Annual Hot Stove Banquet honors local baseball stars

By Dick Sparrer

Ken Caminiti. Dave Righetti. Scott Erickson. Mark Langston. Dave Stieb. Carney Lansford. All of them have shined in the Major League Baseball spotlight. All of them have established themselves among the league leaders in individual categories. And all of them played high school baseball right here in the Santa Clara Valley.

What's more, all of them have been honored for their achievements at the Hot Stove Banquet held annually in San Jose.

More talented players will join that prestigious list of baseball players recognized by the Santa Clara County Baseball Fundraisers when the 16th annual Hot Stove Banquet is held Feb. 1 at the San Jose Elks Club.

But it won't just be players on that awards list this year. Jim Hemphill and Dave "Obie" Obenour, the retired co-founders of the Santa Clara County Baseball Fundraiser group, will be honored with special service awards on this night dedicated to baseball in Santa Clara County.

It's because of Hemphill, a former area baseball coach, and Obenour, the athletic trainer at De Anza Community College, that there is a Hot Stove Banquet at all. Their tireless efforts over the past two decades made the event possible, and created the arena to honor the outstanding baseball players, coaches, scouts and support people of the county.

The Hot Stove series nearly came to an end when Hemphill and Obenour decided it was time to retire from the organization. But longtime area baseball men Joe Gagliardi, John Oldham and Al Talboy have stepped forward to save the program.

Gagliardi, the president of the California League, has joined with Oldham, a successful coach at San Jose City College and Santa Clara University, and Talboy, the former Foothill College coach, to pick up where Hemphill and Obenour left off to ensure that the Hot Stove event will continue.

And continue it will when Mike Macfarlane of the Oakland As and Rick Helling of the Texas Rangers top the list of award winners at the 16th annual event on Tuesday night.

Tickets for the banquet are priced at $35 ($350 for a reserved table for 10), and festivities will begin with no-host cocktails at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. The awards presentation begins at 8 p.m. with Gary Radnich of KRON channel 4 and KNBR radio serving as the master of ceremonies. Radnich excelled in another sport as a high school athlete growing up in San Jose, starring on the basketball court at Branham.

Macfarlane, the former Santa Clara University and Kansas City Royals star who spent last season with As, has been selected as the Player of the Year, and Helling, a former Stanford star, has been named the Pitcher of the Year.

Joining Macfarlane and Helling as players on the awards list are college player of the year--Bobby Hill of the University of Miami (a graduate of Leland); college co-pitchers of the year--Vince LaCorte of San Jose State University and Jason Young of Stanford; community college player of the year--Adam Montarbo of West Valley Community College; community college pitcher of the year--Javier Andueza of West Valley; high school co-players of the year--Garret Cook of St. Francis and Ben Fritz of Oak Grove; minor league player of the year--Pat Burrell of the Philadelphia Phillies organization (a product of Bellarmine Prep and the University of Miami); and minor league pitcher of the year--Jason Davis (San Jose State).

Dario Lodigianni, a former major leaguer and a star in the old Pacific Coast League, will claim the scout of the year award, and the San Jose Giants and Santa Clara Pony-Colt League will be recognized as outstanding area organizations.

Kevin Carr of Wilcox is the winner of the Frank Bettencourt High School Academic Achievement Award, and Dave Battagin of Santa Clara University, Rob Douglass of San Jose State and Damien Alvarado of Stanford are this year's winners of the Lloyd Christopher Award, a scholarship given annually in the name of the late major league player and scout.

Caminiti (Leigh), Righetti (Pioneer), Erickson (Homestead), Langston (Buchser), Stieb (Oak Grove) and Lansford (Wilcox) are among the major league stars who have won Hot Stove awards after excelling on diamonds at local high schools. Others include Anthony Telford (Silver Creek), Ed Giovanola (Bellarmine), Jason Hardtke (Leland) and Dan Gladden (Westmont).

The banquet will be held at the San Jose Elks Club, 444 W. Alma Ave. off Highway 87. Proceeds from the event benefit youth baseball programs in the area. For more information or reservations call 446-3443.

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