The winners: Pictured are (left to right) Mike Augustine, Jim Stewart and Bob Cobleigh. MARIA POUCHNIKOVA / TIMES PHOTO
The Oldtimers Bats and Balls Association last week honored three people with the William “Pickles” Kennedy Award.
The honorees were:
• Jim Stewart, who played three years of minor league baseball in the Phillies organization. His teammates included Lee Elia and Dick Allen. A Virginia native, he came to Philadelphia to work summers when he was young. He earned a football scholarship to Bluefield State College in West Virginia. After his minor league baseball career ended, he played for the Jenkintown Quakers in the Pen-Del League. His manager was Stan Lopata, a former Phillies catcher and two-time all-star.
• Bob Cobleigh, a Holmesburg native who was an outstanding boxer and halfback in football at Jules Mastbaum Tech. He drove a tractor-trailer for 60 years without getting in an accident. He is now chairman of the Delran Patriots, a pro-America organization. Call 609–458–2711 for more information.
• Mike Augustine, an Abraham Lincoln High School graduate who was a two-time All-American baseball player at Florida State University, where he is a member of that school’s sports Hall of Fame. He later played for Jenkintown and Cheltenham in the Pen-Del League.
The Oldtimers group consists of former athletes and officials. Members meet four times a year at Randi’s Restaurant & Bar, 1619 Grant Ave. in Grant Plaza II in Bustleton.
The William “Pickles” Kennedy Award is named in memory of a former star basketball player at Abraham Lincoln High School and Temple University. Kennedy spent a year with the NBA’s Philadelphia Warriors, then played minor league baseball for several years in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
Among those attending the Feb. 11 luncheon were Bobby Shantz, a former American League Most Valuable Player who recently celebrated his 65th wedding anniversary, and Doug Clemens, a former Phillies outfielder.
The remaining 2015 Oldtimers luncheons will be at noon on the following Wednesdays: May 13, Aug. 12 and Nov. 11. Lunch costs $11.
For information on the group, call Chuck Newns (215–612–0476), Ron Fritz (215–491–9380), Jack Purdy (215–968–0404) or Ron March (609–209–0849), or visit www.batsandballs.org ••
