SPORTS

Hear BASH BROTHER Jose Canseco speak in Elmira

Controversial player ranks among baseball's career home run leaders.

Andrew Legare
alegare@stargazette.com | @SGAndrewLegare
  • Hot Stove Dinner will be held April 21 at the Hill Top Inn.
  • Wounded Warrior Weekend set for July 15 and 16 at Dunn Field.

If you have the urge to hang out with one of the most controversial figures in baseball history, the Elmira Pioneers have you covered.

Former major league star outfielder Jose Canseco, known for his home run power and connection to steroids, will be the featured guest at the 2016 Hot Stove Dinner on April 21 at the Hill Top Inn restaurant in Elmira. The event is presented by the Pioneers, the Elmira Business Institute and Hilliard Corp.

"We're excited to land Jose. We think he'll do a wonderful job," said Robbie Nichols, co-owner of the Pioneers along with Don Lewis and Nellie Franco-Nichols.

A press conference was held Wednesday afternoon at Kahuna's Bar and Grill in Elmira to make the announcement. The Pioneers also revealed a Wounded Warrior Weekend will be held July 15 and 16 at Dunn Field, the home of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League's Pioneers. That event is presented by Hilliard, Arnot Health, First Transit and the Pioneers.

"We've been sponsoring the Pioneers for years and we've been happy to work with these gentlemen to bring a lot of great events," said Jan van den Blink, CEO and chairman of Hilliard. "This is our second Hot Stove dinner. We had Dwight Gooden last year and he was great. I'm sure Mr. Canseco will be an outstanding guest as well."

Tickets are $75 for a meet and greet with Canseco and $75 for the dinner that follows, with tickets to both available for $150. Times will be announced. To purchase tickets, call the Pioneers at 607-734-2690.

Last year about 175 tickets were sold for the Gooden event. Lewis and Nichols said they expect tickets to go quickly again this year.

"As long as Robbie and I own the ball team, this is an annual event," Lewis said. "It's just a fun event to bring baseball and warm-weather thinking to the Twin Tiers at this time of year. It's a great event that was sold out last year. It will be sold out this year."

Canseco, 51, played with seven teams in the major leagues from 1985 to 2001 and hit 462 home runs, which is tied for 35th in major league history. He was named American League Most Valuable Player in 1988, when he hit 42 homers for the Oakland Athletics. He also played for the Yankees, Rangers, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rays and White Sox. During his A's tenure, he and fellow slugger Mark McGwire were nicknamed the "Bash Brothers."

He wrote "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big," a best-selling autobiography published in 2005 in which Canseco admitted to using steroids and claimed many other prominent players used performance-enhancing drugs.

Nichols said limited tickets are available for the Wounded Warrior Weekend, which will start with a Friday night concert featuring local bands, with proceeds going to the Wounded Warriors. A motorcycle rally will be held Saturday, with the game against the Pioneers and fireworks to follow Saturday night at Dunn Field. Tickets are $10 for VIP seats and $7 for general admission and are available by calling the Pioneers.

The game will feature the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team, which includes veterans and active-duty servicemen who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The team travels across the country playing able-bodied teams.

"We've tried four years in a row to get them and we finally landed them this year," Lewis said. "It's a very exciting, unique event. It's guys who have obviously fought for our country and that's why we're here today with the freedom we've got."

PIONEERS EVENTS

Hot Stove Dinner featuring Jose Canseco: April 21 at the Hill Top Inn in Elmira. Tickets are $75 for a meet and greet and $75 for the dinner that follows.

Wounded Warrior Weekend: July 15 and 16 at Dunn Field. Tickets to July 16 game against the Pioneers are $10 for VIP seats and $7 for general admission.

Tickets: Call the Pioneers at 607-734-2690 to purchase.

On Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare