Eddie Gaedel Society and Baseball Reliquary to Honor Baseball’s Mighty Mite
WHERE: Matt Denny’s Ale House Restaurant, Library Room, 145 E. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, CA. Phone (626) 462-0250. Parking available in lot (behind restaurant) and on street. Walking distance from Arcadia Gold Line station. Free and open to the public (food and drink extra). Space is limited to 25 attendees, so arrive early!
WHEN: Sunday, August 19, 2018, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
CONTACT: Jon Leonoudakis, President, Eddie Gaedel Society Los Angeles
Chapter: jbgreek@earthlink.net, (818) 886-2998.
DETAILS: The Los Angeles Chapter of the Eddie Gaedel Society will gather at Matt Denny’s Ale House Restaurant, 145 E. Huntington Drive in Arcadia, where the annual “Eddie Gaedel Day” festivities will be held on Sunday, August 19, 2018 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The event celebrates the life and times of Eddie Gaedel (1925-1961), who at 3’7” and 65 pounds was the shortest and lightest player ever to step to the plate in the major leagues.
The Gaedel Society has chapters stretching from Spokane, Washington to Dublin, Ireland. The Los Angeles Chapter collaborates with the Pasadena-based Baseball Reliquary to curate this unique event.
“We honor baseball’s biggest little hitter annually on August 19 to celebrate Gaedel’s major league at-bat on August 19, 1951, at Sportsman’s Park, St. Louis,” said Jon Leonoudakis, President of the L.A. Chapter. “We’ll be gathering in the Library Room at Matt Denny’s to raise a glass to Eddie, to tell stories, and to challenge attendees with a special trivia quiz with $2 bills as prizes.” As always, there will be ample photo ops with Eddie’s athletic supporter (a prized artifact in the Baseball Reliquary’s collection); the singing of “The Ballad of Eddie Gaedel;” and, for the first time, the presentation of the “Eddiesburg Address,” delivered by Jon Leonoudakis.
This is the fourth time around the basepaths to honor Eddie after the Los Angeles Chapter was established in 2015. Previous celebrations were held in South Pasadena and Toluca Lake.
All are invited for a memorable evening of small talk, short speeches, and half-pint beers, and to join in the group’s mantra, “Take a Walk, Eddie!”
