O'Conner to attend Hot Stove Event

ALTOONA- Pat O'Conner, the recently elected President of Minor League Baseball, has been added to the guest list for the Altoona Curve's Hot Stove Dinner & Benefit Auction, which will take place this Friday night (Jan. 25) at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona. O'Conner's visit to Altoona marks the first ever made to Central Pennsylvania by a sitting MILB President.

O'Conner was unanimously elected to replace outgoing Minor League Baseball President Mike Moore last month at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Nashville. He has spent 26 years in professional baseball, including the last 15 in the Office of Minor League Baseball. Before assuming his current post, he served as MILB's Chief Operating Officer & Vice President of Administration and was in charge of all business activities of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, which is the corporate name of Minor League Baseball.

"Having Pat O'Conner join us at Friday's Hot Stove Event is significant because never before has the head of Minor League Baseball attended a baseball event in Central Pennsylvania and we're excited to give him a first-hand opportunity to see the passion our loyal fans have for this franchise and the effect that this important event has on our community," said Curve General Manager Todd Parnell.

O'Conner joins the previously announced guest list of Pirates' starting pitcher Tom Gorzelanny, current Pirates' major league coaches Jeff Andrews (Pitching Coach) and Tony Beasley (Third Base Coach), Altoona Curve manager Tim Leiper, former Curve fan favorites Brian Bixler, Josh Bonifay, Mike Connolly and Mike Johnston, former Curve hitting coach and current Pirates' radio and television broadcaster John Wehner, Eastern League President Joe McEacharn, Pirates' Director of Player Development Kyle Stark and Penn State University head baseball coach Robbie Wine.

$60 adult and $35 children's tickets are still on sale at the Blair County Ballpark main office, by calling (814) 943-5400 or on-line at AltoonaCurve.com. All proceeds raised at the event will benefit three Central Pennsylvania charities -- Operation Our Town, the American Cancer Society and the Miracle League of Blair County.

The main program for the Hot Stove Event will consist of dinner, a sports memorabilia silent auction and an entertainment portion, including speeches and interviews with featured guests. The dinner and entertainment portion of the event will begin at 7 p.m., preceded by an hour of mingling, fun and games, autographs and the start of the silent auction. Blair County Convention Center doors will open at 6.

Additional information about the 2008 Curve Hot Stove Dinner & Benefit Auction can be found at AltoonaCurve.com.