The Philadelphia Inquirer (Nov. 20, 2011) carries a Monster Worldwide, Inc. full page on “Using your looks for career success (without going overboard).
You can link to it right here. Please read it and heed Robert DiGiacomo’s words (for Yahoo HotJobs). He knows of what he speaks. [To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]
http://career-advice.monster.com/in-the-office/workplace-issues/using-your-looks-for-career-success-without-going-overboard-hot-jobs/article.aspx
To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com
As the Courier-Post’s Celeste Whittaker notes in a recent column. Major League Baseball “swings and misses” with its dress code. Not that Whittaker doesn’t agree with it, she just doesn’t believe it needs to be codified.
MLB’s dress code apparently evolved last year when the New York Jets had the controversy with the sideline reporter Inez Sainz of Mexico’s TV Aztec. She was alledgedy, according to Whittaker, “wearing tight-fitting clothes and low-cut shirts and claims she was essentially harassed by players and coaches.” “But,” says Whittaker, “Sainz’s wardrobe is not typical for a media member.”
Here is MLB’s list of what media members may NOT wear:
I’m curious, what is your reaction to this “new” media dress code?
To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com
Cape May County Herald.Com (Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011) ran this piece on Atlantic Cape Community College’s annual public relations panel discussion. This year’s topic was Crisis Communication. The panel traditionally runs the day before Thanksgiving.
To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com. My Rowan University students were inited to attend and many did. Here is the article by Al Campbell. [See pictures below]
COURT HOUSE – When the worst happens, how will good public relations smooth the road to the future?
That’s what a panel of publicists discussed Wed., Nov. 23 with communications and public relations students from Atlantic Cape Community College and Rowan University at the Third Annual Public Relations Panel Discussion.
Assistant Professor Joy Jones introduced her students and visitors to the Court House campus to some local PR pros: Barbara Murphy, owner-partner, Fish with Feet LLC; Lenora Boninfante, Cape May County communications director; Larry Litwin, Rowan University professor; Corinthea Harris, Atlantic Cape student, 2011 Communication Major of the Year and intern at Suasion Communications; and Kathleen Corbalis, APR, Atlantic Cape’s executive director of College Relations.
Youthful publicists of the future heard about some recent tragedies: deaths of four Mainland Regional High School football players, a girl’s death on Morey’s Pier Ferris wheel, a carjacking at an Atlantic City casino, and Hurricane Irene.
All those, and the ongoing Penn State University sex scandal as well as the shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech, served as examples of what can happen in business, education and in government, and how they were handled, or mishandled, by public relations officials.
Boninfante cited the importance of keeping the public informed by use of every available means, as in Hurricane Irene, when an
evacuation order largely cleared the county a week prior to Labor Day Weekend.
“My job is to make sure you are informed,” she said. Prior to Sept. 11, 2001, she said there was not as much focus on preparedness as now.
“You have to have a plan, that’s the most important thing you can do when faced with a crisis, so you are not scrambling,” Boninfante said.
She noted the importance of social media, but added that, if someone posts inaccurate information, instead of engaging that person, it is best to simply post the truth from an official standpoint.
Litwin, a former KYW and ABC reporter, covered the MOVE tragedy, long before any of the students in the room could recall, in Philadelphia when 11 were killed and 65 homes destroyed in a massive fire.
Litwin, in his 42nd year of communications, said he had been discussing in his Rowan class the Penn State crisis.
“Penn State did everything wrong,” he said. The university knew this was going to break,” he said. Officials knew of at least part of the “horror” since 1998, Litwin said.
Still, there was silence and no plan on the part of the university to contain or control the flow of information from the executive office.
He cited the “golden hours” when the “media wants it immediately. They want to get the message out. Within those two to four hours, you have to address the media because they are getting the story,
say ‘This is all we know at this stage, but we are gathering the facts,’” Litwin said.
He urged, “Tell it first, tell it fast, tell all, and tell it yourself.”
“Penn State told nothing. It wasn’t the chairman of the board who spoke, it was their vice chairman who spoke,” he added.
Virginia Tech, on the other hand, was ready with a staging area for the media, and maintained a constant flow of information to the media. They had someone monitoring incoming news, and made sure they were communicating with their key public, he said.
Relationships are vital with editors and reporters, said Litwin. Those are invaluable when a public relations professional must be available to handle the situation when bad news breaks, he said.
Corbalis recalled a time when she was new with the college in the 1980s, and the college president called her in to inform her with the news that controller was believed to be embezzling funds.
“I give him a lot of credit for that, and how he handled a crisis,” she said.
She noted the president kept her informed through every stage of the matter. He learned through an internal investigation, contact law enforcement agencies, and hid nothing from her.
“I was in my 20s at the time. I was made aware, on a confidential basis of everything that was happening,” she said.
Subsequently, the controller was arrested and charged.
“Atlantic Community College, as it was known at the time, had a statement. We were first with it. We told our story, and took responsibility. We expressed concern, and reassured everyone no student money was involved,” Corbalis said.
“It was a well constructed story. That’s not what happened at Penn State. We were giving information. We were open, transparent and above board,” Corbalis added.
Technology has changed how public relations officials meet crisis, Corbalis noted.
She cited an “act of God” thunderstorm in 2003 when lightning struck and a power surge wiped out all power to the Mays Landing campus.
There was no website, no power for four days, and no social media to communicate to students.
Corbalis took it upon herself to produce paper fliers that were handed to each student as they arrived on campus.
News media today, with immediate means of dispensing information, as well as text messaging to each student would negate the need for all that work, she said.
Part of a public relations person, said Corbalis, is to monitor the client’s on-line presence, and to garner bad as well as good data that may be stated about the client.
She cited an example of social media, Facebook in particular, at the college when students were complaining of course books not being available for purchase at the bookstore.
She gathered that information, and informed the person in charge of that department of the problem, so it could be corrected as quickly as possible.
All agreed that, whenever possible, it is best that a company chief executive should be the source of information in a crisis.
Boninfante said every New Jersey county, municipality, school and nursing home and hospital is mandated to have an emergency response plan.
Included in those plans, she said, is a communications plan. “It has to be a piece of your plan,” she said.
She cited the idea of a “dark website” one that is ready at a moment’s notice to be used to disseminate information should a crisis occur.
say ‘This is all we know at this stage, but we are gathering the facts,’” Litwin said.
He urged, “Tell it first, tell it fast, tell all, and tell it yourself.”
“Penn State told nothing. It wasn’t the chairman of the board who spoke, it was their vice chairman who spoke,” he added.
Virginia Tech, on the other hand, was ready with a staging area for the media, and maintained a constant flow of information to the media. They had someone monitoring incoming news, and made sure they were communicating with their key public, he said.
Relationships are vital with editors and reporters, said Litwin. Those are invaluable when a public relations professional must be available to handle the situation when bad news breaks, he said.
Corbalis recalled a time when she was new with the college in the 1980s, and the college president called her in to inform her with the news that controller was believed to be embezzling funds.
“I give him a lot of credit for that, and how he handled a crisis,” she said.
She noted the president kept her informed through every stage of the matter. He learned through an internal investigation, contact law enforcement agencies, and hid nothing from her.
“I was in my 20s at the time. I was made aware, on a confidential basis of everything that was happening,” she said.
Subsequently, the controller was arrested and charged.
“Atlantic Community College, as it was known at the time, had a statement. We were first with it. We told our story, and took responsibility. We expressed concern, and reassured everyone no student money was involved,” Corbalis said.
“It was a well constructed story. That’s not what happened at Penn State. We were giving information. We were open, transparent and above board,” Corbalis added.
Technology has changed how public relations officials meet crisis, Corbalis noted.
She cited an “act of God” thunderstorm in 2003 when lightning struck and a power surge wiped out all power to the Mays Landing campus.
There was no website, no power for four days, and no social media to communicate to students.
Corbalis took it upon herself to produce paper fliers that were handed to each student as they arrived on campus.
News media today, with immediate means of dispensing information, as well as text messaging to each student would negate the need for all that work, she said.
Part of a public relations person, said Corbalis, is to monitor the client’s on-line presence, and to garner bad as well as good data that may be stated about the client.
She cited an example of social media, Facebook in particular, at the college when students were complaining of course books not being available for purchase at the bookstore.
She gathered that information, and informed the person in charge of that department of the problem, so it could be corrected as quickly as possible.
All agreed that, whenever possible, it is best that a company chief executive should be the source of information in a crisis.
Boninfante said every New Jersey county, municipality, school and nursing home and hospital is mandated to have an emergency response plan.
Included in those plans, she said, is a communications plan. “It has to be a piece of your plan,” she said.
She cited the idea of a “dark website” one that is ready at a moment’s notice to be used to disseminate information should a crisis occur.
Below is the panel (from left to right) Kathleen Corbalis, APR, Atlantic cape Community College; Corinthea Harris, public relations major, ACCC; M. Larry Litwin, APR, Fellow PRSA, Rowan University associate professor; Lenora Boninfante, Cape May County communications director; and Barbara Murphy, owner-partner, Fish with Feet LLC.
To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com
I was inducted into the South Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame on Nov. 26, 2011. A number of readers have asked that I post my acceptance speech. While there were “on the fly” changes, here is the essence of my comments:
Congratulations to all of the inductees, the All-South Jersey team, scholarship recipients and others who have received recognition here today and will shortly.
A special expression of gratitude to my colleague and friend – and a true professional in every way, Dan Baker – for taking time away from his family on this holiday weekend to introduce today’s inductees.
PAUSE…
A few weeks ago, Hall of Famer and former Cherry Hill East coach Dave Martin pulled me aside and said, “Larry, getting into the Hall is special. It probably won’t hit you until you start to speak.”
Well Dave, it did hit me as I started to prepare these remarks, and thought about my high school coach Bob Minnick and the influence he had on my life.
Then I reminisced about one game in particular. It was on a Sunday afternoon…July 8, 1962. That day is indelible in my mind. It was played at Medford’s Bunting Field. In those days, there was NO fence.
That’s the day I got a pretty lucky hit – a first inning, two out, bases loaded triple – off of Moorestown’s Ron Goodwin in the Del Val All-Star game. I didn’t take many pitches and jumped on a first pitch, fast ball, low and away…and swung late…hitting it just inside the right field line into a backyard.
For me to get a triple, the ball had to go a long way. Saying I was slow is an understatement.
My dad worked 16 hours a day…seven days a week and rarely made it to my games. And even though this was a Sunday, he was working. On this day, however, he left his store early and as I got up from my slide into third, there he was getting out of his truck…and I could hear him and my grandmother both yelling…Larry boy.
– O –
When our daughter Julie – who flew in from Atlanta last night for today – told our 8-year-old granddaughter Alana about my going into this Hall of Fame, Alana said, “Mommy, Pops has the best life. If ever I have to interview someone, I want it to be him.”
It has been the best life, because I have been pretty lucky. And that is the theme of my remarks today.
While my parents are no longer with us, my sisters and I were lucky enough to have them into their mid to late 80s – and they were rather healthy until the end.
Like others in this room, my parents taught me a number of traits that have led to this recognition by the Hot Stovers.
Certainly…both taught my sisters and me that hard work pays off. And while my father was working those 16 hour days, Mom taught us the meaning…of the word…luck and being lucky. We call them Momisms. Among them, “if you dream it, you can achieve it.” And, many times, achieving one’s dream takes luck.
As I share with my students, luck is “preparation meeting opportunity.”
So, I share this – especially with the younger players in this room. How lucky was I??? – remembering – luck is PREPARATION meeting OPPORTUNITY.
I was born to great parents who supported my every move and decision…even when we didn’t agree – such as when I decided to take up an offer to play baseball at a small college baseball powerhouse in…of all places…Iowa. I had never been away from South Jersey.
Parsons College played a 100 game schedule. Fortunately for me, I got hurt. And on May 23, 1966, when the local radio station that carried our games needed a color announcer on short notice, I was ready…and said yes when asked if had ever announced before. That was a stretch, though. The announcing I did was the football and basketball PA at Pennsauken High School, but I always wanted to be in radio…that is…if I couldn’t play professional baseball.
That tiny fib about announcing, transitioned me from my baseball to radio career. I was lucky – I was prepared when opportunity came calling.
The luck didn’t stop there. It carried over to a Drama Appreciation class at Parsons, where a blonde freshman said yes …when I invited her out for coffee after that first class of the semester. Remember Ballard Hall?
So, to that blonde – my wife Nancy (there she is) – thank you for putting up with my baseball, my radio reporting, my umpiring and my working with literally several thousand Rowan University students over the years.
So, why am I here? Why am I being recognized by this outstanding organization? They tell me it’s for my contributions as a sports announcer and writer…covering many high school and college games…my career as an umpire and…as a player – a little bit.
Since it’s umpiring that is first and foremost…and I am thrilled to see so many of my colleagues today and am always honored to take the field with them…here are two recollections …or anecdotes from those 35 years.
One was a couple of years ago. I had just finished a Carpenter Cup game and was heading to the car. I had to make a quick stop at one of those PortaPotties in the parking lot. I did knock, but quickly opened the unlocked door and there was a woman inside.
When she came out, I assured her…I hadn’t seen a thing. Without hesitation, she shot back…Oh, I know you didn’t. I just saw you umpire THAT game.
PAUSE…
My other recollection goes back many years. My wife Nancy and I had been invited to a wedding in Glassboro and accepted the invite. In the meantime, I had gotten a call to umpire the plate in a Diamond Classic semi-final at Camden County College – Overbrook and Washington Township. How could I pass that up? And, anyway, I told my wife, it’s really not that far from the catering hall.
So, on an incredibly hot, humid day, I wore a blue blazer to the wedding with my umpire’s pants and finished dressing at the field. It was a great game. I don’t remember who won, but I do remember…the score was 1-0. The game took only one hour and five minutes. As we were walking back to the car, my partner… Richie Brasch…said, you know, Larry, you have time to go back to the wedding. They’ll think you just were in the bathroom. So, I did. As I walked back into hall, my wife looked “stunned,” and the bride’s father, my boss…looked at me and asked, “Are you sure you’re OK. You were gone for a while and you look a bit sweaty.” …Yes, preparation meeting opportunity. I have never told that story, publicly. I was lucky he never found out.
So, how did I get here???…Through the unending and infinite support of my family. You have already met my wife, Nancy, and now meet our daughter, Julie, a second grade teacher in Atlanta, wife of Billy Kramer…who are proud parents of 8-year-old Alana and 5-year-old Aidan; our son Dr. Adam Seth Litwin, a professor at Johns Hopkins University and his wife Claire, and my sister Janice and her husband…who is the brother I never had, Steve Barbell, who was among those who nominated me for this incredible honor.
Also at the table…E-J Campbell. E-J represents the thousands of Rowan students who drive and challenge me each day. From the very first night I had E-J in class he has called me coach. And, like many of you in this room, I have been called a lot of things…good and bad…including Dad, Pops and BLUE. But nothing…nothing…resonates more than when a student calls me coach.
So, thank you to the Hot Stovers and all of my students, my family and to all of you coaches who inspire me to do what I do.
To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com
Kaitlin Madden of CareerBuilder, has some advice about making the most of holiday parties. To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com.
She says, “Create connections that lead to future job opportunities.”
First of all, Madden suggests “being friendly with those you meet. They may provide important connections or job leads later on.” Madden lists these five tips:
1. Find a connection
2. Present a professional front.
3. Don’t be late.
4. Be interested, not interesting.
5. Don’t force the work subject.
You can check out Kaitlin Madden — and should — using Google or another search engine. She has excellent tips, including what to wear. Please keep in mind, “You are always communicating,” say Jack Horner and Mike Gross (Rowan ’03) of Jack Horner Communications.
Paul DeNucci, author, The International Networker says, “Remember that events are never about you. The way to win friends and great contacts is to make others comfortable in your presence. Be interested, not interesting.”
Advice from Larry Litwin, “Keep your business card handy. Be ready for an exchange as you complete your elevator speech.”
Remember: YOU are a brand. Package tourself properly.
Madden offers this “What to wear” advice.
In general, when picking out an outfit, Lupo offers the following guidelines:
To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com.
[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]
With the losses of Andy Rooney and the champ, Joe Frazier, and the horrendous news coming out of State College, last week was a “down” week for many. I have
communicated with many reporters and with my students — even devoting classes to the Penn State case study and how NOT to approach a crisis.
For this week’s blog, I will turn back to Smokin’ Joe. I first met him on Dec. 6, 1970. We remained acquaintances as I moved deeper into sports reporting. Back on that 1970 day at the Nevele Country Club in the New York Catskills, Champ honored me by joining me in a picture. He was there performing with his band, “Smokin’ Joe and the Knockouts.” [See link, below.] Joe was a far better boxer than musician. But he loved music nearly as much as he did boxing.
In case you aren’t sure, that is Litwin on the left. May the Champ rest in peace.
http://www.joefrazier.com/news/1-latest-news/72-smokin-joe-frazier-and-the-knockouts.html
Have a great week. [To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]
To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com
Larry Litwin’s The Public Relations Practitioner’s Playbook clearly lays out what one should do when faced with a crisis.
In response to GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain’s mishandling of facts and accusations, this is what experts say. The advice parallels The PR Playbook’s Chapter 14 — Crisis Communications.
This shifting story is a problem for the Cain campaign, says Jack Pitney, who appeared on NPR’s “Morning Edition” on Nov. 1
“This is not good political damage control,” said Pitney, a professor of government at Claremont (Calif.) McKenna College. He says inconsistency from a campaign can be much more damaging than the initial charge.
“They should have been prepared with a response right from the get go. Get your facts straight. Get your side of the story out and stick to it. And an inconsistent response, or even worse an inaccurate response, just worsens the problem that you’re facing.
Pitney says it’s not clear whether this is something Cain will recover from, or whether it’s the beginning of the end for his presidential run.
Republican political consultant Todd Harris says Cain cannot sit by. This is a story will not soon go away (thanks in no small part to 24/7 news).
Says Harris: “If they are simply just hoping that it goes away, I’m afraid they’re going to be as ill-prepared tomorrow and the next day as they have been this past week.”
Harris says a crisis like this bumps a campaign off its message. The campaign loses control. “That’s why it’s so important in a crisis situation to deal with it as quickly as you possibly can to pivot back onto your message, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to deal with it.”
As stated in Litwin’s The PR Practitioner’s Playbook, within minutes of a crisis, gather the facts and then:
Tell it first
Tell it fast
Tell it all
Tell it yourself
Litwin’s books are available at all major bookstores, click and mortar or brick and mortar, and on www.larrylitwin./com.
To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com
Take a look at this. Feel free to comment: larry@larrylitwin.com. Check out other QR code blogs on Larry’s Blog.
President
Hot Stovers Club of South Jersey
(856) 767-7170
Dave Townsend
(856) 424-8545
or
Larry Litwin – 856-767-7730 – larry@larrylitwin.com
Today’s Date: Oct. 16, 2011 Release: Upon Receipt
MEDIA ALERT
(Full release/Pick up on next page)
Event: Hot Stovers Baseball Club of South Jersey 52nd Anniversary Dinner
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011
TIME: 2 p.m.
PLACE: Masso’s Columbus Manor, Black Horse Pike, Williamstown.
Details: Seven inductees will have their names added to the South Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame housed at Campbell Field in Camden. Tickets, priced at $40, are now on sale and may be purchased by contacting banquet chair Dave Townsend at (856)424-8545 or Bill Wagner, Hot Stovers’ president, at (856)767-7170. This year’s inductees are former players: Elwood Bearint, of Camden’s semi-professional leagues and a Philadelphia A’s minor league player; Joe Cruz III, Overbrook High School ’95 and Camden County College; Ted Frett, Woodrow Wilson High School ’66 and Temple University; Chuck Ricci, Shawnee High School, ’87 and Philadelphia Phillies; Josh Schwartz, Gateway Regional ’00, Rowan University and Saint Louis Cardinals system; Steve Van Note, Atlantic City High School ‘99 and University of Delaware; and Larry Litwin, Pennsauken High School, ’63 and Parsons College, who enters as a contributor (current umpire, sports announcer).
In addition, the Hot Stovers will be honoring its 2011 High School All-Star team, South Jersey Coach of the Year, American Legion Most Valuable Player, and six scholarship recipients including winners of the Tom Heinkel, Bill Carty, and Robert Bobo Memorial Scholarship Awards.
### (See next page for full release)
Pick up Hot Stover honorees/Page 1 of 6 – October 16, 2011
Seven inductees will have their names added to the South Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame housed at Campbell Field in Camden. The induction luncheon is set for Masso’s Columbus Manor, Black Horse Pike, Williamstown on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 2 p.m. Tickets, priced at $40, are now on sale and may be purchased by contacting banquet chair Dave Townsend at (856) 424-8545 or Bill Wagner, Hot Stovers’ president, at (856) 767-7170.
In addition, the Hot Stovers will be honoring its 2011 High School All-Star team,
South Jersey Coach of the Year, American Legion Most Valuable Player, and six
scholarship recipients including winners of the Tom Heinkel, Bill Carty, and Robert
Bobo Memorial Scholarship Awards.
This year’s inductees are former players: Elwood Bearint, of Camden’s semi-professional leagues and a Philadelphia A’s minor league player; Joe Cruz III, Overbrook High School ’95 and Camden County College; Ted Frett, Woodrow Wilson High School ’66 and Temple University; Chuck Ricci, Shawnee High School, ’87 and Philadelphia Phillies; Josh Schwartz, Gateway Regional ’00, Rowan University and Saint Louis Cardinals system; Steve Van Note, Atlantic City High School ‘99 and University of Delaware; and Larry Litwin, Pennsauken High School, ’63 and Parsons College, who enters as a contributor (current umpire, sports announcer).
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Pick up Hot Stover honorees/Page 2 of 6 – October 16, 2011
Elwood Bearint is entering the Hall posthumously. He grew up in the Cramer Hill section of Camden where he was considered one of the top baseball players in the area. He was a crafty left-handed pitcher. Newspaper stories and boxscores indicate he was an above average hitter and excellent defensive outfielder when not pitching.
He was signed by Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics in 1926 and played for the Chambersburg (Pa.) Maroons in the Blue Ridge League and York (Pa.) in the New York-Penn League in 1926 where he hit .256 with a 7-6 pitching record.
In 1927, Bearint hit .316 for the Maroons with a 1-4 pitching record. In an exhibition game for the York Roses, he pitched against the St. Louis Cardinals (facing Rogers Hornsby) losing 6-2.
Prior to signing with the A’s, Bearint pitched and hit for the successful Defiance team in Camden. In 1923, Defiance took the Camden City championship with a 33-8 record. After injuring his elbow in 1927, he returned from the minors to lead Camden to championships in the South Jersey Police League and Strawbridge and Clothier in the Camden City League. For a time, he was a mechanic in the Camden Police garage.
He continued to play in the area during the ’30s and /’40s while running a roofing business. Bearint died in 1954 at 48. Both of his younger brothers, Paul and Chuck, played professional ball and are members of the SJ HOF.
Joe Cruz is a 1995 Overbrook (Pine Hill) graduate and an All American in ’96 and ’97 at Camden County College. In 1997, he was National Junior College Player of the Year, Region 19 Player of the Year and South Jersey Baseball Coaches Player of the Year and named to Team USA.
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Pick up Hot Stover honorees/Page 3 of 6 – October 16, 2011
At Overbrook, Cruz was an outstanding infielder and hitter batting .430, .419 and .469 respectively in ’93, ’94 and ’95. He had double digits in extra base hits and runs batted in all three years. He was All-Olympic Conference all three years, All-Group IV and All-South Jersey in ’94 and ’95 and All-State in ’95. In 1995, Cruz was honored by the Hot Stovers with the Billy Carty Memorial Scholarship. He was Most Valuable Player of the North-South New Jersey State All-Star game in ’95.
Cruz transferred to Mount Olive (N.C.) College where he was first team
All-Regional MVP and played with the 1998 Team USA in Toronto, Canada. Later he
signed with Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic Independent League.
Ted Frett is a 1966 Woodrow Wilson graduate. The left-handed pitcher and hitter
led the Tigers to the Camden City Series Championship, was his team’s MVP and was selected Camden City Player of the Year. In 1966, he tossed one no hitter, two one hitters, and two two hitters. A member of the Cramer Hill Boys Club, he was honored as the winner of the Boys Club of America Medallion emblematic of “Boy of the Year.”
Frett received a baseball scholarship to Temple University where he is still third all-time in strike outs averaging 9.44 per game and 11th in strike outs with 166. His four-year earned run average was 3.07. He was a First Team All-Star pitcher in NCAA District II in 1969 and caught the eye of professional scouts in May 1968 when he tossed a three hitter against Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) snapping the Profs’ 35-game winning streak.
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Pick up Hot Stover honorees/Page 4 of 6 – October 16, 2011
During the summer, he played in the South Dakota Basin League and named an All Star averaging 13 strike outs per game enroute to a 9-4 record.
After graduating from Temple, he signed with the Boston Red Sox playing for Greenville (S.C.) and Winter Haven (Fla.) – Class A. When his professional career ended, Frett returned to the area to play for another 10 years in the Philadelphia Penn-Del and other leagues in South Jersey and Philadelphia.
He is a life-long educator and retired principal living in West Deptford where he is proud to say, “I fly the flag in front of our home 24/7, 365 days a year.” He is the nephew of South Jersey Hall of Famer Fred “General” Frett, HOF ’91 also from the Cramer Hill section of Camden.
Chuck Ricci is a 1987 Shawnee High School graduate and former Phillies pitcher. Now a national cross checker for Cleveland Indians, he has spent 25 years in professional baseball.
At Shawnee, he earned four varsity letters being named All-Conference in ’85, ’86 and ’87, All-Group IV and All-South Jersey in ’86 and ’87 and All-State in 1987. Ricci posted a career 31-6 record and 1.73 ERA for the Renegades.
During his 11 year professional career (1987-97), Ricci, a right hander, went
65-60 with 49 saves and a 3.94 ERA. He led the International (AAA) League with 25 saves in 1995 and was named Pitcher of the Year with the Scranton Red Barons. He had a short stint with the Phillies and went 1-0 with the Phillies in 1995 with nine strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA.
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Pick up Hot Stover honorees/Page 5 of 6 – October 16, 2011
Josh Schwartz had stellar careers at Gateway High School (’00) and Rowan University. He was taken by the Saint Louis Cardinals in the 42nd round of the Major League Baseball draft after graduating from Rowan in 2005.
At Rowan, Schwartz won 37 consecutive games, holds the Prof record for shutouts in a season with four and the career record with eight. He also holds the Profs’ career record for wins in a season, 13, career victories, 38, and a career ERA of 2.03. He is tied for the university record of 17 career complete games.
He was a three-time New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association (NJCBA) Division II/III Pitcher of the Year. He earned NJAC All-Conference honors and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)
All-Region First Team honors three times. In 2004 and 2005, he was named to the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division III Baseball All-America First Team. Schwartz is a member of the All-2000 Decade team – Division III.
The lefthander went 9-2 in his senior year at Gateway where he was
All-Conference, All-Group and All-South Jersey. He is now the pitching coach at Gloucester County College, 2009 national champions and the 2010 runners up.
Steve Van Note, a 1999 graduate of Atlantic City High School, earned four varsity letters in baseball. He led the Cape Atlantic League his senior year, batting .556. He was All-Group IV, All-Conference and All-South Jersey in 1998 and ’99.
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Pick up Hot Stover honorees/Page 6 of 6 – October 16, 2011
At the University of Delaware, Van Note was team captain and MVP batting .333 with 14 home runs and 56 RBI and a team-leading 19 stolen bases He is 10th all-time among Blue Hen home run hitters with 31.
Van Note spent three seasons with the Lancaster Barnstormers in the Atlantic Independent League leading them to the league title. He has taken his baseball prowess to the All-Star Baseball Academy in West Chester, Pa. where he serves as director of special events.
Larry Litwin is being inducted as the 2011 contributor. He played his high school baseball at Pennsauken (’63), summer ball in the Delaware Valley League where he was All-Star Game MVP in ’62 and Garden State League leading the league in hitting in 1963 with a .429 average. He went onto Parsons (Iowa) College (’67) where he became a sports announcer after suffering a career-ending injury.
Since 1965, Litwin has covered and announced hundreds of high school, college and professional baseball, football and basketball games. He is a 35-year member of the New Jersey Baseball Umpires Association – officiating nearly 1,500 college, independent and high school games including New Jersey State finals, semi-finals and several North-South All-Star Games.
As an announcer, Litwin called games for WJJZ (Mount Holly), WKDN and WCAM (Camden), ABC’s World of Sports (New York), and KYW Newsradio (Philadelphia). On Aug. 11, 1981, Litwin was behind the microphone at Veterans Stadium for the Westinghouse Broadcasting Network and called the Pete Rose hit that broke Stan Musial’s National League hit record. He became a member of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association in 1968 and has served as secretary since 1977.
In addition to his involvement in amateur and professional sports, Litwin has been a full- and part-time faculty member at Rowan University for 41 years.
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