Hamptons Collegiate Baseball

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Hamptons Collegiate Baseball (HCB), a division of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL), has a new member on its team – 288-game major league winner Tommy John – who will serve as the Senior Vice President of Development for the 2010 season.

John will assist in raising the Hamptons’ national profile and working toward the objective of becoming one of the premier summer college baseball organizations in the country. He will help with the recruiting initiative as well as the assessment of coaching candidates and other front office personnel. John will also be a presence on the East End to work one-on-one with players, and he will help coordinate the organization’s first annual celebrity pro-am softball game and barbecue, tentatively scheduled to be held on the campus of Stony Brook Southampton this July.

“It’s just to going to grow,” John said. “The way you grow is you get good people for the front office and a good fan base. I’m excited to be a part of the process and go out and work with the players.”

As a 26-year major leaguer, John won 288 games, the fifth-most for a left-handed pitcher in history. The majority of those victories came with the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. In addition, he compiled a career postseason record of 6-3 with a 2.65 ERA. John went 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA in six World Series games, including throwing seven shutout innings in the Yankees’ Game 2 win over Los Angeles in the 1981 Series.

HCB President Rusty Leaver expressed his excitement about bringing in a baseball icon to work with the players and further cultivate the organization as a whole. “The signing of Tommy John is another big step forward for Hamptons Collegiate Baseball,” Leaver said. “Tom is a living legend and very well-respected throughout the baseball world. His knowledge, enthusiasm and love of the game will make him a huge asset to our mission to bring future major league stars to the East End while supplying free family entertainment to our towns of villages.”

John recently coached with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League, accruing a record of 159-176 over three seasons. He is currently a representative of Sportable Scoreboards. Several of this year’s recruits cited John’s involvement as a reason for committing, and John is looking forward to assisting them on their path to the majors.

“Every day is a learning experience in baseball,” John said. “It may not be earth-shattering. You may find as a hitter that if you’re looking away, you can still handle the ball in. As a pitcher, you learn something you didn’t do last game that you want to do the next game. I’m looking forward to being around the kids and talking to them about the game.”

Approximately 125 players from more than 70 universities will be welcomed to the Hamptons for Hamptons Collegiate Baseball’s third season, which is scheduled to begin in June. Hamptons Collegiate Baseball (HCB) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that has brought free family entertainment and high-quality collegiate baseball to eastern Long Island. It was founded in 2007 by Rusty Leaver and its front office and coaching staff are committed to inspiring youth and to building and improving baseball facilities within each community.