Friday morning, May 1 Ryan Eberly received a call from a former A's player in California telling him of the death of Danny Gans Ryan had been a batboy when Danny played here in 1976. It goes without saying that it was a shock - it was hard to believe that it was true. Throughout the day, the Eberlys heard from many of Danny's 1976 A's teammates and others who were familiar with the fact that he had played with the team. All expressed their disbelief and sorrow at the news.

Danny, 52, died in his sleep early May 1 at his home in Henderson, NV. At the present time, cause of death had not been determined. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made to the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, 6070 S. Eastern Ave #200, Las Vegas, NV 89119.

Spring is in the air and both college and professional baseball is underway, which means it won't be long before the "boys of summer" will be coming to Clarinda. A's management, board of directors and auxiliary have some new things on the agenda that will make an evening at the ball park even more fun.

Pictured with referees at All Sports Day last month, a new mascot for the team was introduced for the first time. At the present time, he has no name so we are asking for your help. Slips were filled out that day and one of the names suggested there will be chosen to go on a final list from which the selection will be made.

Plans are underway to have him appear at the grade school before the season begins and give the students an opportunity to have input, but the public is invited to join in the search also. Just mail your choice, with your name and phone number to Clarinda A's, 225 E. Lincoln, Clarinda, IA 51632 to get in on the fun of picking his name.

Auxiliary members are also working on housing for the summer and there is still a need for a few homes. Being a house parent is not difficult and has been a part of the total A's program since 1976. If you are interested and have questions or concerns, please contact Jill Sunderman, Karman Moses, Annette Nelson, Donna Scarlett, Pat Eberly or any other auxiliary member or current houseparent. They will be happy to fill you in on what is required and how enjoyable the experience can be.

More news about the upcoming season will be in the next issue of the Herald Journal and the spring A's Dugout News will be in the May 11th issue of the shopper.

Again, the 2009 season is almost here - help the A's kick it off by joining us as a houseparent, helping name the new mascot and/or being a fan this summer.

Clarinda A’s held their 34^th annual Baseball Hall of Fame Banquet Saturday, January 10, 2009 at the Clarinda Academy Activities center.

           

Headlining the event were four former A’s players Ozzie Smith, Von Hayes, Darrell Miller and Andrew Cashner. Smith is a National Hall of Fame player who was with the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals during his professional career. Hayes first signed with the Cleveland Indians and played most of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies. Miller was a catcher for the Angels and is currently director of Major Leagues Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Ca.  Cashner was the first round draft choice this past season for the Chicago Cubs. Other notables in attendance included Bill Clark (former professional scout) and his wife from Columbia, Mo; Jerry Taylor, NBC tournament director, Wichita, KS; and Bob Steinkamp, manager of the Beatrice Bruins, also a professional scout.

In conjunction with the banquet, ...