St. Marys – "I hear St. Marys is a beautiful place - I can't wait," said Tommy Lasorda recently when interviewed about his upcoming Induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum.

Tommy Lasorda, the longest-serving and winningest pitcher in the history of the Montreal Royals, will be joined at the podium by Intercounty legend Ron Stead and Western Canadian baseball builder Ron Hayter. New Brunswick's Larry McLean, who played more than 800 games in the major leagues, will be inducted posthumously.

Several other VIPs and sports figures are expected, and once confirmations have been received, those names will be publicized as well as available from the Hall's administrative office located downtown.

Mark your calendars for 10:00 am on Saturday, June 24, but plan to get there at least before 9:00 am if you're hoping for a seat under the tent, as a crowd of two thousand and significant media participation are expected.

Prior to the ceremony you can enjoy a ballgame, BBQ, museum tours, celebrities from all walks of sport, a silent auction and numerous activities. Following the ceremony, the annual celebrity autograph session will take place and further festivities will round out the day.

There is no charge to attend the ceremony. Parking will be organized by some of the one hundred plus volunteers who will be helping out the Hall of Fame on this wonderful day. The Ceremonial Grounds are next to the baseball museum at 386 Church St. South!

The Hall is thrilled to announce that CBC anchor Peter Mansbridge has agreed to host the 2006 Induction Ceremony, and that tenor sensation Michael Burgess, best known for his extended role as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, will sing the Canadian national anthem.

Party of the year!

After you have enjoyed the Induction Ceremony and the early day festivities, charge your batteries for the Party of the Year that night (Saturday, June 24).

On the Ceremonial Grounds under the Induction Tent, the doors open at 8:00 pm for Whaling performing on stage at 9:00pm, comedic hypnotist Buck MacLeod at 10:00pm and then Rob Edney and TARA TUMA will take the stage at 11:00pm to finish the night off with a bang! Tickets are only $10 for the whole night!!

You want more? Come back Sunday!

If that isn't enough, plan to come back on Sunday afternoon (June 25) to hear the Celtic/Maritime band Kettle's On featuring St. Marys' own Mark Fletcher. Doors open at 3:00pm and they will start their performance at 3:30pm.

Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Hayter lived and played baseball in Northern Saskatchewan and British Columbia before taking charge of Baseball Alberta in 1968.  Hayter revived the struggling provincial body, straightening out the finances and tripling the number of registered teams in just three years before stepping down in 1971 after running successfully for Edmonton City Council.  As Edmonton's longest serving City Councillor, Hayter has worked tirelessly for the development of playing facilities for amateur sport, especially baseball.  In 1993-95, he chaired a special committee which successfully negotiated and supervised the construction of a new Triple A baseball park in Edmonton, now known as Telus Field.

Hayter went on to serve Baseball Canada in various capacities, from developing the first distinctively Canadian rulebook to organizing the first national championships.  He also represented Canada with the International Baseball Federation for 18 years, sitting on the Legal and Technical Commissions, and receiving the IBAF's President's Award in 1990.

He was the founder and Chair, since 1979, of the Edmonton International Baseball Foundation that has organized six international baseball competitions in Edmonton, including the first-ever IBAF World Cup of Women's Baseball in 2004.   The EIBF has contributed almost a half million dollars to Baseball Canada, Baseball Alberta, and the IBAF, and has established a scholarship fund, helped finance minor baseball parks, and sponsors clinics to help players and coaches in the province of Alberta.

Former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, inducted into the Hall in 1983, called upon Hayter as an advisor in the formation of Sport Canada.  In 1974, Hayter won the coveted Vanier Award as an "Outstanding Young Canadian" and received the Queen's Jubilee Medal in 2004 for outstanding public service.

"When I heard the news, I was speechless, and to anyone who knows me, that's highly unusual!" said Hayter from his Edmonton office.

"I've been involved in baseball for more than 50 years and none of it was for any personal glory - you do it for love of the game.  But being recognized in this way is a very great honour and I thank all the people who have helped me along the way."

Larry McLean

There was speculation that a "Big Larry" might get into the Hall this year, but the spinsters were referring to Larry Walker in hopes that the Hall would bypass the mandatory three-year waiting period after retirement due to his outstanding career.  However, given that Fergie Jenkins was not fast-tracked, the concept did not fly with the Selection Committee.

John Bannerman McLean, nicknamed "Big Larry" due to his resemblance to Larry "Nap" Lajoie, was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and had played the most Major league games (862) of any eligible Canadian not yet inducted.  Of the 221 Canadians who have played in the Major Leagues, he stands 14th in games played, and is in the top 20 in hits (694), at bats (2,647), doubles (90), triples (26).  Standing 6'5", he is reportedly the tallest catcher in Major League history.

His Major League career spanned 15 years from 1901-1915, for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Giants.

The Bunyanesque player did everything in a big way, including getting into trouble.  Mainly due to a lifelong battle with alcohol, McLean's career was punctuated by repeated suspensions, occasional brawls, and periodic scrapes with the law.  He played his best baseball with the Reds, for whom he batted over .285 three times.  McLean batted .500 in the 1913 World Series.  He is in the top three of almost all catching and offensive categories for Canadian Major League catchers, coupled with George Gibson and Jimmy Archer.

Baseball historian Lee Allen described McLean as "big and slow, but could hit and throw."

Read more about Stead and Lasorda next week!

ST MARYS – 14 June 2006