The Lakeshore Chinooks announce that the battery for their ceremonial first pitch at the Chinooks Home Opener on Thursday, May 30th will feature the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, Bud Selig, throwing to the Hall of Famer he drafted in 1973 – Minority Owner of the Lakeshore Chinooks, Robin Yount. Commissioner Selig will be the honored guest as the Lakeshore Chinooks open up their second season in the Northwoods League on May 30, 2013 with a 6:35 p.m. game time against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters.
Selig was officially named the ninth Commissioner of Major League Baseball on July 9, 1998, and he has been the central figure in MLB’s governance since September 9, 1992. Yount, a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1999, is one of only 28 players to have achieved 3,000 hits. As the President of the Milwaukee Brewers, Selig oversaw the selection of Yount with the third overall selection in the first round of MLB’s 1973 First-Year Player Draft. Selig kept Yount, a two-time American League Most Valuable Player, in Milwaukee throughout his entire 20-year Major League career.
“It is an honor for us to have the Commissioner of Major League Baseball throw out our first pitch this year,” commented Jim Kacmarcik, President of Kapco, Inc. and Majority Owner of the Lakeshore Chinooks. “Bud Selig has done more for baseball in this area than anyone else. He will go down in history as being the most effective Commissioner the game of baseball has known.”
Pregame festivities will begin at 6:10pm and will also feature a salute to our local first responders. “In lieu of recent events in our country, we believe it is important to recognize our local heroes who serve our community daily and make it a safer place to live,” responded Kacmarcik. Representatives from various area first responders will be recognized on the field during the ceremony.
Part of the ceremony will also include the presentation of last year’s individual awards for the Lakeshore Chinooks Inaugural Season: Most Valuable Player, Forrest Chadwick (Southern Maine), Pitcher of the Year, Joe Greenfield (Eastern Illinois), Kapco Steel Slugger Award, Eric Aguilera (Illinois State), and the Robin Yount Award, Charlie Markson (Notre Dame).
Kapco Park will feature an expanded Kids Zone this season, along with some new menu items in the concessions area. The 70-game schedule begins on the road on May 29th, and then the Chinooks come home for their Home Opener on Thursday, May 30th. Virtually all thirty-five home games have some kind of promotion associated with it as the team looks to build off of their solid first year.
The Lakeshore Chinooks play in the 16-team Northwoods League, rated as one of the premiere collegiate wood bat summer leagues in the nation. Players come from schools all across the country including LSU, UCLA, Florida, Notre Dame, Arkansas and other top baseball schools. No collegiate wood bat league draws more fans, has more promotions or plays more games than the Northwoods League.
