A World Series champion, two other major league baseball players with local ties and a former pro hockey player are the latest commitments for the 17th annual Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame Celebrity Golf Classic.
The tournament takes place Saturday, May 4 at the Oak Ridge Country Club in Feeding Hills, MA. Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. and dinner at 5 p.m.
Scheduled to join the field for the fourth straight year is longtime major league infielder Dick McAuliffe. The Farmington resident played 16 years with the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox, playing in three All-Star games. He was the starting second baseman for Detroit in the 1968 World Series, in which the Tigers rallied from a 3-1 deficit to capture the championship in seven games over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Former major league first baseman Billy Jo Robidoux also returns for the fourth time. The Belchertown, MA resident played six years with the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. Prior to joining the parent Brewers, he was the Texas League Player of the Year in 1985, swatting 46 home runs and knocking in 132 runs for the El Paso Diablos. He and Baseball Hall of Famer Ron Santo were among seven electees to the Texas League Hall of Fame in 2012.
Newcomers to the tournament include former major league pitcher Ron Diorio and former pro hockey player Garry Swain. Diorio posted a 2.33 earned-run average in 23 games as a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1973, while Swain played with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association.
Previously-announced celebrity players include longtime New England Patriot linebacker Steve Nelson, former Steelers and Chiefs wide receiver Barry Pearson and actor Paul D'Amato, most famous for his role as Tim "Dr. Hook" McCracken in Slap Shot.
To register for the tournament, contact Paul DaSilva at 860-680-1771 or p.dasilva@cox.net.
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