St. Marys – Just back from a trip to Pennsylvania, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame CEO Tom Valcke has reason to be upbeat. Valcke had the pleasure of presenting the Tip O'Neill award Friday night to hard hitting Canadian Jason Bay of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The weekend past also marked the beginning of an era for a couple of all-star teams operating out of St. Marys. The 16 and under and 18 and under squads got their starts in the Premier Baseball League of Ontario.

And, of course, the ball hall's biggest weekend of the year is quickly approaching. The 9th annual Celebrity Golf Classic at St. Marys Golf and Country Club is well on its way to a fifth consecutive sell-out. Optimistic and cheerful -- as per usual for Tom Valcke. But when the subject turns to a recent break-in at a Hall of Fame storage facility, Valcke turns downright ornery. The man who has worked tirelessly as caretaker of Canada's shrine to baseball and has championed its merits to all who will listen can't begin to understand what happened a week ago today.

"You just wonder who would do something like this," he said.

An intruder, or intruders, forced open a door and then went on a destructive rampage that left damage totaling some $80,000, by Valcke's estimation.

"I was devastated," Valcke said of his reaction to the news.

The big ticket item was a stadium model of a proposed new home for the former Montreal Expos, who moved to Washington prior to this season. "It was remarkable, every detail to the point of every seat, the flower gardens and restaurants," described Valcke.

"The adults who have seen it were blown away by the detail. The kids were pie-eyed. It looked like the biggest Barbie/Ken baseball stadium ever made."

Valcke doesn't know how the vandal, or vandals, did it but the model was smashed, he said, into a million pieces. Valcke is unsure of its value but the hall has another model of the same design and the two of them were appraised, after being donated by the Expos, at $125,000.

"I would rather have them steal it than smash it the way they did. The mentality needed to do something like that is beyond my comprehension."

A 14-year-old has been arrested and police are following up with another suspect. They likely didn't know the building was a storage facility for the Hall of Fame, Valcke guessed. The CEO is accustomed to going to bat for the Hall of Fame on any issue that affects its existence. There was little he could about this one. Obviously disillusioned about what transpired, Valcke must have felt good to head to Pittsburgh with an award given to the Canadian major leaguer judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to the highest ideals of the game.

"They really gave us a premium night, it was their first night home coming off the road, it was a Friday night, a fireworks night."

And a great night for Canadian baseball.

ST MARYS – 3 May 2005

June 24 – 9th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic

June 25 – 2005 Induction Ceremony

2005 SUMMER CAMPS for Boys & Girls

* Week-long camps (drop off Sunday, pick-up Saturday), including accommodation & meals
        * Focus on baseball FUNdamentals, swimming, soccer & tennis, trip to SkyDome
        * Social Justice and Cultural Awareness programs incorporated
        * Baseball Celebrities to take part