THE BIG NEWS FOR BERKS COUNTY! Berkshire Baseball November 17, 2013 * New Release * * For Immediate Publication * Berks County to Celebrate Baseballs First No Hitter Berks County, Pennsylvania has been in the Major League Baseball record books for 137 years and it has hardly gone noticed, until now. Berks County Commissioner, Christian Leinbach and Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs TV personality, Steve Degler helped make the announcement this evening at the Berkshire Baseball Scholarship and Awards Banquet at the Inn at Reading, that a collaboration of local groups headed up by Berkshire Baseball and the Greater Reading Convention and Visitors Bureau will kicking off the first annual George Bradley Vintage Base Ball Heritage Festival. Who is George Bradley, you ask? George Bradley was a former Major League Baseball player and native of Reading, Pennsylvania who just so happened to toss the first ever no-hitter in Major League Baseball history back on July 15, 1876 when as a member of the St. Louis Brown Stockings he held the Hartford Dark Blues hitless during a 2-0 win. Bradley went on to complete the season with a 45-19 record, recording 63 complete games, a 1.23 ERA and what is still a Major League record today of 16 shutouts. He also logged 573 innings pitched that season, pitch counts were not much of a concern in those days. The festival will take place on Saturday, July 19, 2014 at the Berks County Youth Recreation Facility in Bern Township with Vintage Base Ball franchises from around the Mid-Atlantic region showcasing the way the game of baseball changed throughout the 1860s, 1870s and 1880s. All teams will be playing competitive games using each eras rules, uniforms and equipment. Additionally, period era cars, vendors and collectors will be on display throughout the complex. Visitors will encouraged to attend while dressing in period era clothing if they wish. Ive just gotten so tired of hearing about Reading being the poorest city in the U.S. and always having the negative things about our area being focused on. Said Dan Clouser, president of Berkshire Baseball and board member of the Greater Reading Convention and Visitors Bureau. We have a lot to be proud of here and hopefully with the help of George Bradley, we can bring Reading and Berks County back to its heyday. Clouser stumbled across George Bradley on the Internet as he was looking for additional players from Reading and Berks to honor at the Berks County YRF as their renovation project progresses. Bradley was a more than worthy candidate. His no-hitter is recognized on MLB as the 143rd most significant game in Major League history. Also attending and participating in the games will be former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher, Bill Spaceman Lee. Lee spoke at the Berkshire Banquet several years ago and he and Clouser hit it off immediately. Playing in Vintage Base Ball games, or matches as they were called back then is something that Lee does quite a bit, so he jumped at the opportunity to get involved according to Clouser. This is something that Berks Countians should really be proud of. Said Berks County Commissioner, Christian Leinback, who is an avid baseball fan himself. No matter what ever happens no one can ever take away that the first no-hitter in Major League history was thrown by a native of Reading, PA. The event is still in the infant stages of planning and both Berkshire Baseball and the GRCVB are excited about the possibilities for the area. With us losing the Jehovah Witness Conventions this year, we really needed something to fill the gap of that economic impact and I think that George Bailey and celebrating his accomplishment could be just the thing that we needed. Added Crystal Seitz, President of the Greater Reading and Berks County Convention & Visitors Bureau. We want this to be a community event, so were willing to listen to any ideas to make it better. Dan keeps telling me that they have over 100 acres out there and he wants us to use as much as we can. Its always neat to travel back in time. For more information on this release, please contact: Dan Clouser, President & General Manager Berkshire Baseball Club 1098 County Welfare Road Leesport, PA 19533 Phone: 484-577-4133 FAX: 484-577-4205
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 01:56:29 +0000
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