Monday, May 2, 2061
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON, ANOTHER DELUCCA JOINS THE HALL OF FAME
Today was a very special day for the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame... it happened when Hall of Famer Joe DeLucca got the news about his son, Jojo DeLucca... "Never in a million years would I have ever thought this moment would come... somehow I played well enough to get there... and now my son is there, too... wonders never cease... and my blessings never cease."
During his tenure in the Islandian Pro Alliance Jojo DeLucca was nothing but class, on the field and off the field. Now he is part of the Hall of Fame class of 2061... DeLucca was a 15-time All-Star, 6-time Golden Glove, 2045 Golden Bat and 2045 Most Valuable Player... lifetime, DeLucca posted tremendous numbers for the Claxton Diamonds... he hit for a .303 average in 3398 games (3rd) and totaled 4125 hits (2nd) , 635 home runs (8th), 2425 RBIs (2nd) and scored 2099 runs (6th)... he played 23 seasons in the IPA and retired in 2058 at the age of ripe old age of 43... the Diamonds won 5 division flags while DeLucca was playing... strangely, DeLucca first signed with his dad's old club, Volusia, but was lost via free agency after one year to Claxton... the junior DeLucca told reporters, "Claxton offered me 20,000 a year for three years... the best Volusia did was 8,000... and just a one-year contract... I just thought I deserved more after a darn good rookie season... even my dad said I should go to Claxton... that was just too good of an offer."... Jojo DeLucca made $7,000 in his first year in the IPA.
In a TV interview on BNN, DeLucca expressed his thanks and gratitude to the many people who helped make this wonderful day possible. "It is a tremendous honor for me to follow my father into the Hall of Fame... not only was he himself a great ballplayer, but more so, he was an even better father... I have been truly blessed... I have been able to do something I love and get paid very well for it... there was no place that I ever wanted to be but on the baseball diamond every day doing what I love."
One of his friends and former teammates, Rick Clayburne, told reporters, "The greatest thing he taught me was on my first day in the big leagues -- it was the hustle... he hit two one-hoppers to the pitcher and ran as hard as he could to first base... Jojo set a great example for me to model my career... his hustle and desire -- those were the little things that stood out for me... plus he's one of the best hitters I've ever played with."
