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Date: 1/15/2016
SPRINGFIELD – The Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame will honor a diverse class of outstanding individuals, as well as an all-time great team, in its class of 2016.
The inductees will be honored during the hall’s third annual banquet on Jan. 28 at La Quinta on Congress Street. The keynote speaker is former Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill “The Spaceman” Lee.
The inductees, in alphabetical order, are:
Carl Beane: Beane served as Boston Red Sox public address announcer from 2003 until his tragic death from a heart attack in 2012. He opened every game with his trademark phrase, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Welcome to Fenway Park." An Agawam native, Beane was active in broadcasting for 40 years. He was a well-known broadcaster at WARE radio in Ware before his Sox gig. Widely considered the most recognizable and popular Red Sox PA man since the legendary Sherm Feller, who did the job from 1967 to 1994. Red Sox owners cited not just Beane's voice, but his knowledge of baseball, in selecting him.
Howie Burns: The onetime Greenfield High School catcher became a longtime coach of more than 40 years. He won state titles at Springfield Tech (including a record 44 straight games), and American Legion state and regional crowns for East Springfield Post 420. He also coached at Central at what was then known as Westfield State College and in the Tri-County League.
Chicopee High School (won three straight titles, 1961-63): The 1962 team perhaps topped them all with a 21-0 record that was capped by 7-3 victory over Somerville in the state final. Pitcher Al Stanek was 11-0 for a staff that allowed just 20 runs all season. Stanek's efforts included a 21-strikeout game in the Western Massachusetts final, 17-and 16-strikeout games, a no-hitter and two one-hitters. On offense, outfielder Alex Vyce led all hitters with a .387 average.
Leo Durocher: The West Springfield native was a major league infielder for 15 years, but made his mark on the sport as a manager with 2,008 victories, which still ranks as 10th all-time. No stranger to controversy, “Leo the Lip” had run-ins with authority both on and off the field. He was ejected from 95 games by umpires (fourth all-time) and was suspended for the 1947 season for his “association with known gamblers.” He died in 1991 and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.
Ray Fagnant: The Chicopee native played at Holyoke Catholic, Assumption College, and as a minor-league catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Red Sox. He became a Red Sox scout when his playing days were over and has been in charge of the Northeast territory (New England, New York, New Jersey and eastern Canada) since 1994. He was a catcher for the All-Star Game Home Run competition in 1999 at Fenway Park, and is a member of the Holyoke Catholic Hall of Fame. He has three World Series rings from years with the Red Sox.
Wayne Granger: As a Huntington High School junior, he once struck out 30 in a single game in 1961. That's right – 30. It was over 14 innings, yet that's still an incredible feat. He went 10-1 as a senior and led Western Massachusetts with a .512 batting average. The right-hander spent nine years in the major leagues, earning Fireman of the Year honors in 1970 with 35 saves for the pennant-winning Cincinnati Reds. He currently resides in Winter Springs, FL.
Dave Grills: Grills has coached in seven different decades. He is best remembered as longtime coach at Hampshire Regional High School and its predecessor, Williamsburg High, where he won more than 300 junior varsity and varsity games. He is a member of the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. He won the Western Massachusetts championship in 1986 and currently serves as assistant coach to Mark Baldwin at Northampton High School.
Fran Healy: The Holyoke native was a catcher with for nine major league seasons with the Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees. He won a World Series with the Yankees in 1977 as the backup to Thurman Munson. He moved directly from the playing field to the broadcast booth, first with the Yankees and then with the Mets, until 2005. He won four Emmy Awards for his work with the MSG cable sports channel. He still resides in Holyoke and serves as host for “The Game 365” on MSG Network, in New York.
The master of ceremonies will be local media celebrity Scott Coen.
Tickets for the banquet are on sale through the Valley Blue Sox website, www.valleybluesox.com. Tickets are $45 with tables of eight available for $320. The banquet begins with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m.