St. John's University Athletics
Fourth Annual Baseball Bullpen Winter Banquet To Feature Ron Darling
12/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dec. 16, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - The fourth annual St. John's Baseball Bullpen Winter Banquet will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 27 and will feature Ron Darling and special guest Frank Viola. The event will be held at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan and will begin with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m.
In addition to the reception, an auction will be held with the chance to bid on a variety of priceless items. All proceeds from the evening will directly benefit the Red Storm baseball program.
Tickets for the event are priced at $250 and tables of 10 are available for $2,500. For more information and to order tickets, contact Mary Pat Beirne at beirnem@stjohns.edu or 718-990-1873.
A member of the 1986 World Champion New York Mets, Darling won 136 games in a 13-year major league career. Selected by the Texas Rangers as the ninth overall pick in the 1981 amateur draft, the righty spent time with the Mets, Oakland Athletics, and Montreal Expos. Darling was a 1985 MLB All-Star selection and won a Gold Glove in 1989. A two-time All-American at Yale, Darling has served as an analyst for SportsNet New York (SNY) coverage of the Mets since 2006.
The 1987 World Series MVP, 1988 A.L. Cy Young Award winner and a three-time MLB All-Star, Viola had 176 wins and tossed 74 complete games in 15 major league seasons. Originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins (37th overall) in the 1981 draft, Viola played with the Twins, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays. Viola had two 20-win seasons and was 24-7 with a 2.64 ERA when he won the Cy Young. A first team All-American in 1981, Viola helped lead St. John's to the 1980 College World Series.
The 1985 St. John's team will also be honored at the event. The '85 squad finished with a 32-21 record and won the first of the program's five BIG EAST Tournament championships.
The St. John's baseball team opens its 2010 campaign on Feb. 18 with a three-game set at New Orleans. The Red Storm will host Fairfield in its home-opener on March 16.
