2014 Baseball Hall of Fame Dinner
The La Salle Club Baseball Hall of Fame celebrated its 60th anniversary in grand style on February 15th to a sellout crowd of 325 baseball fans. Nine new members were welcomed into the Hall of Fame representing nine different area high schools: Rowland Office, McClatchy; Carl Boyer, Bishop Armstrong; Don Hammitt, El Camino; Mike Baldwin, Hiram Johnson; Oscar Broyer, Burbank; Curtis Brown, Grant; Larry Wolfe, Cordova; Scratch DeFazio, Sacramento; and Buck Martinez, Elk Grove.
This year’s event, moved up to its traditional “Hot Stove” February date, was chock-full of baseball royalty from Ronnie King to Matt Walbeck. It was particularly encouraging to see so many youngsters in attendance racing about with their autograph books.
In what has become a tradition, the National Anthem opened the evening, sung powerfully by Christian Brothers’ student Lauren Adams. Mike Baldwin, Curtis Brown, and Buck Martinez all played for a time with Canadian teams necessitating a spirited version of “O Canada” sung by former SCC second baseman Mark Wellendorf.
Before dinner, a full hour and a half was devoted to socializing, back slapping, and reminiscing. Attendees were treated to displays of baseball history from Sacramento Solons historian Alan O’Conner and bush league historian John Ward.
Traditionally, the La Salle Club Hall of Fame crowd can be impatient with long speeches, but this year the audience was well behaved and rewarded with some sincere, entertaining, and at times eloquent oratory.
Steve DeFazio’s tribute to his late father Scratch was the emotional highlight of the evening, while Buck Martinez through a series of stories spanned the history of baseball from Joe Jackson to Derek Jeter. To see excerpts from Buck's speech click here
With so many qualified and eligible candidates on the prospects list, the La Salle Club Baseball Hall of Fame will continue to be Sacramento’s biggest night for baseball for many years to come.
Here is a link to KCRA-TV reporter Mike Luery’s account of the evening: Baseball Between Us.
To view the 2014 Program, please click below:
This year’s event, moved up to its traditional “Hot Stove” February date, was chock-full of baseball royalty from Ronnie King to Matt Walbeck. It was particularly encouraging to see so many youngsters in attendance racing about with their autograph books.
In what has become a tradition, the National Anthem opened the evening, sung powerfully by Christian Brothers’ student Lauren Adams. Mike Baldwin, Curtis Brown, and Buck Martinez all played for a time with Canadian teams necessitating a spirited version of “O Canada” sung by former SCC second baseman Mark Wellendorf.
Before dinner, a full hour and a half was devoted to socializing, back slapping, and reminiscing. Attendees were treated to displays of baseball history from Sacramento Solons historian Alan O’Conner and bush league historian John Ward.
Traditionally, the La Salle Club Hall of Fame crowd can be impatient with long speeches, but this year the audience was well behaved and rewarded with some sincere, entertaining, and at times eloquent oratory.
Steve DeFazio’s tribute to his late father Scratch was the emotional highlight of the evening, while Buck Martinez through a series of stories spanned the history of baseball from Joe Jackson to Derek Jeter. To see excerpts from Buck's speech click here
With so many qualified and eligible candidates on the prospects list, the La Salle Club Baseball Hall of Fame will continue to be Sacramento’s biggest night for baseball for many years to come.
Here is a link to KCRA-TV reporter Mike Luery’s account of the evening: Baseball Between Us.
To view the 2014 Program, please click below:
| dinner_program_2014_final.pdf |
The 60th La Salle Club Baseball Hall of Fame Dinner
Our 60th Anniversary
Buddy Ryan
On February 15, 2014, Sacramento will celebrate its rich baseball past when The La Salle Club will host the 60th Anniversary Hall of Fame Dinner at Christian Brothers High School. As usual, friendships will be renewed, old stories retold, and a few statistics perhaps padded. The crowd will be a happy mix of young and old because baseball unites generations, and no event brings more local ball players together like the Hall of Fame Dinner.
Before the dinner came under the stewardship of the La Salle Club, brothers Joe and Jack O’Neil, two standout ball players of the 1920’s, initiated the idea of holding an annual baseball dinner. The original plan was to pay homage to the many successful “bush” teams that played in the Sacramento area, most notably the infamous Rooney and O’Neil Team that achieved legendary status in the 1920 and early 1930’s. The first gathering, held on April 2, 1938, in the Southside Clubhouse was such a tremendous success that plans were made immediately to find a bigger venue.
After the war, the dinner continued in various forms and sponsorships until it landed in the welcoming and spacious arms of the Christian Brothers High School Gymnasium. Previous dinners had raised money to fund a medical account for injured bush ball players, but with The La Salle Club now in charge of organizing the event, a decision was made to forward the proceeds to the athletic programs at Christian Brothers.
The first La Salle Club hosted dinner was held at the old Christian Brothers campus at 21st and Broadway on February 16, 1952, but it wasn’t till the following year that the dinner became a true Hall of Fame when John “Buddy” Ryan, former manager of the Sacramento Solons, was the sole inductee of the inaugural class.
With over 475 members, The La Salle Club Hall of Fame is a diverse body of former players, scouts, managers, coaches, umpires, and writers who have distinguished themselves on the ball fields of the greater Sacramento area.
This year's stellar class includes:
Don Hammitt pitched seven minor league seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1963-1969 as a starter and reliever. He compiled a 30-38 record and 3.75 ERA in 556 innings and reached Double-A. The right-hander was an All-City pitcher for El Camino High School in 1961.
Curtis Brown was an All-City outfielder for Grant High School in 1963 when he hit .363. He signed as a free agent with the New York Mets in 1965 and made his Major League Debut in 1973 with the Montreal Expos at the age of 27. He went 0-for-4. It was the only major league game he played in. Brown had a successful minor league career. In 17 seasons, including seven in the Mexican League, he hit .275 with 93 home runs and 470 RBIs.
Rowland Office made the All-City team in 1970 out of McClatchy High School, posting a 7-1 record on the mound and a .512 average at the plate. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Atlanta Braves as an outfielder and made his Major League Debut in 1972. Office established himself in the big leagues in 1974 and played with the Braves (1972, 74-79), Montreal Expos (1980-82) and New York Yankees (1983). He had a career batting average of .259.
Larry Wolfe signed with the Minnesota Twins after being drafted in the ninth round in 1973. He made his Major League Debut on September 17, 1977. In four seasons, he played all infield positions for the Twins in 1977-78 and the Boston Red Sox in 1979-80. On two different occasions, Wolfe hit two home runs in a game. After his M.L. career, he played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in Japan in 1982. The multi-talented Wolfe was an All-City selection in 1971 with a .435 batting average and 7-1 win-loss record for Cordova High School.
Mike Baldwin played in the minor systems of the Chicago White Sox, Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers from 1969-1975, including one year at Triple-A with the Sacramento Solons in 1975. The left-handed pitcher had a career minor league mark of 52-45 with a 3.66 ERA. He was drafted by the Brewers in the 12th round in 1968, but chose not to sign and attend Sacramento City College instead. He signed in the 1969 after being selected by the Chicago White Sox in the first round of the June secondary phase of the draft. Baldwin threw a no-hitter in the Class-A Carolina League on August 28, 1969 for Lynchburg against Red Springs.
Oscar Broyer was an outfielder out of Burbank High School in 1967 and Cosumnes River College and was acknowledged as one of the best left-handed hitters from Sacramento to never play pro ball. He was a veteran of the Night League, Mexican American League and Winter League.
Buck Martinez was a catcher for 17 seasons in the major leagues from 1969-1986. The Elk Grove High School and Sacramento City College 2001 Hall of Inductee played in 1,049 games and hit .225 with 58 home runs and 321 RBIs with the Kansas City Royals (1969-71, 1973-77), Milwaukee Brewers (1978-80) and Toronto Blue Jays (1981-86). He managed the Blue Jays in 1981 and 1982 and the U.S. Team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006. Martinez is currently a baseball analyst for TBS in the postseason and radio broadcaster for the Blue Jays during the regular season.
Richard “Scratch” DeFazio was an All-City infielder for Sacramento High School in 1947. After a stint in the navy, he played on the Sacramento City College State Championship team of 1951.
He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1952 as a second baseman. He played three minor league seasons (1952-53, 1955) in the California League and hit .242 in 83 games.
Carl Boyer was a star hurler at Bishop Armstrong High School graduating in 1963. After four successful years at the University of San Francisco and Sacramento State University, Carl was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1967. The right-handed pitcher played four minor league seasons from (1967-69, 1971) and posted 8-17 record and a 4.32 ERA with stops in Greenville, Waterloo, Winter Haven, and Pawtucket.
To down load a flyer for the event, please click below:
Before the dinner came under the stewardship of the La Salle Club, brothers Joe and Jack O’Neil, two standout ball players of the 1920’s, initiated the idea of holding an annual baseball dinner. The original plan was to pay homage to the many successful “bush” teams that played in the Sacramento area, most notably the infamous Rooney and O’Neil Team that achieved legendary status in the 1920 and early 1930’s. The first gathering, held on April 2, 1938, in the Southside Clubhouse was such a tremendous success that plans were made immediately to find a bigger venue.
After the war, the dinner continued in various forms and sponsorships until it landed in the welcoming and spacious arms of the Christian Brothers High School Gymnasium. Previous dinners had raised money to fund a medical account for injured bush ball players, but with The La Salle Club now in charge of organizing the event, a decision was made to forward the proceeds to the athletic programs at Christian Brothers.
The first La Salle Club hosted dinner was held at the old Christian Brothers campus at 21st and Broadway on February 16, 1952, but it wasn’t till the following year that the dinner became a true Hall of Fame when John “Buddy” Ryan, former manager of the Sacramento Solons, was the sole inductee of the inaugural class.
With over 475 members, The La Salle Club Hall of Fame is a diverse body of former players, scouts, managers, coaches, umpires, and writers who have distinguished themselves on the ball fields of the greater Sacramento area.
This year's stellar class includes:
Don Hammitt pitched seven minor league seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1963-1969 as a starter and reliever. He compiled a 30-38 record and 3.75 ERA in 556 innings and reached Double-A. The right-hander was an All-City pitcher for El Camino High School in 1961.
Curtis Brown was an All-City outfielder for Grant High School in 1963 when he hit .363. He signed as a free agent with the New York Mets in 1965 and made his Major League Debut in 1973 with the Montreal Expos at the age of 27. He went 0-for-4. It was the only major league game he played in. Brown had a successful minor league career. In 17 seasons, including seven in the Mexican League, he hit .275 with 93 home runs and 470 RBIs.
Rowland Office made the All-City team in 1970 out of McClatchy High School, posting a 7-1 record on the mound and a .512 average at the plate. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Atlanta Braves as an outfielder and made his Major League Debut in 1972. Office established himself in the big leagues in 1974 and played with the Braves (1972, 74-79), Montreal Expos (1980-82) and New York Yankees (1983). He had a career batting average of .259.
Larry Wolfe signed with the Minnesota Twins after being drafted in the ninth round in 1973. He made his Major League Debut on September 17, 1977. In four seasons, he played all infield positions for the Twins in 1977-78 and the Boston Red Sox in 1979-80. On two different occasions, Wolfe hit two home runs in a game. After his M.L. career, he played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in Japan in 1982. The multi-talented Wolfe was an All-City selection in 1971 with a .435 batting average and 7-1 win-loss record for Cordova High School.
Mike Baldwin played in the minor systems of the Chicago White Sox, Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers from 1969-1975, including one year at Triple-A with the Sacramento Solons in 1975. The left-handed pitcher had a career minor league mark of 52-45 with a 3.66 ERA. He was drafted by the Brewers in the 12th round in 1968, but chose not to sign and attend Sacramento City College instead. He signed in the 1969 after being selected by the Chicago White Sox in the first round of the June secondary phase of the draft. Baldwin threw a no-hitter in the Class-A Carolina League on August 28, 1969 for Lynchburg against Red Springs.
Oscar Broyer was an outfielder out of Burbank High School in 1967 and Cosumnes River College and was acknowledged as one of the best left-handed hitters from Sacramento to never play pro ball. He was a veteran of the Night League, Mexican American League and Winter League.
Buck Martinez was a catcher for 17 seasons in the major leagues from 1969-1986. The Elk Grove High School and Sacramento City College 2001 Hall of Inductee played in 1,049 games and hit .225 with 58 home runs and 321 RBIs with the Kansas City Royals (1969-71, 1973-77), Milwaukee Brewers (1978-80) and Toronto Blue Jays (1981-86). He managed the Blue Jays in 1981 and 1982 and the U.S. Team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006. Martinez is currently a baseball analyst for TBS in the postseason and radio broadcaster for the Blue Jays during the regular season.
Richard “Scratch” DeFazio was an All-City infielder for Sacramento High School in 1947. After a stint in the navy, he played on the Sacramento City College State Championship team of 1951.
He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1952 as a second baseman. He played three minor league seasons (1952-53, 1955) in the California League and hit .242 in 83 games.
Carl Boyer was a star hurler at Bishop Armstrong High School graduating in 1963. After four successful years at the University of San Francisco and Sacramento State University, Carl was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1967. The right-handed pitcher played four minor league seasons from (1967-69, 1971) and posted 8-17 record and a 4.32 ERA with stops in Greenville, Waterloo, Winter Haven, and Pawtucket.
To down load a flyer for the event, please click below:
| flyer_and_bio_final.pdf |
