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GS Dinner

#10 Baseball

Longtime MLB Scout to Keynote Grand Slam Dinner

LIVINGSTON, Ala. – Longtime Major League Baseball scout Joe Mason will be the keynote speaker at the 2020 University of West Alabama Grand Slam Dinner. The annual dinner signals the beginning of a new Tiger baseball season.
 
The Grand Slam Dinner is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Bell Conference Center on the UWA campus. Tickets are $35 for adults, $15 for children 12-and-under, and can be purchased by contacting Coach Gary Rundles at 205-652-3780 or by emailing your ticket request to rrundles@uwa.edu. Reservations are preferred, but tickets can be purchased at the door.
 
UWA baseball souvenirs will be available, as well as opportunities to meet and interact with Tiger players and coaches.
 
Mason attended Dozier High School before going on to Alabama Christian College and Auburn University. He served four years in the United States Navy (1969-1973), including a tour of duty in Viet Nam.
 
Mason coached baseball at Auburn-Montgomery from 1973-79 and began his scouting career as a bird dog for Milwaukee in 1977. He became a full time scout with the New York Mets in October 1980. From 1981 thru 1997, Joe served the Mets as area scout, cross checker and area supervisor, covering five southeastern states and Australia.
 
He signed major league players Bill Latham, Lou Thornton, Terry Blocker, Barry Lyons, Wes Gardner, Dave Magadan, David West, Rich Rodriguez, Marcus Lawton, Jeff McKnight, Pat Howell and Terrance Long. Mason was part of the 1986 World Championship New York Mets.
 
Mason joined the Boston Red Sox in 1998 and scouted there until 2004. He signed major league players Josh Hancock and Jonathan Papelbon for the Red Sox and was part of the 2004 World Championship Boston Red Sox.
 
He was an area scout for the Milwaukee Brewers from 2003-2010, and then worked as an area scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2010 - 2015.
 
His honors include 1983 Scout of the Year for the New York Mets, induction into the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class of 2001 and appearing on a Topps Baseball Card with Jonathan Papelbon in 2008.
 
Mason was inducted into the Class of 2016 Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation Hall of Fame. This is the highest honor a professional scout may receive.
 
 
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