18th Annual Injured Workers Pharmacy Oldtime Baseball Game
Thursday, August 11, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Lou Merloni, who played nine seasons in the major leagues, including six seasons with his hometown Boston Red Sox, will come out of retirement to play in the 18th Annual Injured Workers Pharmacy Oldtime Baseball Game on Thursday, August 11, at 7 p.m. at St. Peter’s Field in North Cambridge.
This will be the fourth appearance in the game for Merloni, a Framingham native who now appears on Sportsradio 850 WEEI and Comcast SportsNet New England.
The Injured Workers Pharmacy Oldtime Baseball Game is a celebration of our national pastime, played each year at beautiful St. Peter’s Field on Sherman Street in North Cambridge. From its humble beginnings in 1994, the game has grown considerably over the years yet has remained loyal to its mission of offering a glimpse of what it was like in the old days, when hundreds of fans would turn out to root for their “town” team in various local semipro leagues.
What makes the Oldtime Baseball Game so special is its dazzling collection of flannel uniforms that represent virtually every era in baseball history. Used just once a year for the Oldtime Baseball Game, the uniforms represent such long-ago teams as the Boston Braves, St. Louis Browns, Homestead Grays and Kansas City Monarchs.
This year’s game is being played as a benefit for the C2 Mission, which was created to benefit children families affected by Cerebral Palsy and Cystic Fibrosis.
Although the Oldtime Baseball Game includes players from schools throughout the Boston area, more than 40 past participants have gone on to play professionally. Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Carlos Pena, who played in the 2008 World Series and the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was a participant in the Oldtime Baseball Game in 1996 and ’97.
Greg Montalbano Award
During pregame ceremonies, the second annual Greg Montalbano Award will be presented to former Boston College pitcher Steve Langone, who is now advance scouting coordinator for the Boston Red Sox.
The award is named in memory of Greg Montalbano, a former Red Sox minor-league pitcher who was only 31 when he died of cancer in 2009. A native of Westborough and later a standout at Northeastern University, Montalbano was a participant in the Oldtime Baseball Game in 1997 and ’98. Drafted by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 1999 amateur draft, Montalbano played six seasons of professional baseball before illness ended his career. In 2001, he was named Minor League Pitcher of the Year by the Red Sox.
The award, instituted last year, is presented to a former participant in the Oldtime Baseball Game who best exemplifies Greg’s spirit, competiveness and good nature.
Langone, a native of Reading, played in the Oldtime Baseball from 1995 to 1999. Following a stellar career at Boston College, Langone pitched for six seasons in the Dodgers, Red Sox and Phillies organizations before taking a job in baseball operations for the Red Sox.
As has become custom in the Oldtime Baseball Game, Langone plans to come out of retirement to play in this year’s game. The award’s inaugural recipient, former Northeastern University outfielder Todd Korchin, began the tradition by playing in last year’s game. Korchin, who played in the Oldtime Baseball Game from 1997 to 2001, will represent the Montalbano family in presenting this year’s award to Langone.
Admission to the Oldtime Baseball Game is free. Fans are asked to bring a beach blanket or chair and camp out along the foul lines, as it is the crowd that makes the game so electric
The rain date for the Oldtime Baseball Game is Friday, August 12, also at 7 p.m.
Information On Media Day
Media Day for the 18th Annual Oldtime Baseball Game will be held, rain or shine, on Monday, August 1, at 2 p.m. at St. Peter’s Field on Sherman Street in North Cambridge.
Most of the players selected to participate in this year’s game will be in attendance at Media Day, wearing their throwback uniforms.
All participants in the Oldtime Baseball Game who attend Media Day will be available for interviews and photographs.