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Nominations open for 2019 Sask. Baseball Hall of Fame inductees

Jan 23, 2019 | 5:00 PM

While the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame’s first purpose is to collect and display the artifacts of the game’s legacy in the province, it also works to honour those who contributed to the sport through inductions.

Nominations for the prestigious honour are open until March 15, with the committee set to gather in mid-April to scrutinize the submissions and announce up to 12 individuals, families or teams who will be recognized.

To be eligible for nomination, President and CEO Jane Shury said the individual or group must have contributed in a bountiful way to baseball, be it as a player or builder.

The list of past inductees includes a laundry list of professionals — including seven of nine Saskatchewan born players and one umpire who have made the majors. Other well-known names among the ranks are Dave Pagan, who went from a small farming community in northeast Saskatchewan to Yankee Stadium, Terry Puhl, female ball player Terry Donahue, Father Athol Murray, the Lampitt family and Emile ‘The Cat’ Francis.

“We have quite a collection of great individuals,” Shury said. “And many people from around here and all over the province.”

The entire process to find and vet nominations, she said, involves a rigorous amount of communication with baseball minded people across the province. 

“It is a long procedure but it is one that has flourished over the 35 years,” she said.

This will be the 35th year for inductees into the Hall of Fame, and Shury said the organization is working to put on a very special ceremony this August.

 

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr