MWL1 Peoria Chiefs

Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith to Appear at O'Brien Field April 15

Published on April 6, 2007 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release


PEORIA, IL- The Peoria Chiefs in conjunction with the Baseball Hall of Fame and the American Library Association (ALA) have announced that Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith and Chiefs Manager Ryne Sandberg will team up at O'Brien Field Sunday April 15th for the kick off event for the Step Up to the Plate @ your library program.

Step Up to the Plate encourages children and young adults to visit their school or public library, check out a baseball book and describe how their favorite character inspired them.

Smith will throw out a first pitch before the 2:00 PM game on April 15th with Sandberg catching. The two will also be introduced as part of the pregame ceremony to introduce the program. Representatives from the Baseball Hall of Fame, ALA and Morton School District will also be on hand. All individuals involved will be available to media at a 1:00 PM Press Conference at O'Brien Field prior to the game.

Smith spent the majority of his 19 year Hall of Fame career with the St. Louis Cardinals after first reaching the Major Leagues with the San Diego Padres. Nicknamed "The Wizard," he is widely considered to be the best defensive shortstop to ever play the game. In 2,573 games, Smith batted .262 with 1257 runs scored, 402 doubles, 69 triples and 580 stolen bases. He made the NL All-Star team every season from 1981-1996 and won the NL Gold Glove 13 consecutive times from 1980-1992. He helped the Cardinals to the 1982 World Series Championship and was named 1985 NLCS MVP after his walk-off Game 5 HR beat Los Angeles and put the Cardinals in position to win the Pennant. The home run was the only one he ever hit as a left-handed batter and was immortalized by Hall of Famer Jack Buck's "Go Crazy Folks, Go Crazy" radio call. Smith retired after the 1996 season and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2002. Smith and Sandberg were NL All-Star teammates each season from 1984-1993.

On Monday April 16th, Sandberg will join representatives from the ALA, HOF and Peoria Chiefs at Morton Junior High School to talk with students about the importance of reading and the role of libraries in their young lives. This event is also open to the media and it will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. in the school library. Sandberg will talk with students, ask baseball related trivia questions and take questions from the students during the event.

Children and young adults between 9 and 18 years of age are eligible to enter the Step Up to the Plate @ your library® program. They characters they write about can be either real or fictional. Participants can submit entries online through the program Web site at www.ala.org/baseball or by mail through September 1, 2007.

One grand-prize winner in the national program will receive a trip for two in October to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., including a behind-the-scenes tour. Twenty first-place prize packages will be awarded as well, including a commemorative hardbound copy of the Hall of Fame Yearbook, a Hall of Fame T-shirt, a commemorative set of 20 Hall of Fame baseball cards and more.

"To be a part of the Step Up to the Plate @ your library® initiative is a wonderful extension of our education mission," adds Dale Petroskey, president, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. "The collaboration of such an historic museum with an organization of the ALA's distinction will encourage a love of libraries and baseball as two of our greatest national pastimes, and we are pleased to have two of baseball's greatest ambassadors - Ozzie Smith and Ryne Sandberg - representing this year's program."

The American Library Association, the "voice of America's libraries," is the largest library association in the world. The ALA has 66,000 members who are primarily librarians, but also trustees, publishers and others who support the work of the association. The mission of the ALA is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a not-for-profit educational institution dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of the game and its impact on our culture by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a global audience, as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime.

Step Up to the Plate @ your library® is part of The Campaign for America's Libraries, ALA's national, multi-year public awareness and advocacy campaign about the value of libraries and librarians in the 21st century.

The program is supported by the American Association of School Librarians, Association for Library Service to Children and Public Library Association, divisions of the ALA, and the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.

The Chiefs regular season home opener is scheduled for Friday April 13th at 6:30 pm against the Burlington Bees. For more information about the Peoria Chiefs or O'Brien Field or to see the complete 2007 schedule, visit the team website at www.peoriachiefs.com.

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