Binkiewicz to Be Honored During Annual Hot Stove Dinner

 The Union County Baseball Association will honor Scotch Plains sports star Gary Binkiewicz and other local student athletes for their 2009 accomplishments during award ceremonies on Sunday, Feb. 14.

The 74th Annual Hot Stove League Baseball Dinner, which begins at 1 p.m. at the L'Affaire Banquet Center in Mountainside, will also include the induction of four new members into the Union County Baseball Hall of Fame – Frank Araneo of Union, Richie Burke of Elizabeth, Bob Hoffer of Linden, and Don Zsak of Scotch Plains.

The dinner is in cooperation with the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal.

Aside from Binkiewicz, student athletes Amanda Kardys of Union, Mike Murray Jr. of Westfield, and Mike Seamon of Rahway will also receive major honors.

Binkiewicz, the pitcher for Raiders baseball in 2009, was the team's ace. He also served as quarterback of the football team this past fall.

Scotch Plains Hall of Fame Inductee Don Zsak is a product of the Union County Youth League and the Linden PAL. He pitched the Linden JV baseball team to its only County title in 1979 with a complete game victory over Summit. In 1980, as a junior, he compiled a 6-3 record and helped the Tigers attain a 17-8 record for the season. When not pitching, he was an outfielder and batted .310.

Zsak was captain of the Linden squad in 1981, when the team won the Group III State Championship and was ranked No. 5 in the State by the Newark Star-Ledger. He had an 8-1 record that season with a 1.79 ERA and a .370 batting average. His complete game victory over Lakeland in the North Jersey State Championship catapulted the Tigers into the State Final, where Zsak had the game-winning hit. Zsak was named to the 1st Team All County by the Star-Ledger, 1st Team All Metro by the Elizabeth Daily Journal, and 1st Team All State Group III. He also was honored by the UCBA as the high school Player of the Year.

Zsak went on to play at Upsala College under Coach Ed Lyons. He was All Conference in his junior and senior years at Upsala. The Milwaukee Brewers had an interest in him before an arm injury ended his playing career. But Zsak continued his involvement in baseball by coaching with the Cranford PAL. He also was co-director of their summer camp for six years and was the Cranford JV baseball coach for two seasons.

Zsak has been working in law enforcement for the last 20 years and currently resides in Scotch Plains with his wife and two children.

The special guest speaker at the awards dinner will be Dale Berra, the former infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees and Houston Astros, and the son of Yankee great Yogi Berra.

"We're delighted to have New Jersey native Dale Berra as the guest speaker at this year's Hot Stove League Awards Dinner," Freeholder Chairman Daniel Sullivan said in a statement. "We hope that family members and friends of all the award recipients will enjoy the Sunday afternoon ceremonies in support of youth baseball and the new inductees into the Union County Baseball Hall of Fame."

In addition to the new Hall of Fame inductees and student athletes, the Hot Stove League Baseball Dinner also will honor local baseball teams for their achievements in 2009. Tickets for the dinner are $40, with proceeds going to help fund the Union County Summer Youth Baseball League for youngsters 8 to 15 years, and the Fall Teen League.

Since 1937, the annual Hot Stove League Dinner has been the primary fund-raising effort for the Union County Baseball Association's summer and fall programs. Over the years, the awards dinner has honored many local and national baseball luminaries – including Phil Rizzuto of Hillside, Don Newcombe of Elizabeth, Joe Collins of Union, Jeff Torborg of Mountainside, Willie Wilson of Summit, Jake Wood of Elizabeth, and Elliott Maddox of Union.

Tickets for the dinner may be obtained by calling (908) 789-3686.