HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK, Arkansas — The schedule for this year’s Hot Springs Baseball Weekend has been finalized, and a scheduled youth baseball clinic led by Cardinal legend Al (The Mad Hungarian) Hrabosky has been dropped because of anticipated hot weather.
Baseball Weekend, which celebrates Hot Springs’ fame as The Birthplace of Major League Baseball Spring Training and the dozens of Hall of Famers who played and practiced in the city in the early 20th Century, will be August 23 – 24.
“We looked at how the weather has been trending, with hazardous heat warnings fairly common, and decided it would be best if we didn’t have kids out in that situation,” Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison said. “We’ll assess the clinic going forward, and this year Al will instead discuss his story as a major leaguer on opening day, Friday, August 23. He’ll welcome folks to the weekend at 6:30 p.m. in Horner Hall at the Convention Center, and the free screening of the Yogi Berra movie, ‘It Ain’t Over,’ will follow.
“The rest of the weekend is crammed full of great fan interactions with Hall of Famers Robin Yount, Goose Gossage, Ted Simmons and Johnny Bench, plus former Razorback star Tom Pagnozzi. We’ll also have a meeting of the Society for American Baseball Research, with Babe Ruth author Frank Amoroso — open to the public — and a baseball card show in the lobby. It’s all free and open to everybody.”
Final schedule for Hot Springs Baseball Weekend:
Friday, August 23
• 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. — Cardinal legend Al (The Mad Hungarian) Hrabosky Tells His Baseball Story. Horner Hall.
• 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. — Free screening of the documentary film, “It Ain’t Over,” an intimate portrait of a misunderstood American icon — Larry (Yogi) Berra. The emotional and uplifting documentary takes us beyond the caricatures and “Yogi-isms” into the heart of a sports legend whose unparalleled accomplishments on the baseball diamond were often overshadowed by his off-the-field persona. The first 200 guests receive a free Baseball Weekend poster. Horner Hall.
Saturday, August 24
• 8:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. — Society for American Baseball Research meeting in Room 103 of the Convention Center. Free and nonmembers welcome. Speaker Babe Ruth historian and author Frank Amoroso.
• 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. — Baseball card show in the lobby
• 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. — Mister Brewer: Hall of Famer Robin Yount.
• 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. — Remembering Yankees legend Thurmon Munson with Hall of Famer Rich (Goose) Gossage
• 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. — The Art of Cardinals Catching with Hall of Famer Ted Simmons and All-Star Tom Pagnozzi and moderator Al (The Mad Hungarian) Hrabosky
• 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. — Talking Baseball with Hall of Famer Johnny Bench
• 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. — Ask the Pros, featuring Johnny Bench, Robin Yount, Ted Simmons, Goose Gossage, Al Hrabosky and Tom Pagnozzi
For more information call Steve Arrison at 501-321-2027.