Archives for February 2012

Scout Patch Design Contest Returns

Submissions being accepted from local boy and girl scouts until March 23rd

Emily Miceli of Girl Scout Troop 170 was last year's winner.
Emily Miceli of Girl Scout Troop 170 was last year’s winner.

LAKEWOOD, NJ – The BlueClaws are once again looking for area boy and girl scouts to design the patch given out by the BlueClaws to scouts at BlueClaws scout nights this year.

Submissions will be accepted until March 23rd. The BlueClaws will choose the finalists and voting will occur on the BlueClaws official Facebook page or via email at scouts@blueclaws.com until March 30th at noon.

The winning scout will receive a ceremonial first pitch at their scout night in 2012, a meet and greet with a BlueClaws player, and, of course, have their patch be given out to the approximately 5,000 scouts that come out to the park this summer.

Interested scouts can download this form (click here) and fill in the circle, using 10 colors or less. The BlueClaws will adjust the patches with the proper logos.

All forms must be returned to:

Pete Walsifer
Scout Patch Contest
2 Stadium Way
Lakewood, NJ 08701

Forms must include the name of their scout pack or troop as well as the name of the scout.

Scouts that enter must be a member of a pack or troop that has booked their 2012 BlueClaws outing. The BlueClaws will host five Scout Nights in 2012, two of which (July 28th and August 11th) are Scout Night Sleepovers, where scouts camp out on the field after the game.

Last year’s winner, shown above, was Emily Miceli of Girl Scout Troop 170.

For information on bringing a scout group to FirstEnergy Park, call Pete Walsifer at 732-901-7000 ext 171 or visit BlueClaws.com/scouts.

The BlueClaws have led the South Atlantic League in attendance in all 11 years of existence and this year will become the fastest team in New Jersey and SAL history to reach 5-million fans.

Ticket packages and group outings for the upcoming season are available by calling 732-901-7000 or online at BlueClaws.com.

– BlueClaws –

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Lakewood BlueClaws. Click here to view the original story.

PawSox Peanut Free Days at McCoy Stadium

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The Pawtucket Red Sox are pleased to announce that they have designated two home games during the 2012 season as “Peanut Free Nights” at McCoy Stadium. The games will be May 24 when the PawSox host Toledo at 7:05 pm and August 3 vs. Lehigh Valley at 7:05 pm. Peanut products will not be sold anywhere throughout the ballpark during those two games.

We hope those with peanut allergies who have always wanted to enjoy a game, will be able to join us on May 24th and August 3rd, leave their worries behind, and root, root, for the home team!

For more information and to order tickets for the May 24th and August 3rd “Peanut Free Nights” at McCoy please visit the PawSox website of www.pawsox.com.

Order Tickets Online

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Pawtucket Red Sox. Click here to view the original story.

Eastern Elementary student wins ‘Hit the Books’ contest

(WHITAKER BANK BALLPARK, Lexington, Ky.) A student at Eastern Elementary School in Scott County has won a bookmark design contest as part of the Lexington Legends/Chick-fil-A “Hit the Books” reading incentive program. A second Eastern Elementary student received honorable mention.

Fifth grade student Kim Macanang, age 10, designed the winning entry. She will receive a Legends prize pack, including Legends merchandise, a framed “Hit the Books ” poster featuring her artwork and a free membership in the 2012 Little Legends Kids Club. She also will be invited to throw a ceremonial first pitch at a designated Legends game for her school. Bookmarks featuring her artwork will be distributed to students at every school that participates in the “Hit the Books” program. More than 18,000 students from central Kentucky are expected to take part in the program, which runs through April 1.

Makayla Davis, age 11, a fifth grade student at Eastern Elementary; Jackson Gonzales, 8, a third grade student at Liberty Elementary in Lexington; and Abbi Davis, 10, a fourth grade student at Peaks Mill Elementary in Frankfort all received honorable mention for their designs. They will receive framed posters and Legends merchandise.

“The Hit the Books program has been a staple of the Legends community outreach since day one of our existence,” said Legends General Manager Seth Poteat. “I personally love every chance I get to go to all the participating schools in our community and meet the kids. The importance of childhood literacy cannot be underscored enough and this program allows us to hopefully develop readers and Legends fans for life.”

In “Hit the Books,” a baseball diamond is used to record credit for a student’s reading. For every book a student reads, a teacher places his or her initials on a base. When the student has all three bases and home plate initialed by the teacher, the student may bring a “Hit the Books” bookmark to the Legends’ box office at Whitaker Bank Ballpark to exchange it for two tickets to one of four Legends home games – April 13, 14, 27 or 28.

The school with the most bookmarks redeemed on its designated night will win a luncheon assembly provided by the Lexington Legends and Chick-fil-A.

The 2012 season is the 12th for Legends baseball, and also marks the 12th year that the Legends have been associated with the “Hit the Books” program. About 125,000 central Kentucky students have participated.

The Legends, a class A affiliate of the Houston Astros, open the home season Thursday, April 12 at Whitaker Bank Ballpark against the Kannapolis Intimidators, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. For more information, visit www.lexingtonlegends.com.

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The Legends were voted number one in family entertainment in 2011 by readers of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
This article originally appeared on the official website of the Lexington Legends. Click here to view the original story.

ValleyCats Announce Community Grounds Crew, 2nd ‘4 in 24’ Extreme Field Renovation

Cats partner with BlueShield of Northeastern New York to expand their youth field renovation initiative

SouthPaw and volunteers renovate Westland Hills in Albany during 2011 '4 in 24' program.
SouthPaw and volunteers renovate Westland Hills in Albany during 2011 ‘4 in 24’ program.

TROY, NY- As the Tri-City ValleyCats, Class-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, prepare to enter their 11th-season in the Capital Region, they’ve announced that they will be teaming up with BlueShield of Northeastern New York to create the Community Grounds Crew. This crew will lead the 2nd ever ‘4 in 24’ Program and also assist in renovating numerous other youth fields from April through September.The ‘4 in 24’ renovations will take place in early April, with work scheduled around the clock. In order to bring the selected fields to game ready conditions, each one will have new sod placed in their infield while also seeing their pitcher’s mound and homeplate areas re-built.

“The entire ValleyCats staff is thrilled to continue the ‘4 in 24’ program in 2012, while expanding our outreach by introducing the Community Grounds Crew. This program will allow us the opportunity to continue our efforts in providing safe fields of play for the youth of the Capital Region,” said ValleyCats Vice President/General Manager Rick Murphy.

The ‘Cats are no strangers to undertaking field renovation projects. It has been an annual tradition since the program began with the restoration of a little league field in South Troy in 2003. Each year since, the ValleyCats organization has reinforced their mission to provide safe and well-maintained fields for youth sports organizations throughout the Capital Region. This task was expanded with the first-ever ‘4 in 24’ program in April of 2011. That project saw fields in Albany, Ballston Spa, Schenectady, and Scotia restored with crews working around the clock.

With the help of BlueShield of Northeastern New York, the ValleyCats will once again expand this mission further in 2012 by creating the Community Grounds Crew. As the presenting partner in this initiative, BlueShield will be a critical contributor to help give back to the youth of the Capital Region.

“We are thrilled to partner with the ValleyCats to restore four local baseball diamonds, so the children of our community can enjoy one of our country’s national past times,” Brian O’Grady, vice president, BlueShield of Northeastern New York, said. “Our company takes pride in the thought of kids playing catch or running the bases with friends, because they will be taking time out of their day to engage in healthy activities – and as we all know – Healthy Changes Everything.”

These projects will also be supported by the New York-Penn League Charitable Foundation. Contributions to the foundation have come from past events such as the Capital Region Craft Brewers Festival, hosted by the ValleyCats and Brown’s Brewing Company, and the Corporate Cup Tournaments which have included teams from local and regional businesses.

Leagues interested in having their field considered for this project must complete an application that can be found on the Community Grounds Crew page of the ValleyCats website. The deadline for ‘4 in 24’ submissions is March 9th with the chosen fields announced on Friday, March 16th.

The leagues who are not selected for the ‘4 in 24’ project will remain in consideration for the Community Grounds Crew program, which will accept and evaluate applications on an on-going basis through September of 2012.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Tri-City ValleyCats. Click here to view the original story.

Grizzlies To Host Inaugural Golf Tournament

Proceeds from the event to benefit Fresno Community Food Bank

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FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Grizzlies will host their inaugural golf outing on Wednesday, June 6th and is scheduled to be played at Copper River Country Club. The event, presented by Crown Jewels Produce and the Fresno Grizzlies Community Fund (GCF), will benefit the Fresno Community Food Bank and the GCF. Grizzlies fans will enjoy a round of golf with friends, co-workers, and business associates while supporting two local non-profit organizations. The field is limited to 144 golfers or 36 teams of four members.

Participants in the outing will also have the opportunity to golf alongside Fresno Grizzlies players and coaches at the event. There are a limited number of players and coaches participating, however, so it is recommended golfers register for the event early, as groups will be formed on a first come, first serve basis.

In addition to the 18 holes of golf, registration also includes lunch before the tournament, a bucket of range balls, free beverages provided at holes 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15, a post-tournament mixer with drinks and hors d’oeuvres, team photo, and sponsored giveaway items.

Several sponsorship packages are available for the golf outing:

    • Individual Player Registration ($250)

Includes: Single Player Green Fees & Cart, Two mid-week ticket vouchers to a Grizzlies game

    • Grizzlies Team Pack ($800)

Includes: One team of four golfers, Four ticket vouchers to a Grizzlies game per player

    • Grizzlies Gold Pack ($2,500)

Includes: Two teams of four golfers, Hole Sponsor, Two ticket voucher packs (10 tickets per pack) per player

    • Grizzlies Platinum Pack ($3,000)

Includes: Three teams of four golfers, Hole Sponsor, $250 in Pro Shop Credit, One Luxury Suite Night for a mid-week Grizzlies game

    • Grizzlies Diamond Pack ($3,500)

Includes: One team of three golfers, teamed with a Grizzlies player or coach, Hole Sponsor, $350 in Pro Shop Credit, One Owner’s Suite Night for a mid-week Grizzlies game

Additional sponsorship opportunities are available, such as tee box sponsor, green sponsor, longest drive, closest to the pin, and much more. To register or seek more information, please contact Director of Corporate Sales Jerry James or Account Executive Chris Curry of the Fresno Grizzlies front office or by calling 559.320.HITS.
This article originally appeared on the official website of the Fresno Grizzlies. Click here to view the original story.

C’s In The Community

The Canadians and Bob Brown Bear were busy in our local community this past week

VancouverCanadians_2012-02-20

(Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium – Vancouver, BC) – From diamonds to dining, it was another busy week for Vancouver Canadians mascot Bob Brown Bear who made stops at Mission Possible as well as registration day out at Trout Lake Little League.

Mission Possible was founded over 20 years ago and has become one of Canada’s most respected street-level initiatives helping a number of local families in need with both compassion and a loving heart on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Bob Brown Bear’s presence at Mission Possible brought a number of smiles to young children’s faces as they enjoyed a warm meal along with their families. The Vancouver Canadians wish to congratulate everyone associated with this effort for a job well done.

Our mascot was also happy to hand out high-fives and a few hugs out at the registration for Trout Lake Little League’s upcoming season.

Since 1953, Trout lake Little League has been giving local children the opportunity to play organized baseball. With divisions for kids four through 12, Trout Lake Little League is based out of John Hendry Park (Vancouver) and is a league run completely by local volunteers.

The Canadians were proud to be out making new friends within the league and wish to thank the organizing committee for allowing us the chance to share in the excitement of the upcoming season.

Discovered in 2008, Bob Brown Bear has become one of the most recognizable faces on the Vancouver sports circuit making nearly 1,000 community appearances. If you would like to have the official mascot of the Vancouver Canadians at your upcoming event, feel free to contact us at 604.872.5232 to learn more about Bob Brown Bear’s availability.

The Vancouver Canadians return to Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium on Wednesday, June 20th to face the Tri-City Dust Devils in a re-match of last season’s Northwest League Championship. Tickets to Vancouver Canadians Baseball are available by calling 604.872.5232, or by visiting the Vancouver Canadians Box Office located at 4601 Ontario Street, Vancouver, B.C.
This article originally appeared on the official website of the Vancouver Canadians. Click here to view the original story.

Owlz Support Little League Teams

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As the Pioneer League affiliate of Angels Baseball, the Owlz have enjoyed a long standing tradition of excellence on the field. The Owlz have qualified for the playoffs in each of the 11 seasons the team has been in existence, and been fortunate enough to capture 4 Pioneer League Championships. Many of the fundamentals that have helped our players find success on and off the field were learned playing Little League Baseball.

The Owlz would like to help your team as they prepare for the upcoming season. As part of the special offers for your team the Owlz are proud to offer a 20% discount off your order from our online store, The Perch. The discount applies to all items in the store including sale items! This coupon code can be used by your players and also by friends and family members of your team as they help cheer on the next generation of Owlz players. To receive your coupon code, please contact Owlz General Manager Brett Crane by sending an e-mail to brett@oremowlz.com.

We also would like to feature your team on our website. Once you have taken a team photo, please send it to brett@oremowlz.com along with a brief 2-3 sentence description of your season highlighting your record and labels featuring your players and coaches.

We always love hearing about our Owlz teams from around the country. We wish you the best of luck with your upcoming season, and appreciate your support of Orem Owlz Baseball!

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Orem Owlz. Click here to view the original story.

“An unforgettable moment”

Local kids steal the show at 2nd Annual Scotiabank Hot Stove Luncheon

Scotiabank's David Poole gives a high-five to a future baseball star. (Paul Yates)
Scotiabank’s David Poole gives a high-five to a future baseball star. (Paul Yates)

(Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium – Vancouver, BC) – When nearly 30 young, bright-eyed children began running through the aisles at the 2nd Annual Scotiabank Vancouver Canadians Baseball Foundation Hot Stove Luncheon, the show had officially been stolen.

Friday afternoon, the Canadians hosted their annual Hot Stove Luncheon which featured Toronto Blue Jays President and CEO Paul Beeston who was overwhelmed by the support shown by the sold out crowd all tucked inside the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel in downtown Vancouver.

“I’m speechless,” said Beeston who’s keynote address tipped largely toward his organization’s support of the Vancouver Canadians.

“What Jake, Jeff and Andy have done here in Vancouver is unbelievable. The way Vancouver has supported this team is something that should become a blueprint for other teams at any level of baseball”.

The afternoon program kicked off with Canadians owner Jake Kerr giving the Vancouver Canadians Baseball Foundation membership his ‘State of the Franchise’ address which included his praise to the Toronto Blue Jays for delivering on their promise to make Vancouver a Northwest League Champion.

Kerr was followed by longtime friend and co-owner Jeff Mooney who gripped the sold out venue with a stirring story and introduction of the newly-formed Vancouver Canadians Baseball League, a 28-team, eight-game season built for kids between the ages of 5-10. Mooney announced that the Canadians through their Foundation would support nearly 300 local children in need each summer.

Included in the commitment is league fees, transportation, food and all equipment covered by both the Canadians and a host of corporate sponsors including Scotiabank, BC Hydro and The Sports Exchange. A number of local supporters also worked to give these children a summer to remember including Al DeGenova and the Mooney Family. Jeff Mooney and Suzanne Bolton donated $50,000.00 toward the Foundation to kick-off the afternoon.

Just before Mooney wrapped up his request to help support the VCBF, he trotted out 28 bright-eyed, excited children in full uniform all there to give our guests a high-five and ask for their support this summer.

Smiles filled the room as the kids from The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vancouver dazzled with plenty of energy to spare and high-fives to go around to each and every guest. It was one of the most talked about elements of the afternoon.

The stage then became Paul Beeston’s who promised to keep building back in Toronto and committed to tell the story of the Vancouver Canadians who had ‘blown him away’ with what they had been able to accomplish within the community.

The afternoon wrapped up with a Live Auction that exceeded the hopes of the Canadians organization thanks to the generous support of our membership.

The Vancouver Canadians Baseball Club, Vancouver Canadians Baseball Foundation and Scotiabank would like to thank each and every person associated with the Foundation for a fantastic afternoon that ensured more than 300 children from our own community got the chance to play baseball this coming summer.

For more information, please visit our Foundation page right here at canadiansbaseball.com
This article originally appeared on the official website of the Vancouver Canadians. Click here to view the original story.

Salem Red Sox to Donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia

Salem Will Donate $3,159 Raised During Annual Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame Banquet

Salem, VA (February 1, 2012) – The Salem Red Sox, Advanced Class-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, will donate $3,159 to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Roanoke, a non-profit organization that provides mentoring organizations serving children, their families, and communities. Since its inception in 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters operates in all 50 states and 13 countries around the world.On Thursday, January 26, 2012, the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame held their annual banquet at the Salem Civic Center. The Salem Red Sox held an auction during the event with items donated from local restaurants and businesses, along with national organizations and sporting teams. Items included tickets to a Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees series, as well as local area gift cards, and various baseball memorabilia. Guest speaker, Billy Sample, a Salem native, was in attendance to show support for the four inductees and the cause.

“The Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame Banquet and induction ceremony was a wonderful opportunity for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia. We appreciate the great generosity from the auction proceeds and the support of the Salem Red Sox and all those who made the event very meaningful for us!” stated Marguerite Hansell, Fund Development Associate with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia.

All of the proceeds from the auction went to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia.

“The auction went off without a hitch,” said Todd Stephenson, general manager of the Salem Red Sox, “there were some high bid wars going on, all for a great cause.”

For more information about the Salem Red Sox’ various fundraising programs, visit our fundraising page.

ABOUT BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia is an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the largest and most successful national network of mentoring organizations serving children, families, and communities. Our mission is to help children in southwest Virginia who are facing adversity fulfill their potential through strong and enduring professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships that provide a measurable impact and change their lives for the better. Big Brothers Big Sister of Southwest Virginia currently supports over 350 Big and Little matches. The money that is raised and donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia goes to supporting our matches in southwest Virginia. For more information visit www.bigslittles.org.
This article originally appeared on the official website of the Salem Red Sox. Click here to view the original story.