Three chosen for Cedar Rapids Baseball 2016 Hall of Fame

Cedar Rapids, IA - Three individuals have been selected for induction into the Cedar Rapids Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. They are Dale Brodt, Tom Lawless and Reggie Sanders.

Dale Brodt began as the public address announcer in Old Veterans Memorial Stadium and has done over 1,700 minor league baseball games. He was in broadcasting for over 30 years, starting in his home town of Mason City, Iowa in 1957. He then worked at stations in Cherokee and Oelwein before moving to Cedar Rapids, where he was a news reporter for 20 years at KLWW and KCRG AM-TV. After his broadcasting career, Brodt went to work for the City of Cedar Rapids, where he retired as the chief zoning inspector in 2003. He and his wife, Rena, have been married 56 years and have four children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandsons. Brodt is a big fan of the Cleveland Indians and enjoys bowling, golf, and has an extensive record and CD collection. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Cedar Rapids Elks Lodge.

Tom Lawless managed the Cedar Rapids Kernels for three seasons (1994-96), posting a 216-196 record and winning the Midwest League Championship in 1994. He played eight seasons in the Majors after being selected in the 17^th round of the 1978 June Amateur Draft out of Penn State University. Lawless is best remembered for being the only player ever traded for Pete Rose, and for his game-winning home run in game four of the 1987 World Series. In 343 MLB games, he hit .207 with 2 HR and 24 RBI with the Reds, Expos, Cardinals, and Blue Jays. He managed 11 seasons after his playing career, serving as the Astros interim manager in 2014 for 24 games. His most recent coaching assignment was for the Corpus Christi Hooks in the Texas League as their infield coach during the 2015 season.

Reggie Sanders retired from baseball in 2007 after a 17-year career in the Major Leagues. During his Major League career, Sanders played on eight different teams, was elected to play in one All-Star Game, and won the World Series in 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played in five different National League Championship Series and three different World Series. The Cincinnati Reds drafted Sanders in the seventh round of the Amateur Draft in 1987. He played for the Cedar Rapids Reds in 1990, batting .285 with 17 HR, 63 RBI, and 40 stolen bases in 127 games. He made his MLB debut on August 22, 1991 against the Atlanta Braves. During his Major League career, Sanders played in 1,777 games, which included over 6,200 plate appearances, over 3,000 total bases, 983 runs batted in, 304 stolen bases, 305 home runs, and a lifetime .267 batting average. He has the distinction of being one of only eight players in the history of Major League Baseball, to both hit 300 or more home runs in his career while also stealing 300 or more bases. Sanders lives in Myrtle Beach, SC with his wife Wyndee and their four daughters Cody, age 22; Carrigon, age 17; Carson, age 14; and Cooper, age 11.

The 20th Annual Hot Stove Banquet will be held on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Cedar Rapids. The Class of 2016 Hall of Fame will also be recognized before a Kernels game on 'Hall of Fame Night' scheduled for Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

The mission of the Cedar Rapids Ball Club Hall of Fame is to honor those individuals who, through extraordinary personal effort, have furthered the existence, quality or preservation of professional baseball in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Hall of Fame is located in the Bimm Ridder Diamond Shop and a Hall of Fame Timeline is located on the suite level at Veterans Memorial Stadium and is open during all Kernel home games, normal store hours, or by special appointment.