The Pecan Park Eagle

BY 1991, MILO HAMILTON WAS WELL ON HIS WAY TO BECOMING A LEGENDARY MC OF BASEBALL DINNERS IN HOUSTON.

Preface – Thanks to Bill Gilbert, the Houston Baseball Dinner historical columns are back in the saddle again. With the information Bill Gilbert has contributed from his 1991 dinner program, we are able to describe the 1991 Houston Baseball Dinner with all of its baseline information, except for the cost of tickets. The price had gone to $25 per dinner place in 1989, but we cannot presume what they may have been in 1991. And remember too, we are still searching for data on any dinners held in 1986 and the one we know for certain happened in 1990. In the meanwhile, we have put those two years aside until either a later library research or the sudden appearance of programs for 1986 and 1990 falls into our laps.

The 1991 banquet was formally identified in Bill Gilbert’s copy of the 1991 event program as the “1991 Houston Baseball Dinner” (HBD). The event was co-sponsored by the Houston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), the Astro Orbiters Booster Club and the Houston Sports Association (HSA). John Kelley served as General Chairman of the event and Milo Hamilton again served as Master of Ceremonies for the dinner and evening of baseball award presentations.

The 1991 HBD was held at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Houston on February 7, 1991.

Names of the sponsorship of tickets purchased by table order were included in the program and one of those identified sponsors was our very own SABR and Baseball History National Treasure – Mr. Larry Miggins.

(And by the way, for those of you who may not have known, Larry Miggins celebrated his 89th birthday yesterday, August 20, 2014. God Bless You again, Larry!)

Here is our list of award honorees for the 1991 Houston Baseball Dinner without the addition of unavailable timely quotes or further comment from us beyond the headlined one. It appears that Danny Darwin became the first honoree in the entire history of the HBD to take two awards at the same dinner.

Here’s what we have to report, with thanks again to our invaluable partner in this research effort – Mr. Bill Gilbert. – Thanks, Bill!

1991 Houston Baseball Dinner (HBD) Award Winners:

WAYNE GRAHAM
RICE BASEBALL COACH
1991 WINNER
COLLEGE COACH OF THE YEAR

BILLY HATCHER
HOUSTON ASTROS
1991 WINNER
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

DANNY DARWIN
HOUSTON ASTROS
TWO 1991 AWARDS
(1) NL 1990 CONSORT CONTROL PITCHER
(2) 1990 ASTROS MVP

ROGER CLEMENS
BOSTON RED SOX
1990 AL CONSORT CONTROL PITCHER

ALLEN RUSSELL
1991 WINNER
LONG AND MERITORIOUS SERVICE
TO BASEBALL

DOUG DRABEK
HOUSTON ASTROS
1990 HOUSTON AREA
MLB PLAYER OF THE YEAR