Jeter, Martinez, Lasorda and Malone Coming To Louisville
February 13, 2001 | Baseball
Feb. 13, 2001
Derek Jeter and Tino Martinez of the World Champion New York Yankees, former Los Angeles Dodger and U.S. Olympic manager Tommy Lasorda and current Dodger General Manager Kevin Malone are all scheduled to appear at the Parkway Field Renovation Project Reception Saturday February 17 at 6:00p.m. at the Louisville Slugger Museum.
University of Louisville baseball will welcome guests to the Slugger Museum on Saturday, February 17th from 6:00 to 8:00p.m. for snacks and appetizers.
"We decided to give our fans the opportunity to interact directly with these stars of the game on a smaller scale and in a more informal setting," said Cardinal Head Coach Lelo Prado.
The reception will work in place of the traditional leadoff banquet, and will act as a fund-raiser for the baseball program.
Jeter has won four World Series titles in his five years in pinstripes and is a career .322 hitter. He became the first player in Major League Baseball history to be named All-Star Game and World Series most valuable player in the same season and will turn just 27 in June.
Martinez, an annual guest at the leadoff banquet, has also won four rings with the Yankees and has all or part of 11 years in the major leagues. He won a gold medal as a member of the 1988 USA Olympic team in Seoul.
Lasorda, who was featured at the 1997 banquet, returns with a gold medal as manager of the 2000 Olympic team in Sydney. Lasorda led his Dodger teams to two World Championships, four National League pennants and seven Western Division titles, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Malone lived in Louisville, attended Bishop David High School and played baseball at U of L from '77-80 and still holds the single season record for walks(69 in 1980). He has been in baseball since he was drafted by Cleveland in 1980. He has been a player, scout, coach and administrator. In 1995, he was named MLB General Manager of the Year.
"There is a great deal of baseball history here in the city of Louisville and at U of L, and it all begins with Parkway Field," continued Prado. "We hope to preserve that history when we build a new ballpark for Cardinal Baseball in the future."
Parkway Field is located just off of Eastern Parkway and Floyd St. It was originally built in May of 1923 and was home to the AAA Louisville Colonels. The U of L baseball team played its first game at Parkway in 1924. Johnny Unitas and the football Cards competed there during the 50's. It was dubbed by many as the finest minor league ballpark in the nation. The permanent seats were torn down in 1961, and the Cardinals continued to use it as a home ballpark up until 1999.
On March 24, 1976, All-American Jim LaFountain went 4-for-4 with 14 RBI and four home runs. Three were grand slams, and two of those were in the same inning at Parkway, all were NCAA records, two of which still stand. The 1991 and 1992 Louisville teams took advantage of the towering green wall in left field and "friendly" confines of Parkway to lead Division I in home runs.
The field has been host to the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Honus Wagner, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese.
No memorabilia will be signed at the reception and no refunds will be given based on guests' attendance. Tickets are $100 per person. For ticket information, contact Brooke Bell at 852-0721.
