Vascellaro: Renowned executive Roland Hemond honored in whirlwind Northeast tour
From SABR member Charlie Vascellaro at the Arizona Republic on August 11, 2018, with mention of SABR members Roland Hemond and Dave Dombrowski:
There are no degrees of separation when it comes to Roland Hemond’s connections to professional baseball.
Sweeping affection and admiration for Hemond, the 88-year-old executive advisor to the Arizona Diamondbacks, were on full display during a recent whirlwind tour of the Northeast. It began at the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Cooperstown, N.Y., and continued with whistle-stop first pitch tosses at Boston’s Fenway Park and minor league McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I.
Hemond was also honored in his nearby hometown of Central Falls, R.I. where the youth baseball field he played on as a teenager was re-named in his honor and he was presented with a key to the city.
In his 67th major-league season, and approaching his 89th birthday, Hemond remains spry and enthusiastic, but one has to wonder how many more extensive road trips lie ahead. So it was especially poignant for Hemond to be reunited with his family and some of his longest lasting friends in baseball.
“It’s just been fabulous. I’ve been grinning from ear-to-ear all the time and how people are treating me so well and paying tribute to how I may have helped them some way somehow,” Hemond said. “There was no chance of that in my book. I never dreamed that would happen and now here it is, and for my children and grandchildren to see all this that’s also heartwarming.”
Read the full article here: https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2018/08/11/mlb-diamondbacks-executive-roland-hemond-honored-northeast-tour/937589002/
Originally published: August 13, 2018. Last Updated: August 13, 2018.