By Dick Sparrer
Who knew?
When Ken Caminiti was raining the outfield with line drives at Leigh High School...
Who knew?
When John Wetteland was running up the strikeouts at the College of San Mateo...
And who knew?
When Bellarmine's Pat Burrell and Leland's Jason Hardtke were making all-Central Coast Section teams...
Who knew that one day they would be baseball stars in the college and professional ranks? Well, the Santa Clara Valley Hot Stove Banquet awards committee had a pretty good idea.
The members of the committee knew it then, and they'll recognize it now when they honor the four superstars at the 13th annual Hot Stove Banquet on Feb. 3 at Lou's Village, 1465 W. San Carlos St. in San Jose.
There are nine honorees in all, and they share two things in common-- baseball success and a connection to the greater San Jose area.
Caminiti, the National League's most valuable player in 1996, has been named the player of the year and Wetteland, the World Series mvp for the New York Yankees, is the pitcher of the year.
Burrell, a star third sacker for the Miami Hurricanes, has been picked as the college player of the year, and Hardtke, an infielder in the New York Mets organization, is the minor league player of the year.
Joining the talented quartet on the awards list are Pete Fukuhara of Cañada, community college player of the year; John Gall of St. Francis, high school player of the year; Dick Hanlon of the Los Angeles Dodgers, scout of the year; and Hank Greenwald of the San Francisco Giants and Darin Blood of the San Jose Giants, special service awards.
Tickets for the night's event are priced at $35, 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 Jon Miller, the new voice of the Giants, serving as master of ceremonies.
Proceeds from the banquet benefit youth baseball programs in the area. For more information or reservations call 446-3443 or 245-1946.
Quito Signups
The Quito Little League will hold signups for the 1997 season on Jan. 22, 6-9 p.m., in the cafeteria at Rolling Hills Middle School, Pollard Road at More Avenue in Los Gatos.
Players ages 5-12 (as of July 31, 1997) are eligible for the league and must provide a birth certificate for proof of age and a PG&E bill for proof of residency at the registration. An $80 donation is requested.
The league is also looking for umpires for the coming season. The league needs adult volunteers and is also looking for high school and college students who will be paid by the game. Full training will be provided.
Games begin in March and continue through June. For information, call Lynne Dickerson at 370-3006.
Pony League
The Saratoga Pony League will hold late registration each Saturday through March 8 at Congress Springs Park. The league will also hold clinics and spring training for players ages 13-14 (as of July 31, 1997). For more information, call John at 867-7253.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, January 22, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.