Somebody at tonight's Boys and Girls Club of Aberdeen Area annual banquet will be able to take Dave Winfield home for an extended visit.
A bronze sculpture of the Baseball Hall of Famer by Aberdeen artist Benjamin Victor will be auctioned off at tonight's banquet, an annual fundraiser for the club. A second bust will be given to Winfield, the event's featured speaker.
Winfield is one of only seven major league baseball players to have more than 3,000 hits and 450 home runs. He was drafted by four professional sports teams upon leaving the University of Minnesota. A St. Paul native, Winfield now works for ESPN and is a vice president for the San Diego Padres.
Winfield was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001. In Game 6 of the 1992 World Series, Winfield's hit scored the winning run in the Blue Jays' championship-clinching victory over the Atlanta Braves.
Victor and the Boys and Girls Club worked with Winfield to get permission to make and auction the sculpture. Victor said a bidder tonight will take home a unique keepsake. The sculpture features Winfield in a Twins jersey.
Winfield and Victor will sign the bust tonight, so there will be work to be done on it after the auction, Victor said. A signed Minnesota Twins jersey and other items will also be auctioned off.
The banquet, which includes dinner, will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center, 1400 Eighth Ave. N.W. Tickets are still available for $50 per individual and $400 per table. Get them at the Boys and Girls Club, 1111 First Ave. S.E., or at the door. For more information, call 605-225-8714.
