readingphillies.com - Official site of the Double-A affiliate of the
Philadelphia Phillies
Ricky Bottalico Added to Winter Tour Lineup
(Reading, PA) – Ricky Bottalico, former Reading Phillies closer and current Comcast SportsNet analyst, has just been added to the 2010 Phillies Winter Tour and 8th annual King of Baseballtown fundraiser, which will take place on Thursday, January 28, at The Crowne Plaza Reading Hotel.
Bottalico will join previously announced guests, including Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel, Phillies Senior Vice President and General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr., Phillies Assistant General Manager, Player Personnel Benny Looper and Phillies Director of Public Affairs, Scott Palmer, who will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Also, Carl Mathias, who was a member of the 1957 Eastern League Champion Reading Indians, will be crowned the 2010 King of Baseballtown.
The event will begin at 5:30 PM with cocktail hour, and will feature prizes, highlight videos, a Q & A session, auctions and a 30-minute autograph session. Also in attendance for the event will be the Phillie Phanatic and R-Phils mascot Screwball.
Originally signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1991, Bottalico combined for 42 saves over two seasons with the R-Phils (1993-1994). In 1994, he made his Major League debut and just two years later, was named a National League All-Star after posting 34 saves and a 3.19 ERA in 61 appearances. A native of New Britain, Conn., he was traded from Philadelphia to St. Louis in 1998 and also pitched in the Majors for Kansas City, Arizona, New York (N.L.) and Milwaukee before concluding his playing career in 2005. In 562 career appearances, the righty notched 116 saves and a 3.99 ERA. Bottalico began his broadcasting career in 2007 and currently serves as an analyst for Comcast SportsNet on the Phillies pre- and post-game shows.
Tickets for the banquet are $65 each or $600 for a 10-person table and are available online at readingphillies.com, at FirstEnergy Stadium or by phone (610-375-8469). Proceeds benefit the Reading Phillies Baseballtown Charities, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping more children, who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity, play baseball. Complete registration and financial information of Baseballtown Charities can be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State at 1-800-732-0999.
The Reading Phillies trademarked the name Baseballtown in 2002 and began programs in its name with goals to honor Reading’s rich baseball history and secure its baseball future by giving more kids the opportunity to play and learn from the game’s life lessons.
Full season and partial season ticket packages for the 2010 season, presented by Pepsi, as well as tickets to the all-you-can-eat picnic buffet areas, are on sale now and can be purchased in person at FirstEnergy Stadium, by calling (610) 375-8469 or by visiting www.readingphillies.com. "Bring the Fam to America's Classic Ballpark."
