Friday, January 16, 2009
Hot Stove Banquet
Happy Friday! One week from
tonight is the start of Twins Fest. I intend to be there Friday night and most
of Saturday, and maybe even for a little while on Sunday morning. I have heard
that many of you will be bringing your copy of the Minnesota Twins
Prospect Handbook to get signed by players at Twins Fest. If you
do, and anyone comments, please let me know.
I will also be at another event
that Saturday night. You’ve read about it on Howard
Sinker’s blog, and yesterday on the Twins
Geek blog, but today you can read about it here today. Like Howard Sinker and John Bonnes, I will be attending the 2nd Annual “Final” Ballpark
Tours Hot Stove Banquet and Charity Auction next Saturday, January 24th,
at the Harriet Island Pavilion in St. Paul.
I haven’t actually been to one
of these events previously, but hear they are incredible. I know that Bill “Spaceman” Lee was a guest last
year. This year, Corey Koskie will be part of the entertainment. Big league
umpire Tim Tschida
will be there. I know that Howard Sinker
is the MC, and it sounds like LaVelle E. Neal
will be there as well. I know that the Twins Geek, John Bonnes, will be there. He will have
a table set up there where he will be handing out old copies of Gameday issues from 2008. And I will be there as well,
selling copies of the Minnesota Twins
Prospect Handbook – 2009. It
should be a lot of fun meeting a lot of big baseball fans, and even some
celebs! If you have a chance, think about attending. I could write more, but
instead I will let the press release speak for itself:
WHAT: 2nd Annual
"Final" Ballpark Tours Hot Stove League Banquet and
Charity Auction for St. Paul's own Dunning Field Little League.
WHEN: Saturday, 1/24. Doors Open: 5:30 pm. Festivities Begin: 7:10 pm.
WHERE: Harriet Island Pavilion Building (across from Dtwn
St. Paul via
the Wabasha Avenue Bridge).
PRICE: $30, adults; $25, ages 16 or younger. $5 more at the
door.
TICKETS: Anodyne @ 43rd, 4301 Nicollet Avenue South in Minneapolis;
Golden Thyme Coffee & Cafe, 921 Selby Avenue in St. Paul or at the
door.
MORE INFO: 651-227-3437, 651-644-925, ballparktours@qwest.net or
twinsfansam@gmail.com.
Since1982, Ballpark Tours has been hosting this yearly winter
gathering where young, middle age and elder baseball fans join up with
each other to disect the previous year and celebrate
the upcoming
season. We guarantee a fun, irreverent and raucous time for all of
you who need a baseball fix during this cold and dark time of year.
It is also held to raise needed funds for the Little League
organization at Dunning Field in St. Paul. Our annual charity
auctions have raised over $50,000 to help them offer
their excellent
youth baseball programs and for field improvements at this intercity
park.
This year our line up includes former Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee
Brewers great Corey Koskie, Major League Baseball
Umpire Tim Tschida
and a tribute to our friend the late Andy Nelson (who was a great
local sports and mural artist). StarTribune scribe LaVelle E. Neal
III, another Twins
Alumni (TBA) and other special guests are expected
to join us as well.
Howard Sinker has signed on to be our our host this
year. Cribbed
from his web site, "A Fan's View From Section
220": "In a former life
Howard has covered the Twins for the StarTribune.
Today, he is a
commentator on baseball and other sports for Minnesota Public Radio's
Midday program. He grew up rooting for the Cubs, back before it was
trendy, has settled quite nicely into a season-ticket package in
Section 220 of the Metrodome and owns two XM
Radios."
Festivies are at a new location in 2009, the Historic
Harriet Island
Pavilion Building (which is right across from Downtown St. Paul via
the Wabasha Avenue Bridge). The doors open at 5:30 and festivities
begin at 7:10 pm.
Tickets can be purchased at Anodyne @ 43rd, 4301 Nicollet Avenue South
in Minneapolis and Golden Thyme Coffee & Cafe, 921 Selby Avenue in St.
Paul. They remain priced at an affordable $30 for adults and $25 for
ages 16 or younger. Folks can call 651-227-3437 or 651-644-9254 for
more info or to reserve their tickets.
So again, if you are able to
attend, it really sounds like a fun night, and it’s for kids. In fact, I will
be donating a portion of each book I sell at the event to the Little League
organization at Dunning Field in St. Paul as well.
That’s it for now, but if
anything happens Twins-related over the weekend, I’ll be sure to write about it
here. Again, if you’re one of the billions on Facebook,
be sure to check out the SethSpeaks.net page.. Please leave your
comments here.