May 27, 2015

Legion player of year visits Cooperstown

By The American Legion
Baseball
Legion player of year visits Cooperstown
Sean Breen (middle), the 2014 George W. Rulon Player of the Year, poses with former major-league great and Legion Baseball alumnus Rollie Fingers (left) and Larry Price (right), vice chairman of the Legion's Americanism Commission and Baseball Subcommittee chairman.

Sean Breen from Brooklawn, N.J., met major-leaguers and Hall-of-Famer Rollie Fingers during trip to National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Sean Breen, the reigning American Legion Baseball player of the year, set foot on baseball's hallowed ground over Memorial Day weekend, visiting the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., and getting recognized on Doubleday Field during the National Baseball Hall of Fame Classic game.

Breen, who played second baseman for Brooklawn, N.J., Post 72 - the 2014 American Legion World Series champion - was selected as this year's George W. Rulon Player of the Year. As part of that honor, Breen was invited to attend and be honored at the Hall of Fame Classic game in Cooperstown, played each Memorial Day weekend by some of the game's former greats. This year's contest included recently retired players from each major league team, such as Bobby Abreu from the Philadelphia Phillies, Jacque Jones from the Minnesota Twins and Alfonso Soriano from the New York Yankees, among many others.

Hall-of-Famer and Legion baseball alumnus Rollie Fingers served as a coach for one of the teams. Breen got the chance to meet and visit with Fingers, along with many other former big-league players and Legion Baseball alumni. Fingers won the same Legion Baseball Player of the Year award in 1964.

The Classic game highlights a weekend that celebrates America's national pastime, while honoring the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The weekend also includes a "Night at the Museum" event in which legends from the game appear in person at the museum and greet visitors, family events and photo opportunities with Hall-of-Famers from all generations.

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