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January 14, 2009 - LOVES PARK, Ill. – Chicago’s baseball heroes of yesteryear will take center stage during the Rockford RiverHawks’ All-Star celebration before the spotlight shifts to today’s top Frontier League players.
The RiverHawks announced Wednesday their plans for the Legends Game, featuring former stars from the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. The Legends Game is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 14 at Road Ranger Stadium. The Frontier League All-Star Game is scheduled for the following night.
Players will also participate in two autograph sessions, a youth clinic and a charity jersey auction.
Tickets for the All-Star Game are $15. A two-day pass for all events at Road Ranger Stadium is $25. Tickets are currently available only to fans with full or partial-season ticket plans. An all-star ticket is included with purchase of a full-season plan. Call (815) 885-BALL for ticket information.
Center fielder Bob Dernier will be the captain of the Cubs legends. Pitcher Steve “Rainbow” Trout, who pitched for both Chicago teams, will captain the White Sox legends. The two spent a season as teammates at Wrigley Field.
Dernier indicates that the age-old rivalry between the Cubs, whose only World Series victory came at the expense of the Sox in 1908, remains intense even in the players’ retirement.
“Maybe the stars are lining up for Cub fans this season,” Dernier said. “Forty years ago, the '69 club came close. Twenty-five years ago the '84 club did and again, 20 years ago, the '89 club got close. All I know is we better hurry up because Nostradamus says it's all over in 2012.”
Dernier spent four of his 10 major-league seasons with the Cubs, including their 1984 National League East championship season. He won a NL Gold Glove that season. Dernier also played for Philadelphia, including the Phillies’ 1983 NL pennant winner. Dernier, who returned to the Phils after the 1987 season, was a career .255 hitter.
Trout, the son of former big-leaguer Dizzy Trout, spent 12 years in the majors. He reached double digits in victories three times, all with a Chicago club. Trout reached the majors in 1978 with the White Sox and was traded to the North Side before the 1983 season. In 1984, Trout beat San Diego in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, but the Padres rallied to take three must-win games and the pennant. Trout also pitched for the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners in his 88-win career.
Additional members of the teams will be announced each month leading up to the All-Star Game.
Gates open at 2 p.m. with a youth clinic conducted by former major-leaguers along with RiverHawks players. Two pregame autographs sessions, 4-5 p.m. with the legends and 5-6 p.m. with the all-stars, are scheduled. The former big-leaguers have a second autograph session, 9-10 p.m., following the Legends Game.
Admission to the Legends Game also includes admission to the Home Run Derby, which starts at 8:30 p.m.
The RiverHawks are members of the Frontier League, a 12-team independent professional baseball league that will play its 17th season this summer. The RiverHawks will begin their eighth season at 7:05 p.m. May 21 at Windy City and play their home opener at 7:05 p.m. May 26 against the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti. The RiverHawks host the 2009 Frontier League All-Star Game at 7:05 p.m. on July 15. Fans can visit the RiverHawks online at www.rockfordriverhawks.com.
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