Memphis Redbirds introduce Charlie Lea Award

MEMPHIS, TN - In honor of Redbirds broadcaster and former Montreal Expos pitcher Charlie Lea, the Memphis Redbirds have created an annual award to recognize one of Memphis' top high school pitchers.

A selection committee, made up of six men who are prominent in Memphis baseball, has been chosen to nominate one pitcher each for the award. The committee consists of Prep Sports Reporter for the Commercial Appeal John Varlas, President of Dulin's Baseball Tim Dulin, Baseball Head Coach at Bartlett High School Phil Clark, Baseball Head Coach at Arlington High School Chris Ring, Baseball Head Coach at Memphis University School Johnny Beard and Baseball Head Coach at Christian Brothers High School Buster Kelso.

The six committee members will select three finalists on Monday, May 7 with a seventh vote being made by the public through memphisredbirds.com. The winner will be announced Thursday, May 24 and will receive the award, schedule permitting, at the Redbirds game on Tuesday, May 29.

Charlie Lea grew up in Memphis, was a graduate of Kingsbury High School and went on to attend Ole Miss, Shelby State Community College and Memphis State University. Lea was selected in June 1978 draft by the Montreal Expos, finding himself back in Memphis to play for their Double-A affiliate, the Memphis Chicks. The Orleans, France native pitched eight years in the majors, including a no-hitter with the Expos on May 10, 1981 in a 4-0 win over San Francisco in the second game of a doubleheader at Olympic Stadium. On Opening Night, Friday, April 13, the Memphis Redbirds also retired a microphone displayed below the radio booth at the end of the first inning in remembrance of Charlie Lea's life and the 11 wonderful years he spent broadcasting for the Redbirds.

Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) manages the Memphis Redbirds, as well as nearly 100 other public assembly facilities around the world. Nearly 20-million people attended more than 11,000 events in Global Spectrum venues last year. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Global Spectrum is part of Comcast-Spectacor, one of the world's largest sports and entertainment companies. Comcast-Spectacor also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities, Paciolan, the leading provider of venue establishment ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions, Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company, and Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks. In a partnership with Disson Skating, Comcast-Spectacor annually produces eight nationally televised figure skating spectaculars on NBC-TV.