Emcee

St. Marys – Rogers SportsNet’s Jamie Campbell, the television play-by-play voice of the Blue Jays, gets a rare day off on Saturday, June 28th, as CBC will be airing the Blue Jays as they host the Atlanta Braves. So what is he going to do on a day when he can completely get away from baseball? The baseball junkie from Oakville is going to run down to St. Marys to emcee the 2008 Induction Ceremony of Tony Fernandez, Billy Harris, Gladwyn Scott and Peter Widdrington into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame!

The ceremony begins at 11:00am under the tent on the Ceremonial Grounds adjacent to the Hall’s museum at 386 Church St. South, and the tradition of not charging admission is being continued. It is recommended to arrive between 9:30-10:00am in order to get a decent parking space and seat, as more than one thousand are expected to attend the ceremony, and there are numerous events on site to pass the time.

“It is remarkable that someone as busy as Jamie is willing to do this – we feel very guilty about stealing him away from his lovely wife Alison and son Kaden, so we're going to rush him directly back to his Toronto home immediately following the autograph session to at least relax with his family for the remaining afternoon and evening.” said Ball Hall president and CEO Tom Valcke.

Campbell grew up playing Little League baseball at Wallace Park in Oakville. The former runner for Hockey Night in Canada’s favourite players were Bob Bailor, Jesse Barfield, George Brett and Lyman Bostock. He graduated from Ryerson's Radio and Television program in 1989 and then spent four years as a sports anchor at CBC Edmonton and one at CJOH Ottawa before helping launch CTV SportsNet in 1998. He hosted Blue Jays baseball and MLB playoffs on SportsNet for two years before taking over position of play-by-play prior to the 2005 season. A notable highlight was when he caught David (Big Papi) Ortiz's home run at the All-Star game in Houston in 2004.

“My love of baseball developed at a time when only a handful of Canadians made it to the big leagues, so they became an immediate source of pride for a teenager from Oakville,” said Campbell from Milwaukee, where he is broadcasting the Blue Jays on the road.

“I made a point of checking the morning box scores for names like McKay, Puhl, Cleveland, or Pladson.”

“The foundation of this great game is more stable than ever thanks, in part, to the varied contributions of the four inductees. It is an honour to be involved in such a special ceremony, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the venue in St. Marys.”

Other notable stars confirmed to be here for Induction Weekend include MLBPA boss Donald Fehr, Pat Gillick, Paul Beeston, Jim Fanning, Steve Rogers, Miss Canada (Alesia Fieldberg), Tom Burgess, Ron Piche, Billy Atkinson, John Upham, Joey Siddall, Ron Stead, Michael Burgess, Terry Crisp, Sean McCann, Walt Tkaczuk, Lee Delfino, Rob & Rich Butler, and Paul Spoljaric.

Comedian Ezra Solzfeus on at 9:00pm, Tara Tuma plays at 10:00pm.

The annual party under the Induction Tent on Saturday evening (June 28) will begin with the doors opening at 8pm and comedian Ezra Solzfeus at 9:00pm, followed by party band Tara Tuma at 10:00pm.

ST MARYS – 23 June 2008

PLEASE NOTE: 2008 SUMMER CAMPS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

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

KEY DATES IN 2007-2008:

June 27, 2008 – 12th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic
June 28, 2008 – 2008 Induction Ceremony at 11am
July 6, 2008 – Team Canada games

For more information, please contact: