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Hall Of Fame News

Tickets Still Available For Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame

for immediate release: 4 October, 2006

Tickets Still Available For
Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame

Ceremony Set for Saturday, November 4, 2006 at Chatham Bars Inn

CAPE COD, Mass. – Committee Chair Phil Edwards announced a limited number of tickets are still available for the 6th Annual Cape Cod Baseball League’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Saturday, November 4, 2006, at the Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham, Mass.

     Tickets are $75 each and can be purchased by mailing a check to: Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame Tickets, PO Box 266, Harwich Port MA 02646. 

     Included in the price is the ceremony, luncheon, dessert buffet and an afternoon press conference with the inductees. There will also be a silent auction of baseball memorabilia. 

     The Induction ceremony starts at 10:00 am, with luncheon immediately following in the waterfront dining room.

     The "closing ceremony" at 2 pm conducted within a town meeting format allows for questions, comments and discussions with the Class of 2005. Desserts will be served during this part of the ceremony.

     Ten former players, administrators and coaches will be inducted into the League’s Hall of Fame Class.

     The announcement was made June 11 at the Cape League’s First Pitch Brunch, held at the 99 Restaurant in West Yarmouth, Mass. 

     This year’s class includes major leaguers Josh Paul of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who was league MVP when he played for Cotuit in 1995 and Lance Niekro of the San Francisco Giants who was also league MVP when he played for Orleans in 1999. Other 2006 inductees include Steve “Bye Bye” Balboni from the 1976 Falmouth Commodores and 1977 YD Red Sox, known for his home run hitting prowess; Rick Currier from the 1998 and 1999 Chatham A’s who was league Co-Outstanding Pitcher of Year in 1999 for his 7-0 record and 1.34 ERA; Steve Duda from the 1991 and 1992 Chatham A’s who had a 6-1 record in 1992 with a 0.90 ERA and was league playoff MVP, Ross Jones who led the Hyannis Mets to a league championship with a .413 batting average and was a league all star and Outstand Pro Prospect Award winner; Greg Lotzar from the 1983 Cotuit Kettleers, who batted .414 and was league and playoff MVP; Jim Hubbard who was an outfielder with Yarmouth and Cotuit and served as a manager for Cotuit and GM for Wareham and Alan “Buzzy” Wilcox from Orleans, who played 17 years in the CCBL from the 1940s to the 1960’s. 

Steve Balboni, Falmouth/Y-D infielder
     The Eckerd College slugger played two seasons in the Cape League and was named MVP in the 1977 All-Star Game at Fenway Park when he clouted two home runs over the Green Monster at Fenway Park. Owning one of the best nicknames in baseball history, “Bye-Bye” Balboni hit .261 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 1976 for the Falmouth Commodores. He came back in ’77 with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox to hit .271 with a league-leading 13 homers and 38 RBIs and was named league MVP. He hit six homers and drove in 16 runs during playoff competition. He signed with the New York Yankees and enjoyed a successful major league career, hitting 181 career home runs in 11 seasons, mostly with the Kansas City Royals. 

Rick Currier, Chatham pitcher
     The USC hurler enjoyed two All-Star seasons for the Chatham A’s, going 5-2 with a 2.37 ERA in 1998 and posting a perfect 7-0 mark in ’99 with a sparkling 1.34 ERA. He was named Co-Outstanding Pitcher of the Year in ‘99. He was also selected to mid-season and final All-Star teams during his banner season in ‘99. The hard-throwing Currier signed with the New York Yankees.

Steve Duda, Chatham pitcher
     A product of Pepperdine, Duda compiled back-to-back All-Star seasons in the Cape League in the early 1990’s. Hurling for the Chatham A’s, Duda went 4-4 with a 2.89 ERA while posting a no-hitter vs. Y-D in 1991. He came back in ’92 with a 6-1 record and a microscopic 0.90 ERA. He was selected playoff MVP in ’92 with a 2-0 record and a 0.90 ERA.

Jim Hubbard, Yarmouth/Cotuit outfielder; Cotuit manager; Wareham GM
     The Bridgewater State graduate served the Cape League in various capacities over five decades as a player, field manager, umpire and general manager. He began as a player for Yarmouth in 1958 and spent the next three years performing for Cotuit from 1958-61. He took over as field manager for the Kettleers from 1961-69, posting a 196-116 record (.628) and winning four CCBL championships from 1961-64. After serving as a league umpire from 1970-74, Hubbard returned to the league as Wareham GM from 1990-96.

Ross Jones, Hyannis outfielder
     The hard-hitting outfielder from Miami led the Hyannis Mets to the 1979 CCBL title and a record 33 wins by hitting .413 with three homers, 35 RBIs and 12 doubles. In addition to winning the league batting title, Jones was named to both the mid-season and final All-Star teams, was MVP of the All-Star Game and was named Outstanding Pro Prospect. Jones set a league record with 10 consecutive hits in two five-hit games. He also put together a 22-game hitting streak. He was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers and played for the New York Mets, Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals.

Greg Lotzar, Cotuit outfielder
     The fleet Central Michigan outfielder led the Kettleers in 1983 by winning the league batting title at .414 with a then-record 33 stolen bases and an impressive .516 on-base percentage. He also totaled 63 hits and 46 runs scored in 40 games during the season. In addition to making the All-Star team, Lotzar was named league and playoff MVP. He was signed by the Boston Red Sox. 

Lance Niekro, Orleans infielder
     Hailing from Florida Southern, Niekro enjoyed a CCBL MVP season for the Cardinals in 1999, compiling a .360 batting average with 13 homers and 44 RBIs. He also finished first in hits (62), slugging percentage (.640) and total bases (110). He was selected to both the mid-season and final All-Star teams. Niekro returned to the Cape to play nine games in 2000, batting .297. A nephew of Hall of Famer Phil Niekro and son of former MLB pitcher Joe Niekro, Lance was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the second round of the 2000 amateur draft. Last season with the Giants, he played in 113 games, finishing with a .252 batting average, 12 home runs and 46 RBIs.

Josh Paul, Cotuit catcher-outfielder
     The Vanderbilt product enjoyed a league MVP season in 1995 for the Cotuit Kettleers. Playing catcher and in the outfield, he won the CCBL batting championship at .364 with six home runs, 26 RBI, 16 stolen bases and an impressive .652 slugging pct. He was named to both the mid-season and final All-Star Team. Paul was the first player in league history to capture the batting title, MVP and Outstanding Pro Prospect Award. Signing with the Chicago White Sox in 1996, Paul has a career batting average of .251 in seven-plus major league seasons with both Chicago teams, the Los Angeles Angels and currently with Tampa Bay.

Allen (Buzzy) Wilcox, Orleans infielder
     The Cardinals outfielder played for an amazing 17 years in the CCBL in parts of three decades in the 1940’s, ‘50’s and ‘60’s. He banged out three hits and drove in four runs to lead Orleans to a 7-6 win over Chatham for the Lower Cape League Championship. Wilcox was synonymous with the Cape League’s town team concept during the middle of the 20th century.

 


     The Cape Cod Baseball League is the premier collegiate summer league and currently lists 198 former players competing in Major League Baseball and 1,057 players in professional baseball
A record 175 Cape League players were selected last week in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, including the top six overall, 12 in the first round and four more in the supplemental round. 

     Last season, 169 Cape League players were selected in the draft, including 13 in the first and supplemental rounds. The Cape League Hall of Fame is housed at the Heritage Museum & Gardens in Sandwich, Mass. 

 

John Garner, Jr.
Director of Public Relations & Broadcasting
(508) 790-0394 [email protected]