Captains to Celebrate Cleveland Sports History Night August 1
The Captains will host their annual "Salute to Cleveland Sports History Night" on Friday August 1 at 7 PM when the Captains host the Bowling Green Hit Rods (Rays) at Classic Park. The inaugural event in 2009 was named ESPN the Magazine's "Minor League Promotion of the Year". The night will include Cleveland Sports history-themed on-field promotions and appearances and autograph sessions by Cleveland sports legends.
As part of the festivities, Captains will pay homage to the 1989 film "Major League" which has become a sports movie classic. In keeping with that theme the Captains will wear replica 1989 road uniforms that were inspired by the design worn in the movie. The game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off during the game with proceeds to benefit Captains Charities.
Chelcie Ross who played the wily, junk-ball pitcher Eddie Harris in the film will be in attendance signing autographs and meeting fans in the concourse.
The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a Jobu bobble doll presented by Sysco. In the movie, Jobu is the spiritual leader of Cleveland Indians outfielder Pedro Cerrano. Fans can guarantee themselves a Jobu doll by purchasing a VIP package for $40 that also includes an exclusive meet-and-greet with the celebrities in attendance. There are less than 50 packages still available. They can be purchased by calling the Captains at 440-954 WINS (9467) or by downloading the order form from captainsbaseball.com
There will be a life-sized cutout of Skipper with 32 removable pieces like the cutout of Indians' owner Rachel Phelps from movie. Each piece will be sold for $10 with proceeds to Captains Charities and fans will have a chance to win prizes with each piece purchased.
Other promotions during the night will include the first five people who show up at Fans First with a Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn haircut will receive a guaranteed Jobu bobblehead and anyone who shows their CDL drivers license can enter a contest for a chance to win a $50 gas gift card.
In addition, "The Barge" trophy that is awarded to the Great Lakes Classic winner, the pre-season game between the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions, will be on display.
The night will be once again filled with Cleveland sport icons. Guests are subject to change but those scheduled to appear include:
Austin Carr - The #1 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1971 NBA Draft. Known as A.C. and Mr. Cavalier, Austin Carr played 10 years in the NBA and 9 of them right here in Cleveland for the Cavaliers and is currently the television analyst for the team.
Campy Russell - The #8 overall pick by the Cavaliers in the 1974 NBA Draft. Russell had six great seasons for the Cavs including an All-Star game appearance in 1979. Campy currently serves as the Cavs' Director of Alumni Relations and is part of the Cavaliers TV network.
Jim Chones - Played in the NBA for ten seasons with four different teams, including the Cavaliers from 1974-1979 and was part of the Miracle at Richfield. He won an NBA championship as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980.
Stipe Miocic - A multi-sport star from Eastlake North High School who finished second in the Division I wresting state championship as a Senior. Following high school he was a two-sport star in wrestling and baseball at Cleveland State making an appearance in the NCAA Division I Wresting Championships in 2003. Now, Miocic is 12-1 as a UFC fighter and is currently ranked #7 in the UFC Heavyweight division. He won his last bout by knockout in just 35 seconds and is on his way to earning a shot at the UFC heavyweight title.
Jessica "Evil" Eye - Originally from Rootstown here in NE Ohio, Jessica "Evil" Eye began her career as part of the North American Allied Fight Series where started 5-0 and was crowned the first NAAFS amateur women's champion in 2009. Since then she has competed in the Bellator Fighting Championships division before joining the UFC in August 2013. Jessica has an overall record of 10-2 in professional matches and is currently the #6 ranked fighter in the UFC Bantamweight division.
Hector Marinaro - The all-time leader in points and goals scored in professional indoor soccer. He is currently the men's soccer coach at nearby John Carroll University. In 538 career appearances with the Cleveland Force and Crunch, Marinaro scored 1,099 goals. During his 19-year indoor career, Marinaro scored a total of 1,222 goals and added 701 assists for 1,923 points in just 685 games. In the playoffs, he scored another 224 goals and added 96 assists for 320 points in 104 games. Hector was a seven-time league MVP the most in any professional sport in the USA.
Jock Callander - A former professional hockey player known for his heroics with the Cleveland Lumberjacks. In his career, Callander won a Stanley Cup in 1992 with the Pittsburgh Penguins but he is most notably remembered for his historic career in the IHL. With the Lumberjacks, Callander not only became the All-Time leading scorer in Cleveland Hockey History, but also the All-Time leading scorer in the history of the IHL. Callander currently serves as Director of Community and Hockey Operations for the Lake Erie Monsters.
Arthur Chu - This NE Ohioan is known as "The Jeopardy! Villian" for his unorthodox play during his winning streak on the popular game show Jeopardy! Chu won a grand total of 11 games on Jeopardy! and sits in 4th place on the all-time winnings list for the show.