FL Lake Erie Crushers

Belvedere to Hold Meet and Greet

Published on May 5, 2009 under Frontier League (FL)
Lake Erie Crushers News Release


Avon, OH - The Belvedere of Westlake will be hosting a Lake Erie Crushers event, open to the public, on May 12 at 6:30 p.m. General Manager Ryan Gates, RHP Josh Faiola, Lake Erie Crushers mascot Stomper and other Crushers players will be at The Belvedere of Westlake, an assisted living facility, for a meet and greet with residents and guests.

The Belvedere of Westlake will act as a host family for Faiola and his wife, Allison. Faiola was drafted in the 24th round by the Baltimore Orioles organization in 2006. He had a perfect season in the same year, posting a 2-0 record through 36 innings pitched, striking out 35 batters, while allowing only eight walks. Faiola graduated from Dartmouth College in 2006, ranked fourth all-time in wins (17), innings pitched (238 1/3) and fifth in strikeouts (188) and was named Dartmouth's pitcher of the year and MVP in 2006.

When first receiving word that he would be staying at an assisted living facility, Faiola was caught off guard because his situation is not a normal host family situation. However, his host family "mom", Cindy Griffiths-Novak, is the Owner/Administrator of The Belvedere so she and her husband Steve felt that staying in his own suite at The Belvedere would be the best situation.

"I read about the host family program in the newspaper and thought it would be mutually beneficial to our residents and the player to have him stay with us at The Belvedere," explains Griffiths-Novak. "When I pitched it to our residents, they voted overwhelmingly to give it a try."

"The place is gorgeous and the people are really, really nice," said Faiola. "Both the workers and the residents are really welcoming and are excited for baseball."

Faiola has his own suite in midst of the 33 suites located at The Belvedere. It includes a kitchenette, queen size bed, full bathroom and a washer and dryer. Living at The Belvedere also allows for him to have interaction with the residents living amongst him.

"They were nice enough to let me stay here at The Belvedere, so I am trying to meet as many of the residents as I can," said Faiola. "They are all really excited about the meet and greet here next week. When you walk into the front entrance, they have huge banners and it's all decorated in baseball, so they are ready."

At the meet and greet, GM Gates will present the Inside Pitch on the team and the new ballpark. He will give a 20-minute presentation about the team and the details of All Pro Freight Stadium.

For more information, please contact Erin Erdman at (440) 479-9928 or at eerdman@rae-man.net.

The Lake Erie Crushers are the newest expansion team in the Frontier League, an independent professional league with 12 teams throughout the Midwest. The team will open its Inaugural Season on June 2, 2009 at All Pro Freight Stadium, the new 5,000 capacity ballpark located at the intersection of I-90 and Route 611 in Avon. Season tickets and Mini-plans are on sale now! For more information on tickets, promotions and team news, visit the team website at www.LakeErieCrushers.com or call 440-934-3636.

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Frontier League Stories from May 5, 2009


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