​Billy Jo Robidoux Inducted into Western Mass. Baseball Hall of Fame

Ware's own Billy Jo Robidoux, who played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, and Boston Red Sox, was inducted into the Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame on January 26, 2017. Billy Jo's life and career are featured in my book, Ware's Boys of Summer: The Stories of Seven Major League Baseball Players from One Small Central Massachusetts Town. The induction ceremony, which was well-attended by players, coaches, and baseball fans from western Massachusetts, took place in Springfield. This is Billy Jo's second hall of fame honor; in 2012 he was enshrined in the Texas League Hall of Fame for his stellar performance with the 1985 El Paso Diablos. The Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame's class of 2016 inductees included western Massachusetts natives Leo Durocher and Carl Beane, the beloved P.A. announcer at Fenway Park from 2003 until his death in 2012.