Talk Steelers With Tunch & Wolf At Spring Festival
CURVE, Pa. - Four members of the 2010 Eastern League Champion Altoona Curve, 2011 Altoona Curve Manager P.J. Forbes, New York Mets' Manager Terry Collins and former Pittsburgh Steelers Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley will headline the Curve's annual Spring Training Festival on Friday, January 28, 2011 at the Blair County Convention Center. The event will be "A Salute to Champions" as the Curve will pay tribute the 2010 championship team and bring back first baseman Matt Hague, infielder Josh Harrison, Pirates' Minor League Player of the Year Alex Presley and E.L. Playoff MVP Justin Wilson as guests of honor. Ilkin and Wolfley, better known to Steelers' fans as "Tunch and Wolf", will also be on hand as special guests the weekend before the Super Bowl.
The annual event will feature an autograph signing along with a Q&A segment with all of the special guests in attendance. Silent and live auctions of sports memorabilia and unique entertainment/experience packages will take place throughout the evening. The 2010 Eastern League Championship trophy and banner will also be on display should guests wish to have their picture taken with them.
Those in attendance will also get a preview of the 2011 Altoona Curve and be on hand for the revealing of the winner in the "Name the Engineer" contest that is currently taking place. Tickets for the event, which includes a full-course dinner, are $60 per person. Proceeds will benefit the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum. (For more information on the Museum, visit www.railroadcity.com)
"We're really looking forward to celebrating our championship with the fans of the Curve at our Spring Training Festival in late January," said Curve General Manager Rob Egan. "It will be tremendous having four key players from the 2010 team back in Altoona for this special night and we know 'Tunch and Wolf' will be very entertaining. In light of our recently unveiled new logos, which embrace the area's rail history even further, we think the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum is the perfect beneficiary of proceeds from the Festival. The Museum is a true gem and deserves our community's continuing support."
For more information and to purchase tickets, call 877-99-CURVE, visit the Curve Holiday Store in the Logan Valley Mall (lower level near Santa), stop by Blair County Ballpark during normal business hours, or log on to www.altoonacurve.com.
About the Guests
Matt Hague, an everyday player on the 2010 championship squad, had another stellar year in the Pirates' organization with the Curve, setting career highs in home runs (15) and RBI (86). The 86 RBI were fourth most in franchise history for a single season while his 90 runs scored were also fourth most in team history. The Bellevue, Wash. native was a mid-season Eastern League All-Star and won the Curve's Iron Man award at the conclusion of the regular season.
Josh Harrison, in his first full season in the Pirates' organization, turned in a stellar campaign. The Cincinnati, Ohio native hit .300 to finish among the Eastern League leaders (tied for sixth) and set career highs in doubles, RBI and walks. Along the way, Harrison was selected as a mid-season Eastern League All-Star. He translated his regular season success into a successful stint in the Arizona Fall League where he batted .330 in 22 games for the Mesa Solar Sox. Harrison was acknowledged as the Curve's Unsung Hero at the team's end of the season awards ceremony.
Alex Presley began his breakout season in Altoona and played a large role in helping the Curve get off to the start that led them to an eventual league title. In addition to batting .350 in 67 games, the Monroe, La. native found his way into the Curve record books with a 19 -game hitting streak (ranking second in team history) as well as breaking Adam Hyzdu's record for RBI in one game with eight on May 24 in Akron. After being promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis, Presley went on to hit for the cycle on June 27. He earned a late-season call up to Pittsburgh and made his Major League debut on September 8 vs. Atlanta. Presley secured his first Major League hit in that same contest.
Justin Wilson was one of the anchors of the Altoona staff during the regular season in 2010, amassing 134 strikeouts (second most by a starter in team history) to go along with a 3.09 ERA that was fourth best in the league. He came up even bigger in the playoffs as the southpaw did not allow a run during his two starts. The Anaheim, Calif. product earned E.L. Playoff MVP honors as he went 2-0 and tossed 13 innings of scoreless baseball while striking out 10 batters.
Tunch Ilkin, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, was an offensive tackle with the Pittsburgh Steelers for 13 seasons from 1980-1992 and was a member of three division-winning squads (1983, 1984, and 1992). The Indiana State University product played in seven playoff games while wearing a Steeler uniform and was elected to the Pro Bowl in back-to-back seasons (1988 and 1989). He currently is a member of the Steelers broadcast team as the color analyst and co-hosts the daily show, "Tunch and Wolf" on Fox Sports 970 AM in Pittsburgh.
Craig Wolfley, who was selected to the Steelers' All-Century Team in 2000 as voted on by the fans, spent 10 years in the black and gold as an offensive lineman. In addition to his time in the NFL, Wolfley has competed in the World's Strongest Man competitions, boxed professionally and placed second in the first professional Sumo contest held on the North American continent. He is in his ninth season as a member of the Steelers broadcast team as the sideline reporter and co-hosts "Tunch and Wolf" on Fox Sports 970 AM in Pittsburgh.
Terry Collins, who was named the Mets' skipper on November 23, 2010, was the manager of the Houston Astros from 1994-96 and never had a losing season in his three seasons with the ballclub. He posted back-to-back 80-win seasons in 1997 and 1998 as the manager of the Anaheim Angels and owns an overall managerial record of 444-434 in six seasons as a manager. The Eastern Michigan University product led the 1987 Albuquerque Dukes to a Pacific Coast League Championship and served as the bullpen coach under Jim Leyland in Pittsburgh from 1992-93. He also managed the China National baseball team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
P.J. Forbes was named the sixth manager in Altoona Curve history on December 22, 2010 and is coming off a second-straight playoff appearance in 2010. In '09, Forbes led the Lynchburg Hillcats to a Carolina League Mills Cup Championship before leading Bradenton to the second-best record in the Florida State League and a second-half title in 2010. For more on Forbes, click here.