Another Roy Hobbs World Series has come and gone.  We wish to thank all of you for making this the best World Series ever.  We had very few problems and many new champions.  We are looking forward to seeing you all next year for another successful edition of the Roy Hobbs World Series

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• 2009 World Series Results
• AAA teammates reunite in Hobbs WS locker room after 37 years in a ‘magical experience’
• Roy Hobbs Foundation is well on its way to making Leukemia history and assisting Challenged Athletics

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Open Division AAAA (DE)
First Round
G1: #1 Pittsburgh 10, #8 Jet Box 0
G2: #5 Harry Young Builders 5, #4 Akron A’s 1
G3: #3 PGS White Sox 20, #6 Dominicana Liga del Oeste 2
G4: #2 Cincinnati Sting 9, #7 KBD Wombats 3
Second Round
G5: #1 Pittsburgh 6, #5 Harry Young Builders 3
G6: #2 Cincinnati Sting 5, #3 PGS White Sox 4
Losers Bracket
G7: #4 Akron A’s 10, #8 Jet Box 1
G8: #7 KBD Wombats 5, #6 Dominicana Liga del Oeste 1
Winners Bracket Final
G11: #1 Pittsburgh 9, #2 Cincinnati Sting 3
Losers Bracket
G9: #3 PGS White Sox 4, #4 Akron A’s 1
G10: #5 Harry Young Builders 15, #7 KBD Wombats 11
G12: #5 Harry Young Builders 4, #3 PGS White Sox 3
Losers Bracket Final
G13: #2 Cincinnati Sting 4, #5 Harry Young Builders 2
Championship
#2 Cincinnati Sting 3, #1 Pittsburgh 2

Open Division AAA (DE)
First Round
G1: #1 German Red Barons – Bye
G2: #4 Destin Dawgs 3, #5 Dayton Braves 2
G3: #3 UTEK Baseball 7, #6 Okaloosa Slammers 6
G4: #7 Dominican Red Sox 7, #2 Baltimore Bohsox 1
Second Round
G5: #4 Destin Dawgs 6, #1 German Red Barons 4
G6: #7 Dominican Red Sox 10, #3 UTEK Baseball 2
Losers Bracket
G7: #5 Dayton Braves – Bye
G8: #2 Baltimore Bohsox 5, #6 Okaloosa Slammers 4
Winners Bracket Final
G11: #7 Dominican Red Sox 7, #4 Destin Dawgs 4
Losers Bracket
G9: #5 Dayton Braves 4, #3 UTEK Baseball 2
G10: #1 German Red Barons 10, #2 Baltimore Bohsox 5
G12: #5 Dayton Braves 7, #1 German Red Barons 4,
Losers Bracket Final
G13: #5 Dayton Braves 9, #4 Destin Dawgs 7
Championship
#7 Dominican Red Sox 6, #5 Dayton Braves 0

Veterans Division AAAA (DE)
First Round
G1: #1 Pittsburgh 40s 13, #8 Americans Baseball 3
G2: #5 HPK Oilers 5, #4 Puerto Rico Astros 2
G3: #3 Stars of Herrera 2, #6 Border City Brewers 1
G4: #2 Stars Baseball Academy 5, #7 New Jersey Twins 3
Second Round
G5: #1 Pittsburgh 40s 6, #5 HPK Oilers 5
G6: #3 Stars of Herrera 5, #2 Stars Baseball Academy 2
Losers Bracket
G7: #4 Puerto Rico Astros 2, #8 Americans Baseball 0
G8: #7 New Jersey Twins 2, #6 Border City Brewers 1
Winners Bracket Final
G11: #3 Stars of Herrera 7, #1 Pittsburgh 40s 2
Losers Bracket
G9: #2 Stars Baseball Academy 3, #4 Puerto Rico Astros 2
G10: #7 New Jersey Twins 8, #5 HPK Oilers 5
G12: #7 New Jersey Twins 4, #2 Stars Baseball Academy 3
Losers Bracket Final
G13: #1 Pittsburgh 40s 20, #7 New Jersey Twins 2
Championship
#1 Pittsburgh 40s 1, #3 Stars of Herrera 0

Veterans Division AAA (DE)
First Round
G1: #5 Staten Island Reds 6, #1 Chicago Giants 3
G2: #4 Glass City Bandits 3, #8 PSOF Knights 0
G3: #6 Tribute Orioles 9, #3 Minneapolis Millers 2
G4: #7 Puerto Rico Cardinales 8, #2 New Jersey Mets 2
Second Round
G5: #4 Glass City Bandits 13, #5 Staten Island Reds 3
G6: #7 Puerto Rico Cardinales 2, #6 Tribute Orioles 1
Losers Bracket First Round
G7: #8 PSOF Knights 14, #1 Chicago Giants 3
G8: #2 New Jersey Mets 2, #3 Minneapolis Millers 0
Winners Bracket Final
G11: #7 Puerto Rico Cardinales 6, #4 Glass City Bandits 2
Losers Bracket
G9: #6 Tribute Orioles 5, #8 PSOF Knights 3
G10: #5 Staten Island Reds 6, #2 New Jersey Mets 4
G12: #5 Staten Island Reds 4, #6 Tribute Orioles 2
Losers Bracket Final
G13: #5 Staten Island Reds 7, #4 Glass City Bandits 0
Championship
#7 Puerto Rico Cardinales 7, #5 Staten Island Reds 6

Veterans Playoffs AA
First Round
G1) #9 Fort Myers Hooters 11, #8 Midatlantic Redwings 0
G2) #12 Tennessee Dirtbags 6, #5 Mason-Dixon Red Sox 4
G3) #11 Tidewater Drillers 4, #6 Washington Monuments 1
G4) #7 Tallahassee Bombers 12, #10 Staten Island Orioles 0
Quarterfinals
G5) #1 North Yuma Yankees 8, #9 Fort Myers Hooters 1
G6) #12 Tennessee Dirtbags 6, #4 Omaha Indians 5
G7) #3 Allegheny Valley Rebels 6, #11 Tidewater Drillers 2
G8) #2 Margate Hurricanes 12, #7 Tallahassee Bombers 2
Semifinals
G9: #1 North Yuma Yankees 4, #12 Tennessee Dirtbags 3
G10: #3 Allegheny Valley Rebels 20, #2 Margate Hurricanes 3
Championship
#1 North Yuma Yankees 6, #3 Allegheny Valley Rebels 5

Veterans Division A
First Round
G1) #8 Tacoma Cascades 9, #9 Pig’s Heaven the Herd 4
G2) #12 Philadelphia Phillies 3, #5 NW Indiana Dogs 1
G3) #11 Jupiter Hammerheads 7, #6 Akron Brewers 2
G4) #7 Pensacola Barracudas 10, #10 Ohio Indians 4
Quarterfinals
G5) #1 RusStar Baseball 9, #8 Tacoma Cascades 1
G6) #12 Philadelphia Phillies 6, #4 Chicago Tomatoes 4
G7) #11 Jupiter Hammerheads 3, #3 Covington Orioles 0
G8) #7 Pensacola Barracudas 16, #2 Minnesota Bandits 10
Semifinals
G9) #1 RusStar Baseball 7, #12 Philadelphia Phillies 5
G10) #7 Pensacola Barracudas 6, #11 Jupiter Hammerheads 4
Championship
#7 Pensacola Barracudas 9, #1 RusStar Baseball 1

Veterans Division B
First Round
G1) #9 Cincinnati Colts 38s 24, #8 Minnesota Saints 19
G2) #5 St. Paul Senators 15, #12 Chicago Phillies 5
G3) #6 North Coast Padres 4, #11 Kodak Reds 3
G4) #7 Huntsville Utes 7, #10 Durbin A’s 6
Quarterfinals
G5) #1 Kent MudHens 7, #9 Cincinnati Colts 38s 3
G6) #4 Tallahassee Whackers 7, #5 St. Paul Senators 3
G7) #3 Chicago Dodgers 14, #6 North Coast Padres 9
G8) #2 Minnetonka Mustangs 12, #7 Huntsville Utes 1
Semifinals
G9) #1 Kent MudHens 11, #4 Tallahassee Whackers 4
G10) #3 Chicago Dodgers 5, #2 Minnetonka Mustangs 4
Championship
#3 Chicago Dodgers 12, #1 Kent MudHens 8

Masters Division AAAA (DE)
First Round
G1: #1 HPK Oilers 2, #7 Border City Brewers 1
G2: #4 Massachusetts Chiefs 3, #6 Chicago Giants 2
G3: #3 Pittsburgh 48s 4, #5 South Dakota Rushmores 1
G4: #8 Puerto Rico Astros 9, #2 DuPage Angels 3
Second Round
G5: #1 HPK Oilers 11, #4 Massachusetts Chiefs 7
G6: #3 Pittsburgh 48s 11, #8 Puerto Rico Astros 1
Losers Bracket
G7: #7 Border City Brewers 6, #6 Chicago Giants 1
G8: #5 South Dakota Rushmores 8, #2 DuPage Angels 3
Winners Bracket Final
G11: #3 Pittsburgh 48s 8, #1 HPK Oilers 6
Losers Bracket
G9: #8 Puerto Rico Astros 9, #7 Border City Brewers 4
G10: #4 Massachusetts Chiefs 8, #5 South Dakota Rushmores 6
G12: #8 Puerto Rico Astros 7, #4 Massachusetts Chiefs 2
Losers Bracket Final
G13: #1 HPK Oilers 8, #8 Puerto Rico Astros 3
Championship
#3 Pittsburgh 48s 2, #1 HPK Oilers 0

Masters Division AAA (DE)
First Round
G1: #1 Americans Baseball Club 11, #8 Franklin Red Sox 3
G2: #4 Oakville Golden A’s 5, #5 Bergen Yankees 3
G3: #3 Tennessee Dirtbags 2, #6 Jersey Shore All Stars 1
G4: #2 Toledo Paramount 14, #7 Youngstown Astros 3
Second Round
G5: #1 Americans Baseball Club 6, #4 Oakville Golden A’s 5
G6: #2 Toledo Paramount 4, #3 Tennessee Dirtbags 3
Losers Bracket
G7: #5 Bergen Yankees 4, #8 Franklin Red Sox 2
G8: #6 Jersey Shore All Stars 3, #7 Youngstown Astros 1
Winners Bracket Final
G11: #2 Toledo Paramount 8, #1 Americans Baseball Club 1
Losers Bracket
G9: #5 Bergen Yankees 10, #3 Tennessee Dirtbags 7
G10: #4 Oakville Golden A’s 7, #6 Jersey Shore All Stars 2
G12: #5 Bergen Yankees 5, #4 Oakville Golden A’s 3
Losers Bracket Final
G13: #5 Bergen Yankees 7, #1 Americans Baseball Club 5
Championship
#2 Toledo Paramount 11, #5 Bergen Yankees 1

Masters Division AA
First Round
G1) #9 Apple Valley A’s 7, #8 Orlando Blazers 5
G2) #12 Dayton Cardinals 11, #5 Oak Lawn Rifles 6
G3) #6 Pensacola Privateers 12, #11 Richmond Riverdogs 2
G4) #7 Philadelphia Phillies 6, #10 Kent MudHens 3
Quarterfinals
G5) #9 Apple Valley A’s 6, #1 Tidewater Drillers 4
G6) #4 Windy City Warriors 11, #12 Dayton Cardinals 3
G7) #6 Pensacola Privateers 7, #3 Washington Nationals 6
G8) #2 DHBA Athletics 6, #7 Philadelphia Phillies 2
Semifinals
G9) #9 Apple Valley A’s 2, #4 Windy City Warriors 0
G10) #2 DHBA Athletics 13, #6 Pensacola Privateers 3
Championship
#9 Apple Valley A’s 7, #2 DHBA Athletics 1

Masters Division A
First Round
G1) #8 Kentucky Orioles 6, #10 Kenmore Eastern Brewers 5
G2) #12 Washington All Stars 12, #5 Livingston Dodgers 7
G3) #11 Cincinnati Colts 5, #6 Orland Park White Sox 1
G4) #7 Salem-Pittsburgh Warlocks 11, #9 DuPage Indians 10
Quarterfinals
G5) #1 Huntsville Hitmen 9, #8 Kentucky Orioles 5
G6) #4 Twin Cities Crosstown Traffic 7, #12 Washington All Stars 3
G7) #3 PSOF Rangers 21, #11 Cincinnati Colts 1
G8) #2 Choctawhatchee Indians 4, #7 Salem-Pittsburgh Warlocks 2
Semifinals
G9) #4 Twin Cities Crosstown Traffic 19, #1 Huntsville Hitmen 10
G10) #3 PSOF Rangers 16, #2 Choctawhatchee Indians 0
Championship
#3 PSOF Rangers 21, #4 Twin Cities Crosstown Traffic 3

Masters Division B
First Round
G1) #8 Fort Myers Blues 8, #9 Minnesota Bandits 7
G2) #12 New Jersey Rockies 2, #5 Akron Silverhawks 1
G3) #13 Atlanta Yankees 6, #4 Cuyahoga Indians 2
G4) #14 Cleveland Rocks 15, #3 Bridgewater A’s 3
G5) #6 Kodak Reds 14, #11 New Jersey Pirates 4
G6) #7 Maine-Boston Braves 6, #10 Midatlantic Redwings 3
Quarterfinals
G7) #8 Fort Myers Blues 4, #1 Monroe Muskrats 3
G8) #13 Atlanta Yankees 15, #12 New Jersey Rockies 5
G9) #6 Kodak Reds 10, #14 Cleveland Rocks 9
G10) #7 Maine-Boston Braves 17, #2 Wilmington Sting Rays 2
Semifinals
G11) #8 Fort Myers Blues 9, #13 Atlanta Yankees 6
G12) #6 Kodak Reds 5, #7 Maine-Boston Braves 4
Championship
#8 Fort Myers Blues 16, #6 Kodak Reds 5

Legends Division AAAA (DE)
First Round
G1: #1 Washington Titans 8, #8 Rhode Island Rockies 1
G2: #5 Youngstown Astros 12, #4 NorCal Giants 11
G3: #6 Twin Cities Crosstown Traffic 7, #3 Akron Blues 1
G4: #2 New England Red Sox 18, #7 DuPage Lugnuts 2
Second Round
G5: #1 Washington Titans 9, #5 Youngstown Astros 3
G6: #2 New England Red Sox 11, #6 Twin Cities Crosstown Traffic 3
Losers Bracket
G7: #4 NorCal Giants 6, #8 Rhode Island Rockies 0
G8: #3 Akron Blues 14, #7 DuPage Lugnuts 13
Winners Bracket Final
G11: #2 New England Red Sox 4, #1 Washington Titans 1
Losers Bracket
G9: #4 NorCal Giants 11, #6 Twin Cities Crosstown Traffic 9
G10: #3 Akron Blues 13, #5 Youngstown Astros 7
G12: #3 Akron Blues 14, #4 NorCal Giants 13
Losers Bracket Final
G13: #1 Washington Titans 18, #3 Akron Blues 8
Championship
#2 New England Red Sox 3, #1 Washington Titans 1

Legends Division AAA
First Round
G1) #8 Baltimore Baseball Club 7, #1 ES3 Stone Age 2
G2) #5 Orioles Legends 9, #4 Tallahassee Classics 6
G3) #3 Philadelphia Cutters 8, #6 Cincinnati Colts 6
G4) #2 Windy City 4, #7 Minnesota Bees 2
Semifinals
G5) #8 Baltimore Baseball Club 11, #5 Orioles Legends 6
G6) #2 Windy City 3, #3 Philadelphia Cutters 2
Championship
#2 Windy City13, #8 Baltimore Baseball Club 4

Legends Division AA
First Round
G1) #8 South Florida Suns 11, #10 Tavern Legends 1
G2) #5 SilverHawks 6, #12 Comox Valley Cubs 1
G3) #4 Atlanta Chiefs 9, #13 Cleveland Pirates 3
G4) #3 Maine-Boston Braves 14, #14 Snowbirds 2
G5) #11 Asheville Sox 7, #6 DC Dodgers 0
G6) #7 Tampa Bay Rebels 5, #9 Wilmington Old Salts 1
Quarterfinals
G7) #8 South Florida Suns 2, #1 DHBA Athletics 1
G8) #4 Atlanta Chiefs 5, #5 SilverHawks 0
G9) #3 Maine-Boston Braves 8, #11 Asheville Sox 7
G10) #2 Houston Colt .45s 7, #7 Tampa Bay Rebels 5
Semifinals
G11) #8 South Florida Suns 14, #4 Atlanta Chiefs 3
G12) #2 Houston Colt .45s 7, #3 Maine-Boston Braves 2
Championship
#2 Houston Colt .45s 5, #8 South Florida Suns 1

Vintage Division AAAA
Quarterfinals
G1) #1 Chicago Spirit gets bye
G2) #4 Ohio Bucks 11, #5 Georgia Classics 2
G3) #3 Western Silver Foxes 3, #6 Florida Crush 2
G4) #7 Midwest Stars 7, #2 South Dakota Pheasants 6
Semifinals
G5) #1 Chicago Spirit 13, #4 Ohio Bucks 9
G6) #3 Western Silver Foxes 23, #7 Midwest Stars 7
Championship
#1 Chicago Spirit 13, #3 Western Silver Foxes 3

Vintage Division AAA
Semifinals
G1) #11 American National Wildcats 6, #8 Detroit 65s 5
G2) #10 Washington Nationals 16, #9 New England Red Sox 0
Championship
#10 Washington Nationals 14, #11 American National Wildcats 5

Classics Division AAAA
First Round
G1) #1 Ohio Classics 5, #8 New Jersey Wonderboys 0
G2) #4 NorCal Antiques 13, #5 Asheville Tourists 3
G3) #6 Kansas City Cubs 12, #3 Detroit 60s 9
G4) #2 Chicago National Wind 10, #7 Lehigh Baseball 9
Semifinals
G5) #1 Ohio Classics 5, #4 NorCal Antiques 0
G6) #6 Kansas City Cubs 12, #2 Chicago National Wind 1
Championship
#6 Kansas City Cubs 5, #1 Ohio Classics 3

Classics Division AAA
First Round
G1) #9 New England Red Sox 6, #8 Huntsville 60s 3
G2) #7 Livingston Dodgers 6, #10 Silver Foxes of Rhode Island 4
Quarterfinals
G4) #4 Tallahassee Classics 14, #5 Springfield Classics 8
G3) #1 Toledo MudDogs 10, #9 New England Red Sox 0
G5) #3 Kent MudHens 6, #6 Washington Nationals 5
G6) #7 Livingston Dodgers 9, #2 Shields ATM Guards 8
Semifinals
G7) #1 Toledo MudDogs 9, #4 Tallahassee Classics 5
G8) #7 Livingston Dodgers 6, #3 Kent MudHens 4
Championship
#7 Livingston Dodgers 13, #1 Toledo MudDogs 3

Timeless Division
Championship
Western Silver Foxes 10, New England Red Sox 1
 

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‘I see us guys in our twilight years, finishing up our various careers, getting close to retirement, and we’ve put ourselves back into this almost magical experience.’
-- Bob Strampe

By MIKE MURPHY
Roy Hobbs Baseball
     The last time Bob Strampe and Don Leshnock crossed paths was 1972 when Strampe was headed back down to AAA from his 60-day stint on the roster of the Detroit Tigers, and Leshnock was headed up from AAA to take his place.
     The two young pitching prospects had spent years together with Montgomery – the Tigers AA team – and the Toledo Mudhens in AAA.
     “I was a starter, but they put me in the bullpen with the Tigers, and I didn’t do particularly well there,” Strampe recalled. “My last outing was in Yankee Stadium. I relieved for Mickey Lolich and walked two guys. I got yanked and that day they called up Don and sent me back.”
     Billy Martin, the Tigers manager, didn’t care much for rookies, and cared less for pitchers. So rookie pitchers didn’t fare well that season in Detroit.
     “Billy went through a bunch of us,” Strampe said. “Donnie spent a month on the roster and got sent back.”
     Almost 40 years later, the baseball gods have brought Strampe and Leshnock back together in the Roy Hobbs World Series locker room. Strampe, of Cheney, Washington, is here this week pitching for the DHBA Athletics. Leshnock, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, is throwing for the Toledo Mudhens. Both teams are participating in the clubhouse service offered for the week, so they’ve had time to reminisce.
     Following their professional careers, both me left the game for many years. Leshnock started playing again 8 years ago.
     “The guy who caught both Bob and I in the minor leagues was Dave Bike,” Leshnock said, “and he has coached basketball at Sacred Heart (college) for the past 25 years. I went to see Dave when they came to play Cleveland State.”
     At the game that night, Leshnock ran into an old high school buddy, Angelo Ford. Ford told him about the Roy Hobbs league and the Roy Hobbs World Series, and Leshnock decided he would give baseball a try again.
     Last year, Ford and Leshnock were both in the locker room for the Roy Hobbs World Series and they struck up a conversation with Steve Larson who plays for the DHBA Athletics, and also helps run the locker room program. Learning of Leshnock’s ties to the Tigers system in the early 70’s, Larson asked Leshnock if he remembered a guy named Bob Strampe, who is a long-time friend and neighbor of Steve’s in Cheney.
     For years, Strampe had resisted Larson’s appeals to come out and play baseball in local leagues.
     “But then Steve called me up after he got home last year and said he’d talked with Don,” Strampe said. “I thought, boy I haven’t heard that name in a long time. And then Steve described the (World Series) event down there, and I thought, ‘man, I’d love to go there and see Donny again. That sounds like fun.’”
     So Strampe came out of a 35-year retirement for the 2009 Roy Hobbs World Series. And one of the highlights has been seeing Leshnock.
     Although both men only had a brief stint in the Majors, both look back with great pride on the accomplishment. At any given time, there are only 750 people out of the entire human population who are good enough to be on a Major League roster. And they got there.
     “Of all the people who sign professional contracts, only one in a thousand ever makes it,” Strampe pointed out.
     “I was up for 1 month,” Leshnock said, “and I only pitched 1 inning. There’s a book called ‘Once Around the Bases,’ about guys only 1 inning or 1 game in the Majors, so I’m a chapter in that book.”
     But look at the odds, he says, of everyone who puts on a uniform to play Little League ever getting to the Major Leagues.
     “It doesn’t matter how long we were there,” Leshnock said. “We had a good time in the minors because we all had the same goal. We were all in the same boat. Back then no one made any big money, not even the Major Leaguers. We all were worried about money and taking care of our families. And when one of us made it up, we celebrated, because it was like you made it, too.”
     Leshnock has been playing baseball in the Roy Hobbs World Series for 8 years now. This is Strampe’s first venture back onto the field. And even though the skills around him are nothing like those that he left so many years ago, he’s found the experience to be almost overwhelming.
     “I see us guys in our twilight years, finishing up our various careers, getting close to retirement, and we’ve put ourselves back into this almost magical experience,” Strampe said.
     “You know we are all of the era that as kids we woke up and the first thing we thought about was grabbing a bat and a glove and getting on our bikes and going to play ball all day at the sand lot. That was a magical time. And here we are doing that same thing again.”
     The older you are, the more you savor the thrill every time you get the chance to step back onto a baseball field.
     “I lost that feeling for a long time,” Strampe said, “and now I’ve found it again.”

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Roy Hobbs Baseball has established the Roy Hobbs Foundation in an effort to focus our passion for baseball into a concerted effort to channel consistent funding toward charitable endeavors in which Roy Hobbs has a strong interest.  The Roy Hobbs Foundation, which has applied for 501c3 IRS tax exempt status, is “established for and dedicated to raising consciousness of and funds for 1) Leukemia Research through recognized research institutions and programs and 2) the advancement of baseball and housing opportunities for mentally & physically challenged children and adults.”

The 501c3 status would make all donations to the Roy Hobbs Foundation tax exempt charitable donations, and it is Roy Hobbs' goal to ensure that monies donated to the foundation ALL go to the designated areas of interest with no monies being used for administrative personnel expenses.

A one-page information sheet on the Foundation is available either on the Roy Hobbs Foundation website or by clicking here. The Foundation has a website – www.royhobbs.org -- with a landing page. That site will be expanded in the very near future.

The Foundation held its first fundraiser at the Roy Hobbs World Series in Fort Myers, Florida this past Fall.  A 50/50 Raffle was held all four weeks of the event.  The portion going to the foundation is in excess of $2000, which will be distributed to our beneficiaries.  

Anyone with a passion for any of these elements – baseball, making all Leukemia curable and Challenged Athletes – and a desire to get involved, please contact Tom directly and let’s make a difference.  

And the great logo for the Foundation is a product of the fertile imagination of Roy Hobbs designer Sean Jenkins.

To get more details on The Roy Hobbs Foundation visit www.royhobbs.org .

RH Foundation
www.royhobbs.org
SupportRHF@royhobbs.org

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