virtue et Scott Moir, who will attend the ceremony and join the group of celebrities slated to sign autographs afterward.
Virtue and Moir, who were both born in London and currently reside and train in Canton, Michigan, also won the 2010 World Championship, in addition to their three consecutive Canadian titles from 2008 through 2010. They received the first-ever perfect score 10.0 under the ISU judging system, and have received more 10’s than any other figure skating or dance team in ISU history.
Rod Black, who happened to call the the gold medal dance at the Olympics, claiming that Virtue and Moir “melted the ice”, will be the emcee of the 11:00am ceremony to be held on the Hall’s Ceremonial Grounds at 386 Church St. South in St. Marys. It is recommended that fans arrive at 9:30am to avoid traffic congestion and for best seating. There is no charge to attend the ceremony. The autograph session will follow the ceremony.
Michael Burgess will sing the anthems at the ceremony. Special presentations will be made by (or to) former Montreal Expos owner Charles Bronfman, Hall-of-Famer Jim Fanning, the Baseball Tomorrow Fund (represented by Rogers), former finance Minister Greg Sorbara, 2009 Jack Graney Award winner Ian MacDonald, and a team of MBA students from Wilfrid Laurier University who have completed a feasibility study on behalf of the Ball Hall. Pat Gillick, Paul Beeston et Alex Anthopoulos are all expected to be present for the ceremony as well.
In addition to Alomar and Quantrill, Calvin Griffith et Allan Roth will be inducted posthumously. Griffith’s son Clark, and Roth’s son Michael, will be flying in with their families from Minneapolis and Los Angeles, respectively, to accept the honour on behalf of their fathers.
Team Alomar v. Team Quantrill
There will be five major events covering the three days, beginning with a Celebrity Slo-Pitch game at 7:00pm on Thursday, June 17 on Rotary Field. “Team Alomar” and “Team Quantrill” will have numerous celebrities playing, such as Fergie Jenkins, Steve Rogers, as well as several media personalities, including The Fan 590’s Mike Wilner, host of the Blue Jays post-game show. Another couple of potential ringers are Linda Ruth Tosetti, the granddaughter of Babe Ruth and reigning Miss Canada Bridget Nickerson. A limited number of raffle tickets are still available at the Hall’s administration office for an opportunity to play on Team Alomar.
14th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic
The 14th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic will take place on Friday, June 18th, beginning at 9:00am at the St. Marys Golf & Country Club. The tournament is virtually sold out, but if you are interested, try contacting the Hall’s administration office at 519-284-1838 or email [email protected]. For non-golfers, tickets are available to attend the golf banquet which begins at 4:30pm that day on the Hall’s Ceremonial Grounds at 386 Church St. S. Dinner tickets MUST be purchased in advance.
Feature Game featuring Cal Quantrill
At 4:00pm on Saturday, June 19, on St. Marys Cement Company Field, Alomar and Quantrill be the honorary coaches for a Bantam game to be played between Whitby (Quantrill’s son Cal plays for them) and the hometown St. Marys Hubbard Pharmacy team. Bronfman will throw out the opening pitch.
Authors’ Panel – featuring Roger Kahn
At 5:00pm, in the Ceremonial Tent adjacent to the Hall’s museum, the Hall will be hosting its first-ever Author’s Panel, featuring Roger Kahn, who wrote the bestselling classic “The Boys of Summer.” Kahn is the author of 19 books and hundreds of articles in national magazines such as Esquire, Sports Illustrated, Time and The Saturday Evening Post.
More details will be available as Induction Weekend nears. In the mean time, please contact the Hall of Fame for additional information or to volunteer at 519-284-1838 or email [email protected]
