If you are a baseball fan looking for something to do this weekend, look no further than La Crosse, Wisconsin. The La Crosse Loggers are hosting a Celebration of Baseball event on Saturday. If you are not familiar with the Loggers, they play in the Northwoods League, a college summer league based in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The event features presentations about La Crosse and Wisconsin baseball history, dinner, and a ticket to the Loggers' game on Saturday night.
Gregg Hoffmann, longtime journalist, author, and publisher of Midwest Diamond Report is the point man for the event. Here is the lineup as posted on his website:
The lineup is complete for the June 26 Celebration of Baseball event at Copeland Park.
Mendal Mearkle of the Halsey Chapter of SABR in the Twins Cities, will speak about John "Stuffy" McInnis, who had a lifetime batting average of over .300 in 19 seasons and led his teams to six World Series. Mearkle maintains McInnis deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Mearkle is one of several members of SABR (the Society of American Baseball Research), who will make presentations at the event, which starts at 1 p.m. at the Ashley Furniture Home stores "Living Room at the Lumber Yard" in right centerfield.
Dennis Pajot, author of the award-winning book, Rise of Milwaukee Baseball, will lead off the afternoon event at 1:30 p.m.
Rick Schabowski, president of the Milwaukee chapter of SABR, and author Bob Buege will make a presentation on the late Braves’ slugger Eddie Mathews.
Gregg Hoffmann, publisher of Midwest Diamond Report and a veteran journalist and author, will speak about former La Crosse great Ed Konetchy and other ballplayers who have been "Immortalized in Bronze" in the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame.
Dave Clements and Jim Geissner will speak about La Crosse players who have played pro baseball and the book they have developed on the topic. That book also will be available at La Crosse Day at Miller Park, two days before the Celebration event.
Tickets at $20 include the afternoon event, dinner and a ticket to the Loggers’ game [against the Wisconsin Woodchucks] that night. Some of the ticket price will be donated to the La Crosse Hot Stove League.
Unfortunately, I can't make it, but it sounds like a good time. For more information and to reserve tickets, contact the Loggers as soon as possible by email at info@lacrosseloggers.com or by calling 608-796-9553.