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CCBL Hall of Fame Welcomes Two A's
Former Chatham teammates Tom Grieve and Tom Weir were recently inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame Class of 2010. They played for the 1966 A's team under CCBL Hall of Fame Manager, Joe " Skip" Lewis.
At the sold out Chatham Bars Inn, noted baseball writer and announcer Peter Gammons introduced former Chatham outfielder Tom Grieve to the crowd. Grieve played for the 1966 Chatham Town Team fresh off his graduation from Pittsfield (MA) High School. He was a first round selection of the old Washington Senators and had a full scholarship awaiting him at the University of Michigan. Prior to the end of the summer season, Grieve opted to sign with the Senators and went on to a long and prestigious career in professional baseball with the Senators. He also followed the team to Texas as they became known as the Texas Rangers. Grieve's numbers for Chatham included a .416 batting average in 89 at-bats and 37 hits, 12 of which were extra base hits marked by five triples.
Grieve has done it all in his 45 year professional baseball career. He was called up to the Senators in 1970 where he played for Ted Williams and completed his nine year playing career in 1979. Grieve then moved into the front office shortly after completing his playing career with the Rangers. His front office experiences culminated with a ten year career as the Rangers' General Manager (1985-1995). His tenure included being the Rangers GM under former President George Bush, then owner of the Rangers. In a letter from President Bush, Grieve was characterized as a man of intelligence, character, and integrity. Grieve moved into the announcer's booth in 1996 where he remains to this day.
Grieve is the father of former major league players Ben and Tim Grieve. In fact, Tom and Ben were the first father-son first round draft choices who made it to the majors. Ben Grieve was the American League Rookie of the Year with the Oakland A's in 1998.
Grieve was accompanied by his wife Kathy and noted that his summer in Chatham was the best he ever had. I loved everything about it," he said. "even my job (painting houses).
Fellow Chatham teammates and Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Famers, George Greer, Ed Baird, and Joe Jabar were on hand to welcome Tom into the Hall of Fame. Tom is no stranger to this type of honor, having been inducted to the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2010.
Grieve's 1966 teammate, Tom Weir was inducted into the Hall posthumously. Weir was a catcher out of Brigham Young University who led the CCBL in hitting with a .420 batting average and 35 RBIs. Weir was introduced by his younger brother Christopher and his wife Lori accepted the award on behalf of her late husband. Mrs. Weir noted that baseball was her husband's life and their family was deeply honored. Weir spent two years in the minors signing with the Red Sox before switching careers by entering the Air Force. Tom Weir settled in Arizona, where he went on to a long career as a dentist. He passed away in 2007 at the age of 61. As Tom Grieve noted in his acceptance speech, his only regret of the day was not having his former teammate with him.
The total of former Chatham players, managers and administrators in the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame now stands at 17. The Chatham Athletic Association and Chatham Anglers are deeply proud of their alumni and larger family.
At the sold out Chatham Bars Inn, noted baseball writer and announcer Peter Gammons introduced former Chatham outfielder Tom Grieve to the crowd. Grieve played for the 1966 Chatham Town Team fresh off his graduation from Pittsfield (MA) High School. He was a first round selection of the old Washington Senators and had a full scholarship awaiting him at the University of Michigan. Prior to the end of the summer season, Grieve opted to sign with the Senators and went on to a long and prestigious career in professional baseball with the Senators. He also followed the team to Texas as they became known as the Texas Rangers. Grieve's numbers for Chatham included a .416 batting average in 89 at-bats and 37 hits, 12 of which were extra base hits marked by five triples.
Grieve has done it all in his 45 year professional baseball career. He was called up to the Senators in 1970 where he played for Ted Williams and completed his nine year playing career in 1979. Grieve then moved into the front office shortly after completing his playing career with the Rangers. His front office experiences culminated with a ten year career as the Rangers' General Manager (1985-1995). His tenure included being the Rangers GM under former President George Bush, then owner of the Rangers. In a letter from President Bush, Grieve was characterized as a man of intelligence, character, and integrity. Grieve moved into the announcer's booth in 1996 where he remains to this day.
Grieve is the father of former major league players Ben and Tim Grieve. In fact, Tom and Ben were the first father-son first round draft choices who made it to the majors. Ben Grieve was the American League Rookie of the Year with the Oakland A's in 1998.
Grieve was accompanied by his wife Kathy and noted that his summer in Chatham was the best he ever had. I loved everything about it," he said. "even my job (painting houses).
Fellow Chatham teammates and Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Famers, George Greer, Ed Baird, and Joe Jabar were on hand to welcome Tom into the Hall of Fame. Tom is no stranger to this type of honor, having been inducted to the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2010.
Grieve's 1966 teammate, Tom Weir was inducted into the Hall posthumously. Weir was a catcher out of Brigham Young University who led the CCBL in hitting with a .420 batting average and 35 RBIs. Weir was introduced by his younger brother Christopher and his wife Lori accepted the award on behalf of her late husband. Mrs. Weir noted that baseball was her husband's life and their family was deeply honored. Weir spent two years in the minors signing with the Red Sox before switching careers by entering the Air Force. Tom Weir settled in Arizona, where he went on to a long career as a dentist. He passed away in 2007 at the age of 61. As Tom Grieve noted in his acceptance speech, his only regret of the day was not having his former teammate with him.
The total of former Chatham players, managers and administrators in the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame now stands at 17. The Chatham Athletic Association and Chatham Anglers are deeply proud of their alumni and larger family.
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