Showing posts with label Hofstra University. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hofstra University. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Frank Howard emphatically endorses Gil Hodges Hall of Fame candidacy

While a statue of Frank Howard towers over spectators at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., the 6’7” slugger is also a well known figure in New York, where he was a coach for both the Yankees and Mets (serving as a manager for the latter in 1983). On Saturday, the 78-year-old Howard returned to New York as a guest at the JP Sports Long Island National Card Show at Hofstra University, signing autographs for a few hundred fans that waited patiently to greet one of the most feared power hitters in baseball history.




Thursday, July 26, 2012

Harrelson continues to nuture the Long Island Ducks at Hofstra seminar

Thursday morning, Bud Harrelson presided over the Hofstra University Club as part of the Operation Downtown Seminar entitled, The Birth of Long Island Ducks Baseball. The presentation, which was sponsored by the Scott Skodnek Business Development Center and Astoria Federal Savings, was attended by over 100 leaders in a variety of Long Island businesses.

Bud Harrelson / N. Diunte
Harrelson has been part of the ownership groups of the Long Island Ducks since their inception in 2000. Despite his two World Series rings with the New York Mets during his major league tenure (one as a player in 1969 and one as a coach in 1986), Harrelson cited this chapter of his baseball life as the most fulfilling.

“I’m often asked about my best accomplishment in baseball and I answer, ‘The Long Island Ducks.’ I say it is the best thing I’ve ever done because the fans know me, and I know them.”

Now that the Ducks are firmly entrenched in the community, fan support hasn’t wavered. “We have affordable family entertainment, less than the cost of a movie. We are approaching six million fans in career attendance, and stand in the upper ten percent in minor league attendance,” said Harrelson.

The Ducks are an independent team in the Atlantic League, which means that they aren’t tethered to any major league club. As they have grown, the Ducks have become a magnet for high caliber talent.

“We look at those players who are the non-roster invitees to spring training," he said. "Those are the guys we want. When we started, we really had to go after ex-major league players, now their agents are calling us.”

Despite a league maximum salary of $3,000 per month, former major leaguers are willing to play with the Ducks because of their reputation of getting players back into a major league organization.

“In the last ten years, we’ve had over 50 contracts purchased by MLB organizations. We are warehousing players, but every time one leaves, another one comes.”

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Gaylord Perry and George Foster give back at Long Island youth baseball clinic


Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry and former National League MVP George Foster led a group of retired Major League baseball players that delivered an enriching baseball clinic at Hofstra University on May 22nd, 2010.

Sponsored by the MLBPAA and the RPS Treiber Agency Group, over 200 children aged 6-16 attended the clinic. For many of the participants, they were able to have direct instruction from former Major League baseball players.

The baseball alumni sent a clear and consistent message: play hard, have fun, and take care of your education. Perry looked forward to bringing smiles to the faces of both the kids and their parents.

"I enjoying seeing the excitement in the kids and the parents," he said. "The parents saw us play in their day during our day, so they knew what we did, but the young kids are out here to have fun, play ball, and learn a few things. I want to give them confidence that they can do the job."

A return to New York brought back fond memories for Perry who played there with the Yankees towards the end of his career.

"I was fortunate enough to really get my start here in 1964 against the Mets," he said. "I pitched 10 innings in relief, winning in 23 innings. In 1980 I finished the season with the Yankees. They had a very good club, and in 1982 I won my 299th game in Yankee Stadium, so New York is very special to me."