OTTAWA-Baseball Canada will host some of its most distinguished alumni, corporate partners and friends at the Northern Lights Ballroom of the Renaissance Toronto Downtown this Saturday, January 10th.
The National Teams Awards Banquet and Fundraiser will honour the accomplishments of alumni throughout the evening including Russell Martin who will become the seventh inductee onto Baseball Canada's Wall of Excellence, presented by RBC Wealth Management.
Receiving a Special Recognition Award for his efforts in assisting with Baseball Canada’s National Teams program will be Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time World Series champion Roberto Alomar, while longtime National Team veteran Jamie Romak who made his major league debut in 2014 will be given a Special Achievement Award, presented by the Major League Baseball Players Association.
The Stubby Clapp Award, presented by Mizuno Canada, will be given to 2014 National League batting champion Justin Morneau, while fellow British Columbia native Jeff Francis will receive the Baseball Canada Alumni Award, presented by the LJ Pearson Foundation.
The Junior National Team MVP, presented by ESPN Wide World of Sports will be given to Seattle Mariners prospect Gareth Morgan after his dominant performance at the COPABE 18U Pan Am Championships. Morgan’s Junior National Team teammate, Josh Naylor will be presented with the second annual Canadian Futures Award by the Toronto Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
A host of current and former Canadian MLB players will be on-hand for the event including Canadian baseball legend Larry Walker, 2010 National League MVP Joey Votto along with Paul Quantrill, Stubby Clapp, John Axford, Michael Saunders, Jim Henderson, Pete Orr, Phillippe Aumont, Denis Boucher, Andrew Albers, Adam Stern and Chris Robinson.
The evening, that serves as a very important fundraising source for Baseball Canada's Junior (18U) and Senior National Teams, will be emceed by Mike Wilner, Blue Jays radio voice and host of The Blue Jays Talk on Sportsnet 590 THE FAN.
Other special guests include Toronto Blue Jays President Paul Beeston, Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos, Baseball Hall of Fame Executive Pat Gillick, former MLB Executive Jim Fanning along with Blue Jays alums Homer Bush, Lloyd Moseby, Brian McRae, Pat Tabler, Duane Ward and Devon White as well as former MLB player and coach Sandy Alomar Sr.
National Team Field Manager and former Blue Jay Ernie Whitt will also be in attendance along with longtime National Team Coach and current Blue Jays First Base Coach Tim Leiper.
In addition to the awards presentation, cocktail hour and formal dinner, the evening will feature many interactive opportunities with the stars and an extensive auction of sports memorabilia and sport event packages.
There will be a pre-banquet press conference covered by Sportsnet and TSN beginning at 3:30pm ET, Saturday, January 10th, in the Aurora Room of the Renaissance Toronto Hotel at Rogers Centre (Aurora Room is adjacent to the Northern Lights Ballroom).
The press conference will begin with opening statements from Baseball Canada President Ray Carter and Director of National Teams Greg Hamilton. This will be followed by a scrum style question and answer period with those in attendance.
Players and personnel attending the Press Conference:
-Roberto Alomar
-Andrew Albers
-Phillippe Aumont
-John Axford
-Jeff Francis
-Jim Henderson
-Russell Martin
-Dustin Molleken
-Gareth Morgan
-Justin Morneau
-Josh Naylor
-Pete Orr
-Jamie Romak
-Michael Saunders
-Larry Walker
-Ernie Whitt
-Joey Votto
For media interested in covering the press conference, please contact Adam Morissette, Coordinator of Media & Public Relations, via e-mail at media@baseball.ca
For more information concerning the gala, please contact Greg Hamilton, Coach and Director of National Teams, via e-mail at ghamilton@baseball.ca
*Please note, if you have purchased a seat and are attending the banquet, there is no ticket required. Please visit the registration table upon arrival at the Northern Lights Ballroom prior to the Cocktail hour to check-in.
2015 Baseball Canada National Teams Awards Banquet and Fundraiser Program
