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Hall of Fame Tickets Still Available

10/21/2007 9:12 AM

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for immediate release: 21 October, 2007

Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame Tickets Still Available
Ceremony Set for Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007, at Chatham Bars Inn

CAPE COD, Mass. – Committee chair Mary Henderson has announced a limited number of tickets for the Cape Cod Baseball League’s seventh annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007, at the Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham, Mass., are still available

    Tickets are $75 each and can be purchased by calling the Cape Cod Baseball League at 508-432- 6909. 

    Included in the price are a morning brunch and the induction ceremony. There will also be a silent auction of baseball memorabilia. 

    The Hall of Fame brunch starts at 10:30 a.m. in the waterfront dining room, with the induction ceremony immediately following in the Monomoy Theater.

    Working in conjunction with the Hyannis Area Chamber of Commerce, the Cape League will have its Hall of Fame re-located from the Heritage Museums & Gardens to the lower level of the JFK Hyannis Museum on Main Street in Hyannis. The CCBL Hall of Fame exhibit was first created at Heritage in 2003 under a five-year contract, and the display has been a feature of Heritage’s History Museum since that time. Both organizations agree that after five successful years, the show needs to be redesigned and revitalized, and that a new venue will be a positive step for all concerned.

    Eight former players, administrators and managers will be inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame. This year’s class includes former major league pitcher Walt Terrell, who enjoyed an 11-year career with the New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates, and Bob Schaefer, current bench coach with the Oakland A’s. Other 2007 inductees include Cotuit’s former league batting champion Del Bender, Harwich’s league MVP and batting champion Scott Hemond, Bourne’s league batting champion and MVP Dick Licini, Wareham’s league MVP John Morris, Chatham’s All-Star infielder Steve Saradnik and former Falmouth player-manager Jack Walsh.

Del Bender, Cotuit first baseman/outfielder
     The Mississippi State slugger played two seasons in the Cape League, 1976 and 1977. After hitting .267 in ’76, he was league batting champion in 1977 with a .395 average, set a modern-era record for most hits in a season (64) and led the league in runs (43) and total bases (99) and was second in RBI (39). He led Cotuit to the ’77 CCBL title by hitting .500 with four homers and 11 RBI in four games. He was voted to the All-League team in ’77 and was the starting left fielder for the Cape League All-Star team at Fenway Park in an 8-3 win over the ACBL. He was voted to the 1970’s All-Decade Team and signed with the Boston Red Sox. 

Scott Hemond, Harwich outfielder/catcher
     The South Florida outfielder/catcher enjoyed a brilliant All-Star season for the Harwich Mariners in 1986, leading the league with a .358 batting average and being named League MVP. Hemond totaled six home runs, 25 RBI, a .608 slugging percentage and a .455 on-base percentage. He was selected to both the mid-season and final All-Star teams during his banner season. Hemond was drafted by the Oakland A’s with the 12th pick in the first round of the 1986 amateur draft and signed August 6, 1986. He had a seven-year career with the A’s and St. Louis Cardinals and enjoyed his best season in 1993 when he batted .256 with six homers, 26 RBI and 14 stolen bases. 

Dick Licini, Bourne first baseman
     A product of Notre Dame, the power-hitting Licini enjoyed an MVP season in the Cape League for Bourne in 1968. The Fighting Irish first baseman led the CCBL with a .382 batting average to go along with 11 home runs, four doubles and 23 RBI. He also totaled 39 hits and 22 runs scored. Licini was selected to the Cape League All-Star Team. Licini was drafted in the 11th round of the MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox.

John Morris, Wareham outfielder
     The Seton Hall slugging outfielder set a league record for the Wareham Gatemen in 1981 by scoring 50 runs, a mark that still stands. His .410 batting average was second overall that summer and one of the highest in league history. He was named League MVP and totaled 66 hits. Morris led the Gatemen to a 27-13-2 record and produced a .584 slugging average and a .527 on-base percentage, along with 17 stolen bases, two homers and 37 RBI. He was drafted and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and went on to play seven years in the major leagues with the Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and California Angels, compiling a career .236 batting average with eight homers and 63 RBI.

Steve Saradnik, Chatham second baseman
     The hard-hitting infielder from Providence College played four All-Star seasons for the Chatham A’s from 1964-67, highlighted by the ’65 season when he batted .349 with two homers, 17 RBI, 37 hits and 34 runs scored. He also hit .314 in ’64 and .311 in ’66, when he led the league with 31 runs scored. A native of Natick, Mass., the talented second baseman was instrumental in Chatham’s’ success during the mid-1960’s, including the 1967 season when the A’s captured the CCBL championship. He played in the Seattle Pilots’ farm system.

Bob Schaefer, Hyannis and Bourne field manager
     The University of Connecticut switch-hitting infielder managed the Hyannis Mets to back-to-back Cape League championships in 1978-79, leading the ’78 edition to a 31-11 record and doing even better in ’79 with a superlative 33-7 mark for the most wins in CCBL history. The 1979 squad, led by fellow Hall of Famers Ross Jones and Ron Perry Jr., set a league record for highest team batting average (.314), most runs scored (348) and total bases (724). Schaefer is the bench coach of the Oakland A’s and a former interim manager and farm system administrator for several teams in Major League Baseball, including Kansas City, Atlanta, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Baltimore and the Boston Red Sox. As a player, he was a member of UConn’s 1965 College World Series team, when he was team captain and NCAA home run champion. He followed that success as shortstop for the 1965 CCBL championship Sagamore team. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966. 

Walt Terrell, Chatham pitcher
     The Morehead State hurler earned the Cape League’s Outstanding Pitcher Award with the Chatham A’s in 1979 when he posted a 9-4 record and a 2.20 ERA during the aluminum bat era. He pitched 13 complete games in 17 starts for the A’s and earned one save in 122.2 innings, while striking out 79 batters. The big right-hander was named to both the CCBL mid-season All-Star and final All-League teams. He signed with the Texas Rangers and posted a 111-124 career record in an 11-year major league career from 1982 to 1992 with the New York Mets, Detroit, San Diego and Pittsburgh. 

J
ack Walsh, Falmouth catcher-manager
     The Holy Cross catcher enjoyed a superlative seven-year career in the Cape League with the Falmouth squad. He led all Falmouth players in batting with a .360 average in 1930 and returned as player-manager from 1931-35 and bench manager in 1936. He also won the league batting title in ’33 with a .362 average. Under his managerial leadership, Falmouth captured three CCBL titles in 1931, ’32 and ’35. As manager, Walsh won more league titles than any other manager in the old Cape Cod League, which ran from 1923-39. He posted a 170-109 won-lost record and did not have a losing season with Falmouth.

ABOUT THE CAPE COD BASEBALL LEAGUE

     Beginning its 124th season in 2008, the 10-team Cape League originated in 1885 with individual town teams, was reorganized into the Cape Cod Baseball League in 1923 with teams in Chatham, Falmouth, Hyannis and Osterville and is now the premier collegiate baseball summer league in the country. 
     A total of 198 former Cape Leaguers currently populate major league rosters, including former Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito (Wareham ’97 & ’98), former MVP Frank Thomas (Orleans ’88), former AL batting champion Nomar Garciaparra (Orleans ’93), ALCS MVP Darin Erstad (Falmouth ’96) and current Boston Red Sox stars Mike Lowell (Chatham ’94) and captain Jason Varitek (Hyannis ’91 & ’93).
     Cape League alumni of yesteryear include Baseball Hall of Famer Harold “Pie” Traynor (Falmouth ’19), former New York Yankee greats Red Rolfe (Orleans ’30) and Thurman Munson (Chatham ’67), former Texas Rangers and New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine, Cy Young Award winner Mike Flanagan (Falmouth ’72), Rolaids Fireman-of-the-Year Jeff Reardon (Cotuit ’74-76), long-time major league scout Lennie Merullo (Barnstable ’35) and Major League Manager of the Year Nat “Buck” Showalter (Hyannis ’76).

John Garner Jr., CCBL Director of Public Relations & Broadcasting
([email protected])

 

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

Joe Sherman
Web Editor
(508) 775-4364
[email protected]