FATHER AND SON DUO NAMED STATEN ISLAND'S SPORTSMEN OF THE YEAR

The Staten Island Yankees, the Single-A Affiliate of the 25-Time World Champion New York Yankees, are proud to announce that Chairman Stan Getzler and Chief Operating Officer Josh Getzler have been named Staten Island's Sportsmen of the Year by the Staten Island Advance. The Getzlers, along with Borough President Guy Molinari, will be honored on Thursday, January 27 at the Advance High School All-Star Dinner at the Excelsior Grand in New Dorp, Staten Island.

The Getzlers and the Borough President were selected as recipients of this award for making minor league baseball a reality on Staten Island. The Getzlers brought New York City its first minor league franchise after spending three seasons in Watertown, NY. The Baby Bombers are preparing to move into their new state-of-the art 6,500 seat stadium in St. George for the 2001 New York-Penn League season. The stadium, along with a new ferry terminal, new restaurants, shops and museums, are all part of a St. George Station revitaliztion project. Molinari has supported this project, along with other sports-related causes, throughout his tenure as Borough President.

"We are very honored to be named as Sportsmen of the Year," said Josh Getzler. "This is one honor that our organization is very proud to receive. It is nice to be recognized, along with Mr. Molinari, by the community as people who are making a positive impact on the future of Staten Island. The new ball park is one that Staten Islanders are going to be very proud to call their own."

The construction of the new ball park is scheduled to get underway within the next couple of weeks, with an official groundbreaking ceremony involving Mayor Rudy Giuliani planned. The Staten Island Yankees will play their 38-game home schedule at the College of Staten Island in 2000. They drew 117,765 fans, an average of 3,282 per game, in this temporary facility in their Inaugural Season in 1999.

The Staten Island Yankees open at home at the College of Staten Island on Tuesday, June 20 against the Vermont Expos.

siyanks.com

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