Long Beach State University Athletics
Terry Francona Headlines Dirtbags Lead Off Festivities
1/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BUY TICKETS to the Lead Off Dinner
Jan. 11, 2016
Long Beach, Calif. - The 2016 Dirtbags season is fast approaching and Alumni Weekend is just a few weeks away. The festivities begin on Friday, January 29, with the Billy Bryant Memorial/Alumni Golf Tournament. The following day will signal the return of former Dirtbags to Blair Field for the Alumni Game at 10 a.m. The annual Lead Off Dinner will be held the following Thursday, February 4, at the Renaissance Hotel in Downtown Long Beach. This year's guest speaker will be current Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona.
"We are honored and excited to have Terry Francona as our featured speaker for this year's Lead Off Dinner," said Dirtbags head coach Troy Buckley. "Terry is massively decorated in the game of baseball. We look forward to his infectious energy while he shares his stories and perspectives to Dirtbag Nation. It will be a fantastic evening."
The Alumni Golf Tournament will be held at Recreation Golf Course, just behind Blair Field, with check-in starting at 9:30 a.m. and tee-time at 11 a.m. The annual event was recently re-named in honor of the late Bill Bryant, a former Long Beach State baseball player who was instrumental in organizing alumni activities.
The entry fee is $175 per player and includes 18 holes of golf (with a cart), lunch on the course, tee prizes, drawings and an awards banquet following the tournament. Sign-ups are open now and availability is limited. To secure your spot at this year's tournament, CLICK HERE.
The Alumni Game and Dirtbags scrimmage the next day (Saturday, January 30) is open to the public with free admission into Blair Field. The Alumni Game is at 10 a.m. followed by a Dirtbags scrimmage at 1 p.m. Following the games there will be a Joe Jost's social to finish up the day.
Finally, the Lead Off Dinner on February 4 will cap off the alumni schedule just over two weeks before the start of the regular season. Francona is the latest in a line of quality guest speakers at the event, following in the footsteps of Tommy Lasorda, Sparky Anderson, Bill Russell, and former Dirtbags like Dave Snow, Jered Weaver, Troy Tulowitzki, Evan Longoria, and many others. Last year's speaker was San Francisco Giants third baseman and former Dirtbag, Matt Duffy.
The Lead Off Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel (111 E Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90802) in Downtown Long Beach at the corner of Ocean and Pine. Tickets are $75 each.
Complete Alumni Weekend information is included on the flyer below, and if you have any further questions you can contact Katie Tuller at (562) 985-7976 or Katie.Tuller@csulb.edu.
