Tanner honored by field naming

On July 31, the former Pittsburgh Pirates manager will be on hand to sign autographs.
& lt;a href=mailto:cioffi@vindy.com & gt;By LAURE CIOFFI & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- When former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Chuck Tanner attended Shenango High School, there wasn't even a high school baseball team.
Today the school has a team, and now some community leaders are naming its field after Tanner in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the World Series victory his team garnered in 1979.
"I think it's an outstanding honor," said Tanner, 75, who graduated from Shenango in 1949.
A committee of about 25 people are working to put together the July 31 event that will include a free dedication program, as well as a paid autograph session with former Pirate.
Organizers hope to honor Tanner, as well as provide a place for Lawrence County youth to play baseball, said Frank Augustine, Shenango school board member and one of the event organizers.
The high school team, as well as summer leagues for youth ages 13 to 18, play on the field, which is located near Shenango Elementary School, Augustine said.
Community park
"If your kid lives in Neshannock, Laurel, New Castle or anywhere else in Lawrence County, you are going to play on this field," Augustine said. "Everyone will get the opportunity to play on it."
Plans call for an 11:30 a.m. dedication ceremony emceed by former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Nellie Briles. An autograph session featuring members of the 1979 team, as well as other Pirates, will follow for a $5 fee. Giant Eagle is helping sponsor the event and will provide refreshments.
Kent Tekulve, Grant Jackson, Elroy Face and Briles are among those expected to sign autographs.
Proceeds will go toward the upkeep of the field.
Augustine said the committee received a $25,000 grant through state Rep. Frank LaGrotta of Ellwood City, D-9th, to help with improvements, including a new electronic scoreboard, bleachers and lights. State Sen. Gerald LaValle of Rochester, D-47th, secured a $5,000 grant that will be used to buy a tarp for the field, Augustine said.
The planning committee also is raising money for a Chuck Tanner monument to be placed by the field and a flag pole dedicated to veteran Mike Banko, who was instrumental in getting this effort started before his death last year. Inscribed bricks leading up to the monument can be purchased for $100. That fund-raiser will continue after the dedication and the money will be used for upkeep of the field, Augustine said.
Augustine said the 4,700-pound monument will be 5 feet high and have four sides. One side will include a quote from Tanner and his likeness. The other sides will include his professional baseball record and his high school athletic accomplishments.
Three-sport letterwinner
Tanner recalls his high school sports days fondly, noting he lettered in football, basketball and track.
"I was a starter in ninth and 10th grades in both football and basketball. I was offered a contract with the Youngstown Bears [a professional basketball team that was part of the National Basketball League from 1945 to 1947], but my father told me I had to concentrate on one sport," he said.
Tanner, who had played American Legion baseball in New Castle, decided that baseball would be his sport.
He went on to play for the Milwaukee Braves, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels before becoming a major league manager for the Chicago White Sox, Pirates and eventually the Atlanta Braves. Tanner is still a major league scout for the Cleveland Indians.
"I'll be in this game forever. First as a player, then a manager and coach and now as a scout. That's all that I enjoy. I can never repay the game what it has given me," he said.
The idea to honor Tanner actually came after a Lawrence County resident attended another ceremony honoring Bill Mazeroski in southern Ohio.
Mike DeRosa of Neshannock Township has long been affiliated with Pirates players, working with Elroy Face after he left baseball and attending sports fantasy camps with the likes of Mazeroski.
Got ball rolling
DeRosa said he was so impressed with the honor for Mazeroski that he approached Banko, a Lawrence County veteran known to be involved in community events, about doing something similar for Tanner. Banko helped DeRosa make contact with the Shenango school board, but died soon after in a car crash last summer.
Augustine said he's excited about the new field because this summer it will be used for the newly formed Mercer-Lawrence American Legion baseball league.
"We haven't had [an American Legion league] in Lawrence County for at least five years. Ellwood and New Castle have teams, but now we have a league. Chuck played legion baseball when he was in high school and that's how he got discovered," Augustine said.
& lt;a href=mailto:cioffi@vindy.com & gt;cioffi@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;