Message from Alumni Chairman
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POINTS OF INTEREST INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Diamond Legacy VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 MAY 2013 Graduate Corner 2 Darren Daulton Message From Alumni Chairman Alumni 3 Committees With over 60 years of a great history and camaraderie, time for the Babe Ruth League Cash and Gift 4 our young athletes, Pledges program has changed alumni and friends of the lives of millions of the Babe Ruth League young athletes. It is program. We are a Opening Day 5 vital that we get vibrant alumni Fever connected and stay community, and are 2013 is a building year connected through the fortunate to have this for setting long-term Alumni Association in association to keep us goals and initiatives to Update on Capital order to build a connected and updated 6 take our Alumni Building community that extends on Babe Ruth League. Association in a new Campaign beyond the diamond. and great direction. Together we will be able At this time, I also invite Teams Rally to 6 to give an even greater you to join me in making This is an exciting issue Help Vandalized number of young a donation or in-kind League of DIAMOND athletes the opportunity gift to the Alumni LEGACY—one that to become Babe Ruth Association. With our reflects some of the In Loving Memory 7 League success stories. support, current and of qualities that make our future participants will Ernest Alumni so intriguing. The Babe Ruth League be able to enjoy the same Papazoglou Alumni Association is great Babe Ruth League Tribute to 8 led and managed by a In this issue, you will experience we enjoyed. Bob Willis read about the creation talented group of of new committees to Alumni. We make the Thank you. decision to volunteer help us reach our goals. many hours of our busy lives to the Alumni We are proud to update because we know how you on the Capital important it is that the Building Campaign, James Wagoner Babe Ruth League which is off to a Chairman program be available to successful start. all youth for generations to come. This year promises to be PAGE 2 Graduate Corner — Darren Daulton Darren Daulton, nicknamed Dutch, although he was name to his third all- is a graduate of the Arkansas City, star team, he play in only 98 games, and Kansas Babe Ruth League and a former finished the year with just 9 home runs. Major League Baseball catcher best Daulton missed nearly the entire 1996 remembered for his years with the season due to injury, playing in just 5 Philadelphia Phillies. He has been games all year. called the “Greatest Clubhouse Leader In 1997, after 17 years with the the Phillies ever had.” He earned a organization, the Phillies traded World Series ring with the Florida Daulton to the Florida Marlins. By this Marlins in 1997. time, Daulton’s knee injuries had forced Daulton made his major league him to change positions. After playing debut with the Phillies on September half of the season with the Phillies as a 245, 1983, and became their full-time right fielder, the Marlins used Daulton catcher in 1989. as a first baseman and pinch hitter. He Daulton caught Terry Mulholland’s put up respectable numbers in his final no-hitter on August 15, 1990. season, hitting .263 with 14 home runs, Daulton’s finest season came in 63 RBIs and 68 runs scored in just 395 at 1992. That season, Daulton led the bats. After the Marlins won the 1997 National League in runs batted in with World Series, Daulton announced his 109. He also finished in the top 10 in on retirement. base percentages, slugging percentage, Darren Daulton was elected into the OPS, home runs, walks, runs created, Kansas Babe Ruth Hall of Fame in 1992. and extra base hits. Daulton’s As a youth, Daulton played Babe Ruth impressive season earned him his first Baseball in Arkansas City. all-star appearance, the National League Daulton’s example of determination Silver Slugger Award, and sixth place in and hard work to achieve lofty goals no National League MVP voting. matter how far away they seemed are Daulton was one of the catalysts of characteristics of his success in major the NL pennant winning 1993 Phillies. league baseball and makes him a great Although the Phillies lost the World role model for Babe Ruth players Series, he was again named an all-star, throughout the nation. drove in more than 100 runs for the Daulton is most remembered as a second consecutive season, and finished strong leader and a very big-hitting seventh n National League MVP voting. player with fine pitch-handling and Daulton once again finished the top 10 defensive skills. He was ranked the in on base percentage, runs batted in, 25th greatest catcher of all time and was walks, and extra base hits. Daulton also inducted into the Philadelphia Phillies finished in the top 10 in times on base Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. and intentional walks. Unfortunately, knee injuries caught up with Daulton. In 1994, he was on pace for his best season when he went down for the season. Through 67 games Daulton was hitting .300 with 15 home runs and 56 RBIs. Both his batting average and slugging percentage (.549) were career highs at the time of his injury. By 1995, injuries had clearly taken a toll on Daulton’s playing ability, and DIAMOND LEGACY VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 PAGE 3 Alumni Association Committees In order to grow the Alumni the Alumni Association. League Alumni Association. community and have a greater, more Committee members serve as the inclusive engagement strategy, The Serving as Chairman is Doug Belcher primary liaison between the Alumni Babe Ruth League Alumni of Arcadia, CA; as Vice Chairman is Association and Babe Ruth League, Association has established several Evelyn Skiendziel of Clifton, NJ; Inc. committees. assisted by members Rayla Allison of Bloomington, MN; Owen Kaufman Members include the eight Babe Ruth Capital Building Campaign of Moundridge, KS; and John League Regional Commissioners. Committee Armentrout of Henrico, VA. The main goal of this committee is to Pacific Southwest Regional help the Alumni Association raise Fund Raising Committee Commissioner Leonard Hammer $100,000 over the next two years to This committee is responsible for all serves as Chairman; and New help finance a new Headquarters fundraising efforts on the part of the England Regional Commissioner Building. Alumni Association. Norm Messier serves as Vice Chairman. The other members Serving as Chairman is George Lally Mark Watkins of Evansville, IN include Ray Lotierzo (Middle of Norwood, MA; Bill Pullan from serves as Chairman; assisted by Vice Atlantic); Mark Watkins (Ohio Bethel, CT serves as Vice Chairman; Chairman Kirk Bouchie of Vincennes, Valley); Henry Sermons (Southeast); assisted by members Mike Janicki of IN; and members Steve Hupka of Tim Kuntz (Midwest Plains); Joe Raynham, MA and Joe Cormier of Nolensville, TN; and Owen Kaufman Featherston (Southwest); and Gord Erath, LA. of Moundridge, KS. Welbourne (Pacific Northwest). Public Relations and Steering Committee Communications Committee The Steering Committee operates as This committee is responsible for the the leadership body of the Babe Ruth overall promotion and branding of Did You Know... ...After joining the Red Sox in 2008, Dustin Pedroia was nicknamed the Energizer Bunny by a teammate. (There is very little that Pedroia can’t do on a baseball diamond. He is a Gold Glove-caliber fielder, a swift and opportunistic base runner, and a dangerous, attacking hitter.) ...Dustin Pedroia is one of only three players (the other two being Ryan Howard and Cal Ripken, Jr.) to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in successive seasons. ...Pedroia may be a small man but he has a big swing. Every time he comes to the plate, it’s a good bet someone will jokingly comment on his big swing (he takes a violent cut and steps in the bucket). Just don’t expect to get a laugh out of the opposing pitcher as Pedroia swings and misses less than almost any other player in baseball. ...Pedroia’s athletic talents were not limited to baseball. He was also a good quarterback during his high school days (Dustin is a current Major League player with the Boston Red Sox. He is a graduate of the Woodland, CA Babe Ruth League. ) VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 PAGE 4 We Need You To Boldly Move Forward Times are tough. It’s not easy to exist in a world plunged into a deep recession. One of the main purposes of the Babe Ruth League Alumni Association is to advance the general welfare of Babe Ruth League and to support the needs and programs available for the youth the organization serves. Because of the generosity and assistance from Alumni and friends of the program, Babe Ruth League prides itself on being able to boldly move forward to arm our participants with the tools and life lessons they need to achieve success because . You are always there when we need you. As we continue to face the challenge of the recession so we are able to keep making progress for our kids, the Alumni Association is asking you to help us make a difference. Cash and Gift Pledges to the Alumni Association are Two Ways to Make a Difference Today! CASH is often the most convenient form of giving. A gift of cash entitles a donor to the most generous federal income tax deduction available for charitable donations. The resulting reduction in income taxes lowers the net cost of the gift. All cash gifts are evidenced by a receipt from the Alumni Association to the donor.