By the Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House
The Florida Sports Hall of Fame has teamed up with the Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House to present the inaugural Baseball, Bourbon and Cigars on Friday, March 25, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm, in the Garden of the Ybor City Museum State Park. Two Florida Sports Hall of Fame inductees Lou Piniella and Wade Boggs will be in attendance, along with more than a dozen Major League Baseball alumni.
The intimate evening in Historic Ybor City celebrates Tampa’s colorful baseball heritage and showcases baseball legends, cigar rollers, Latin cuisine, libations, live music, and a panel hosted by Tampa Bay Rays broadcaster, Dave Wills. Autographs will be available throughout the evening. Each guest will receive a swag bag that includes a Dugout Mug, J.C. Newman cigar, raffle entry, and ticket to Tampa Baseball Museum.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate the vibrant culture and rich history of Tampa and Ybor City while showcasing some of the greatest players to come from the area,” said Rick Hatcher, President of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. “We are grateful to be partnering with the Tampa Baseball Museum to host this event in Ybor City, a National Historic Landmark District.”
Additional players planning to attend include Bob Stinson, Robin Fuson, Andy McGaffigan, Jason Michaels, Mike Heath, Luis Alicea, Steve Foucault, Matt LaPorta, Anthony Telford, Mike DiFelice, Sam McDowell, and more.
All-inclusive tickets are $150 per person or a two-person discounted ticket for $200. Tables of eight are available for $2,000. Tickets are limited and can be purchased at https://flasportshof.org/baseball-bourbon-cigars/
Baseball, Bourbon, and Cigars is sponsored by Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, as well Breakthru Beverage Company, Dugout Mugs, J.C. Newman Cigar Company, Papa Pilar Rum, and Yuengling Brewery.
More About the Florida Sports Hall of Fame:
Celebrating its 61st year, The Florida Sports Hall of Fame was started by the Florida Sports Writers and Sportscasters Association to recognize and honor Florida’s greatest sports figures and events and leverage this collective celebrity to promote fitness awareness, education and sports activities among our state’s youth and adults. Equally important is the promotion of the qualities of discipline and honor among sports participants.
The Florida Sports Hall of Fame attraction is housed in the MidFlorida Events Center in Port St. Lucie, FL. Visitors can walk among, and view more than sixty memorabilia exhibits from some of Florida’s most well-known sports stars, including legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus; Coach Bobby Bowden; National Hot Rod Association legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits; golfer Andy Bean; tennis great Chris Evert; football legend Bob Griese, and many more. For more information, visit www.FlaSportsHOF.org.
About the Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House:
Opened on September 25, 2021, the Tampa Baseball Museum is in the childhood home of Al Lopez, Tampa’s first Major League player, manager, and National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee. Lopez also was one of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame’s first inductees in 1961.
The Lopez house was moved from its original location and underwent a complete historical renovation so that it could be transformed into a museum. Exhibits represent the Major and Minor Leagues, spring training, early leagues beginning in 1887, Negro Leagues, and Tampa Bay’s iconic baseball traditions. The museum serves as a place for inspiration, education, and the celebration of a game that became the fabric of an immigrant community — in a town that is known for developing a wealth of baseball talent at every level. For more information, visit https://www.tampabaseballmuseum.org/