The Union County Baseball Association will induct three new members into the Union County Baseball Hall of Fame during award ceremonies on Sunday, February 11. The three inductees will be honored for their outstanding contributions to our national pastime on the baseball diamonds of Union County, New Jersey.
Al Ashmont of Clark, Chuck Fernicola of Mountainside, and Rich Pender of Elizabeth will be honored at the 71st Annual Hot Stove League Baseball Dinner which begins at 1:00 p.m. at the L’Affaire Banquet Center, 1099 Route 22 East, Mountainside. The dinner is sponsored by the Union County Baseball Association, in cooperation with the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Union County Department of Parks, Recreation and Facilities.
The special guest speaker at the awards dinner will be Johnny Blanchard, the former New York Yankees catcher and outfielder who was an important member of the 1961 World Series championship team.
“We’re very pleased to have Johnny Blanchard as guest speaker at this year’s Hot Stove League Awards Dinner,” said Freeholder Al Mirabella. “We hope that family members and friends of all the award recipients will enjoy the Sunday afternoon ceremonies and support youth baseball and the new inductees into the Union County Baseball Hall of Fame.”
In addition to the new Hall of Fame inductees, the Hot Stove League Baseball Dinner also will honor young athletes and local baseball teams for their achievements in 2006.
Tickets for the dinner are $35.00, with proceeds going to help fund the Union County Summer Youth Baseball League for youngsters 8 to 15 years, and the Fall Teen League.
Since 1937, the annual Hot Stove League Dinner has been the primary fund-raising effort for the Union County Baseball Association’s summer and fall programs. Over the years, the awards dinner has honored many local and national baseball luminaries – including Joe Collins of Union, Phil Rizzuto of Hillside, Don Newcombe of Elizabeth, Jeff Torborg of Mountainside, Willie Wilson of Summit, Jake Wood of Elizabeth, and Elliott Maddox of Union.
Tickets for the 71st Annual Union County Baseball Association Hot Stove League Dinner on Feb. 11th are available for $35 and may be obtained by calling
(908) 527-4910.
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