Hot Stove award winners announced
Tom Leo is the winner of this year's Jake Meyers Great Guy Award. This award is given annually to an individual who devotes a great deal of his or her time to further enhance Chiefs Baseball in Central New York. Leo has served as both a writer covering the team for the Syracuse Post-Standard and Syracuse.com and has served as the team's official scorer.
Paul Mello of Solvay Bank is this year's Tom Higgins Bullpen Chief Award winner. This award is given annually to a community leader who has provided exemplary support for professional baseball in Syracuse. Mello is the President and CEO of Solvay Bank, which is the oldest independent commercial bank headquartered and operating in Onondaga County, New York. Mello was appointed to the position in 2002.
Ron Gersbacher is the winner of this year's President's Award. This award is the highest honor bestowed by the Syracuse Chiefs. It is presented at the discretion of the team President to a current or past member of the team's board of directors who has displayed exemplary efforts to enhance the franchise. Gersbacher has served as team historian since 1985 and has been a member of the Chiefs board of directors since 1997. He was team president from December 2006 through November 2011.
Tickets are on sale for this year's Hot Stove Dinner and Auction Friday, February 1 at the Holiday Inn Liverpool. A silent auction, cocktail hour, and fan fest will get underway at 5:30pm with the dinner program set to begin at 7:00pm. The event will benefit the Syracuse Chiefs Charitable Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation which implements programs to improve the health and educational opportunities of families and youth in the Central New York community and provides financial assistance to other 501(c)(3) organizations with similar purposes.