The ninth annual Hot Springs Baseball Weekend will return to the Hot Springs Convention Center Aug. 7-8 as six baseball legends, including three Hall of Fame members, come to share their stories.
“We’re bringing in some favorite guests from previous Baseball Weekends and a couple of Hall of Famers who’ll be making their first visit,” Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs and originator of the annual salute to Hot Springs’ rich baseball heritage, said in a news release.
Fred McGriff and Jack Morris will make their first appearance at Baseball Weekend. They will be joined by familiar faces Goose Gossage, Dale Murphy, Bill “Spaceman” Lee and Al Hrabosky.
The free and public event, which was started to honor Hot Springs as the birthplace of modern MLB Spring Training, will include talks from the players, interactions with fans and a large baseball card show, it said.
This year the schedule includes a panel titled “If I were Major League Baseball Commissioner for a day,” featuring Gossage and the Spaceman, two of baseball’s most colorful and outspoken personalities.
In his career, McGriff had 2,490 hits, a .284 batting average, 441 doubles, 493 home runs and 1,550 RBIs. He was a five-time all-star, finished top-10 in MVP voting six times and hit cleanup for the 1995 World Series champion Atlanta Braves.
Morris won four World Series, was a five-time all-star and authored possibly the best World Series Game 7 pitching performances of all-time. During his career, he made 515 consecutive starts, a record at the time, won 254 games as a pitcher, and threw 175 complete games.
Bill Lee’s personality and antics helped his rise to fame in baseball, the release said, along with the “Spaceman” nickname given to him by Red Sox infielder John Kennedy. He was known for his unfiltered and controversial comments in the press and threatening to bite the ear off of an umpire in the 1975 World Series and asking people to demand the game be replayed.
Al Hrabosky has been to all of the Baseball Weekend events except last year because of family obligations. He is a beloved former Cardinals player and a Cardinals Hall of Fame member as of last year, known as the “Mad Hungarian.”
Gossage brought an intimidating presence to the pitching mound, it said, standing 6 feet 3 inches and throwing up to 100 miles per hour. Former teammate and opponent Bob Watson said in the release that Gossage was “all arms and legs and he doesn’t look at you.” He added that he preferred to face guys who can throw 100 when they look at you, and it was better to be behind Gossage.
Dale Murphy was known as one of the most beloved players to wear an Atlanta Braves uniform and is one of five Braves to have his number retired by the team. He was a seven-time all-star, four-time Silver Slugger winner and five-time Gold Glove winner. He was also the youngest back-to-back MVP winner in 1982 and 83. He led baseball in home runs, RBIs and many other offensive categories from 1981 to 1990.
Jack Morris (Courtesy VHS)