STATE COLLEGE - Several former major leaguers and Penn State athletes will join the top sluggers in the New York-Penn League at the Celebrity Home Run Derby before the 2009 New York-Penn League All-Star Game Tuesday.
The roster of participants announced Monday includes 2008 Spikes hitting coach and former Pittsburgh Pirate Sid Bream, former Pirate player and current broadcaster John Wehner, 1973 AL Rookie of the Year and honorary American League All-Star manager Al Bumbry, and Penn State baseball coach and former Houston Astro Robbie Wine. Other Penn State competitors include former Penn State kicker and Super Bowl champion Chris Bahr, as well as former defensive end Justin Kurpeikis.
The six celebrities will join Neil Medchill of the Staten Island Yankees and Brock Holt of the host State College Spikes, the leading home run hitters for the American League and National League All-Stars, respectively, in the team competition. Each hitter will receive points for their team based on where they hit the ball. Medchill leads the New York-Penn League with 12 home runs, five ahead of his nearest competitor. Holt has six home runs on the season, the most for any member of the National League All-Star squad.
In addition to the Celebrity Home Run Derby, fans can also get autographs from all of the all stars and honorary managers Bumbry and Kent Tekulve, as well as participate in the jersey-off-the-back auction for each of the all stars' batting practice jerseys.
