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Williamsport Crosscutters

Author of "Great Potato Caper" Going in Bowman Field Hall of Fame

January 5, 2012 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Williamsport Crosscutters News Release


The Williamsport Crosscutters have announced that Dave Bresnahan has been chosen as the latest inductee into the Bowman Field Hall of Fame.

The induction will take place as part of the Crosscutters 6th Annual Hot Stove Dinner & Auction with the Phillies on Monday, January 23 at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport. Other special guests at the event include; Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., 2012 Cutters manager Andy Tracy and the Phillie Phanatic with more guests to be announced soon.

Bresnahan played for the Double-A Williamsport Bills in 1987 and gained national and worldwide notoriety for his trick play that involved using a potato instead of a baseball in a game that season against the Reading Phillies.

The play was ruled illegal; Bresnahan was thrown out of the game and released by the parent Cleveland Indians the next day. He made numerous TV and radio appearances across the nation in the days, weeks and years following the stunt which has been dubbed "The Great Potato Caper".

"This is an honor that is long overdue," said Gabe Sinicropi, the Cutters Vice-President of Marketing and Public Relations. "In his own off-beat way, Dave is one of the guys that put "Historic" in Historic Bowman Field. We are excited that he will be with us in person on January 23rd for his induction."

Bresnahan returned to Williamsport in 1988 when the Bills held a night in his honor and retired his uniform number. The number (59) remains retired in Williamsport professional baseball to this day and hangs on the outfield wall of Historic Bowman Field.

He also appeared at the ballpark in 1997 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the event and again in 2007 when a commemorative bobblehead of Bresnahan was given to Cutters fans on the 20th anniversary of the stunt.

The Bowman Field Hall of Fame was started in 1989 by the Bowman Field Commission and the Williamsport Bills as a way to honor those who were influential and important to the history of Bowman Field and professional baseball in Williamsport. The Hall of Fame, dormant since 1991, was revived by the Crosscutters at the 2009 Hot Stove Banquet.

A portion of the proceeds from the Hot Stove event will benefit Andrew's Special Kids Foundation. Established in 2006 by Dean and Amy Kriebel, the foundation's mission is to "Provide special needs children with every opportunity in life which will enable them to reach their full potential by providing them with adaptive equipment, special education opportunities, safety equipment, therapies and financial assistance for out of state travel."

The evening will consist of dinner, an entertainment portion, featuring interviews and question and answer segments with many of the special guests, plus Chinese and live auctions of Phillies & other sports memorabilia by T&S Auction Company.

The dinner and entertainment portion of the event will begin promptly at 6:30 PM, preceded by an hour of mingling, fun and games with Boomer and the Phillie Phanatic, plus the start of the Chinese auction. Free autographs will be available for attendees at the close of event.

Tickets are $49 for adults and $39 for children age 12 and under. The event has sold out every year and fans are encouraged to get their tickets now by calling the Cutters offices at (570) 326-3389 or ordering online at www.crosscutters.com. Business sponsorships are also available for the event.

More information about Andrew's Special Kids Foundation can be found at www.askandrew.org.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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