Chatham, MA - Eight former standout players, including a World Series MVP for the Boston Red Sox and a current major league manager, will comprise the 12th Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame class, scheduled for induction on Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Chatham Bars Inn here.
The 2011 class of inductees include two Chatham A's:
Mike Lowell (pictured with former Chatham Athletic Association president Peter Troy) and
David Bush.
The Cape Leagues Hall of Fame Weekend activities will get under way Friday, Nov. 18, when the inductees, their families, presenters and Cape League officials attend a private reception in Hyannis which will include a group visit to the Hall of Fame & Museum. They will tour the facility which occupies the lower level of the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum on Main Street and see their permanent plaques unveiled.
The annual Hall of Fame brunch begins the following day at 10 a.m. in the main dining room of the Chatham Bars Inn, followed by the induction festivities starting at noon in the nearby Monomoy Theater.
Boston media personality and Cape League broadcaster Scott Wahle returns as master of ceremonies and longtime Cape League executive Dick Sullivan will lead the procession of inductees into the hall.
A limited number of
tickets remain, priced at $85 each. They may be ordered by sending a check to CCBL Hall of Fame Tickets, P.O. Box 266, Harwich Port, MA 02646.
This years class of eight brings total membership in the Cape League Hall of Fame to 116 and five of them used their time in the Cape League as a springboard to the major leagues.
Inductees include former Boston Red Sox third baseman and 2007 World Series MVP
Mike Lowell (Chatham, 1994), former Red Sox catcher and current Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge (Yarmouth-Dennis, 1988), former major league hurler Scott Kamieniecki (Harwich, 1984), former MLB outfielder Mark Smith (Wareham, 1990) and pitcher
David Bush (Chatham, 2000-01), now under contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Also slated for induction are league batting champion Paul ONeill (Cotuit, 1974-75), power-hitting first baseman Doug Fisher (Falmouth, 1984-85) and two-time outstanding pitcher Bill Wissler (Bourne, 1990-91).
Chatham Inductees
David Bush David Bush (Chatham, 2000 & 2001)
The hard-throwing Wake Forest right-hander posted impressive-back-to-back seasons in the As bullpen, posting a 0-1 record with a league-leading 11 saves and 0.84 ERA in 2000 and returning with a 1-1 mark, a microscopic 0.34 ERA and one save in 01. A native of Berwyn, Pa., Bush was drafted by Toronto in the second round in 2002 and played two seasons with the Blue Jays, compiling a 10-14 record with a 4.15 ERA, before being traded to Milwaukee, where he pitched from 2006-2010. He joined the Texas Rangers during the offseason, moved from Texas to the Chicago Cubs organization and finally joined the Phillies. Bushs former Chatham As catcher, John Schenider will be his presenter.
Mike Lowell (Chatham, 1994)
A .307 hitter with a fifth-in-the-league total of 51 hits, this Florida International product was a standout performer in 1994 on an also-ran Chatham team that finished nine games under .500 and 10-1/2 games out of first place. A fine defensive second baseman, Mike was chosen for the CCBL All-Star Team, showing the potential that prompted the Yankees to make him their 20th-round draft choice the following spring. After three impressive minor league seasons, Mike was called up by New York in September 1998, launching a 13-year MLB career, the last five as the Red Soxs regular third baseman. Mike made four All-Star teams and was the 2007 World Series MVP for Boston. He also was the Soxs MVP and Good Guy Award winner that year. Mike is a native of San Juan, PR. Veteran Chatham field manager John Schiffner will present Lowell into the Hall of Fame.
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CCBL PR: Cape League Hall of Fame to Add Eight Members in Ceremony Saturday, Nov. 19, at Chatham Bars Inn