AUBURN - Over 200 local baseball fans stepped out of the snow and ice and into the comfy confines of the Springside Inn to enjoy a hot meal and talk a little baseball as the Doubledays held their sixth annual Hot Stove Dinner and Silent Auction.
Glenn Gaston / Special to The Citizen
Former Auburn Doubledays players Ben Zeskind, left, and Jesse Litsch enjoy some of manager Dennis Holmberg's speech during the Hot Stove Dinner and Silent Auction at the Springside Inn Saturday night.
Former Auburn Doubledays players Ben Zeskind, left, and Jesse Litsch enjoy some of manager Dennis Holmberg's speech during the Hot Stove Dinner and Silent Auction at the Springside Inn Saturday night.
It is far from baseball season, yet a perfect time for the community to get together for a little fun and a whole lot of baseball chatter. Among the event's speakers was Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg, who never misses the event, was on hand along with Toronto Blue Jays pitcher and former Auburn player, Jesse Litsch, and current Doubledays outfielder and two-time all-star Ben Zeskind.
There was a lot to celebrate as the night kicked off with a moment of silence for Leo Pinckney and Chuck Savage, two influential figures in Auburn baseball who recently passed away.
After the moment of silence and a blessing, Senator Mike Nozzolio stepped up to the podium and honored the New York-Penn League champion Doubledays on behalf of the state. Nozzolio joked that the win over the Brooklyn Cyclones in the championship series did not help the tension between upstate and downstate.
“Many of you supported my legislation to make a 51st state of upstate New York,” Nozzolio joked.
He also gave due credit to Holmberg for not only the championship win but for giving so much to the community of Auburn.
“Dennis is more than a manager, more than an outstanding manager,” Nozzolio said. “He has given so much to this community and is an asset to this great place to live.”
The senator also joked about enacting legislation in order to keep Holmberg in Auburn for good. Holmberg who received a standing ovation as he ascended the podium and said he was happy to make the trip from the heat of Florida to the cold of Auburn.
“This event gives everyone a chance to get together and look back on the season, especially after winning a championship.” Holmberg said. “It's nice to bring back baseball in the middle of winter.”
The dinner and auction were put together not only to honor the championship-winning team, but also to benefit local charities. The charities this year featured were Hillside Children's Center, the Leo Pinckney Scholarship Fund, and the Neighborhood House and Sacred Heart Church.
Litsch and Zeskind were honored to be invited and were especially happy to be able to contribute to local charities and the community itself.
“This city really rallies around the team, they love baseball and it is fun to play in front of the familiar crowd every night,” Zeskind said. “This is an intimate atmosphere to play in, you know a lot of the fans by name and it gives you a nice comfort level. This is my second home.”
Litsch began his career around professional baseball as a bat boy for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He even got to pitch against Carl Crawford, one of the players he was a bat boy for, as a player for Toronto last summer.
While he only played for the Doubledays in a few games, he enjoyed the opportunity. He achieved his ultimate goal not long after his stint with the Doubledays and said that it is a “dream come true” to play in the major leagues.
“This is a nice gathering for charity, and I am honored to be invited because I love to do things for charity,” Litsch said. “You can really tell the people here love baseball and they always have nice crowds.”
Among the large crowd at the event was Cathy and Bill Techman. The Techmans say their family and friends know that any summer plans must revolve around the Doubledays schedule because they never miss a game unless they are at a Yankees game in New York City.
During one of those Yankee games, Bill proposed to Cathy at Yankee Stadium and they were married in 2003 right on the field at Falcon Park.
“We even have Doubledays players stay with us and travel for their weddings,” Cathy Techman said. “Events like this are nice because you get to get a little baseball in the middle of winter and get together with people of like minds for fun.”
It was another successful dinner for the Doubledays organization and a great way to give back to a community that obviously means as much to the Doubledays as they mean to Auburn.
“Auburn is the epitome of small town baseball, it takes fans to fill a ballpark and without the fans there is nothing. The fans here are so supportive, eager and anxious, a fabric that weaves all of us together.” Holmberg said. “It was nice to win the New York-Penn League not just for the team but for this city, to put Auburn on the map a little and in the minds of people in the league.”
There was a lot to celebrate as the night kicked off with a moment of silence for Leo Pinckney and Chuck Savage, two influential figures in Auburn baseball who recently passed away.
After the moment of silence and a blessing, Senator Mike Nozzolio stepped up to the podium and honored the New York-Penn League champion Doubledays on behalf of the state. Nozzolio joked that the win over the Brooklyn Cyclones in the championship series did not help the tension between upstate and downstate.
“Many of you supported my legislation to make a 51st state of upstate New York,” Nozzolio joked.
He also gave due credit to Holmberg for not only the championship win but for giving so much to the community of Auburn.
“Dennis is more than a manager, more than an outstanding manager,” Nozzolio said. “He has given so much to this community and is an asset to this great place to live.”
The senator also joked about enacting legislation in order to keep Holmberg in Auburn for good. Holmberg who received a standing ovation as he ascended the podium and said he was happy to make the trip from the heat of Florida to the cold of Auburn.
“This event gives everyone a chance to get together and look back on the season, especially after winning a championship.” Holmberg said. “It's nice to bring back baseball in the middle of winter.”
The dinner and auction were put together not only to honor the championship-winning team, but also to benefit local charities. The charities this year featured were Hillside Children's Center, the Leo Pinckney Scholarship Fund, and the Neighborhood House and Sacred Heart Church.
Litsch and Zeskind were honored to be invited and were especially happy to be able to contribute to local charities and the community itself.
“This city really rallies around the team, they love baseball and it is fun to play in front of the familiar crowd every night,” Zeskind said. “This is an intimate atmosphere to play in, you know a lot of the fans by name and it gives you a nice comfort level. This is my second home.”
Litsch began his career around professional baseball as a bat boy for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He even got to pitch against Carl Crawford, one of the players he was a bat boy for, as a player for Toronto last summer.
While he only played for the Doubledays in a few games, he enjoyed the opportunity. He achieved his ultimate goal not long after his stint with the Doubledays and said that it is a “dream come true” to play in the major leagues.
“This is a nice gathering for charity, and I am honored to be invited because I love to do things for charity,” Litsch said. “You can really tell the people here love baseball and they always have nice crowds.”
Among the large crowd at the event was Cathy and Bill Techman. The Techmans say their family and friends know that any summer plans must revolve around the Doubledays schedule because they never miss a game unless they are at a Yankees game in New York City.
During one of those Yankee games, Bill proposed to Cathy at Yankee Stadium and they were married in 2003 right on the field at Falcon Park.
“We even have Doubledays players stay with us and travel for their weddings,” Cathy Techman said. “Events like this are nice because you get to get a little baseball in the middle of winter and get together with people of like minds for fun.”
It was another successful dinner for the Doubledays organization and a great way to give back to a community that obviously means as much to the Doubledays as they mean to Auburn.
“Auburn is the epitome of small town baseball, it takes fans to fill a ballpark and without the fans there is nothing. The fans here are so supportive, eager and anxious, a fabric that weaves all of us together.” Holmberg said. “It was nice to win the New York-Penn League not just for the team but for this city, to put Auburn on the map a little and in the minds of people in the league.”
