Charles Bronfman, Miss Canada, Roger Kahn and Babe Ruth’s granddaughter among new celebrities to join Roberto Alomar, and Paul Quantrill
St. Marys – Roberto Alomar, arguably the greatest all-around Blue Jays player ever, will be here in St. Marys from June 17-19. So will Paul Quantrill, whose 841 appearances in the Major Leagues blows away any other Canadian pitcher, and all but 34 pitchers in the history of the major leagues. Clark Griffith and Michael Roth will accept enshrinement on behalf of their deceased fathers, Calvin and Allan, respectively.
But that’s not all!
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.
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 admin office at 419-284-1838 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.
The Induction Ceremony begins at 11:00am on Saturday, June 19, followed by an autograph session. Rod Black will be returning as emcee and Michael Burgess will sing the anthems. 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 and Alex Anthopoulos are all expected to be present for the ceremony as well.
As in years past, admission to all events other than the Celebrity Golf Classic and the Celebrity Autograph session is free.
At 4:00pm 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.
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.
