3rd Annual David Iery Foundation Diamond Dinner set for November 20 in Maysville

The 3rd Annual David Iery Foundation Diamond Dinner is scheduled Saturday, November 20 from 5-9 p.m. at the Simon Kenton VFW Post 2734 at 3177 AA Highway in Maysville.

The first two dinners were held in Vanceburg in 2018 and 2019. The event was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Former Major League Baseball players scheduled to attend this year's dinner include Don Gullett, Tom Browning, Ron Oester, Doug Flynn, Al Oliver and Johnnie Lemaster.

MLB umpires and scouts as well as representatives of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame are also scheduled to attend.

The year's dinner will honor the life of the late Woodie Fryman, a former MLB pitcher from Fleming County.

Tickets purchased in advance are $50 each. Tickets purchased at the door will cost $60 each.

Proceeds will go to the David Iery Foundation to raise money for spinal cord injury research and for scholarships graduating high school seniors.

For more information, call 606-202-3868 or go to www.facebook.com/TeamIery/

Stars out at Diamond Dinner in Vanceburg

Former Pittsburgh Pirates star Al Oliver was the Keynote Speaker for the Diamond Dinner presented by the David Iery Foundation Thursday night in Vanceburg.

Oliver was at the hospital 30 years ago when Iery was brought in with a spinal cord injury suffered when he slid into home plate during a Lewis County High School baseball game. Oliver and Iery have been friends ever since.

The David Iery Foundation focuses on spinal cord injury awareness and prevention.

Former Cincinnati Reds players Don Gullett, Tom Browning, Ron Oester and Steve Delabar also attended the Diamond Dinner. 

Other special guests included Charlie Frank, Executive Director of the Reds Community Fund, Perry Thacker, the Baseball Coordinator for the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum,Major League umpire Greg Gibson, who is a former resident of Vanceburg, and Chicago Cubs scout Tom Posey.

The former players participated in a question and answer session with WKKS radio sportscaster Gary Kidwell.

Al Oliver

Don Gullett

Tom Browning

Ron Oester

Steve Delabar

(Updated to include Tom Posey as a special guest.)

Five former MLB players scheduled to attend 2nd Annual Diamond Dinner

Five former Major League Baseball players are scheduled to attend the Second Annual Diamond Dinner to benefit the David Iery Foundation.

Don Gullett, Ron Oester, Tom Browning, Al Oliver and Steve Delabar will be featured at the event Thursday, November 14 from 5-9 p.m at The Carter House in Vanceburg.

MLB scouts Tim Martin, Tom Posey, Dean Schuler and Vince Devita are also scheduled to attend.

Tickets are $45 in advance or $50 at the door and include dinner.

All proceeds benefit the David Iery Foundation.

Call 606-202-3868.

David Iery and Jeremy Faulkner on SportsTalk

I had two guests on SportsTalk today. David Iery talked about the David Irey Foundation Showcase and Jeremy Faulkner had information about the Two Bridge 10-miler and 5K run walk.

Here are links to the podcasts of the interviews:

David Iery

Jeremy Faulkner

David Iery Foundation Showcase Saturday at Whitaker Bank Ballpark

Mason County, Fleming County and Lewis County are among the baseball teams scheduled to play in the David Iery Foundation Showcase Saturday at Whitaker Bank Ballpark in Lexington.

"Some of the colleges have been invited, hopefully they will show up and look at some of the kids," Iery said. "It's going to be a fun event."

Here is the schedule:

10 a.m. Bath County vs. East Carter

12 p.m. Fairview vs. Fleming County

2 p.m. Jenkins vs. Mason County

4 p.m. Lewis County vs. Ashland

6 p.m. Rockcastle County vs. Woodford County

Admission is $5.

Pregame ceremonies begin at 9:30 a.m. Jenna Wallingford of Lewis County will sing the National Anthem, and former Lewis County coach and athletic director Gary Kidwell will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Five $250 scholarships will be given to the winners of an essay contest. A scholarship will be presented at each game. The theme for the essay contest was spinal cord injury awareness and research.

Iery suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed when he slid head-first into home plate while playing for Lewis County in 1989.

Iery will be one of my guests on SportsTalk Friday at 8:05 a.m. of Soft 96 WFTM-FM.



(Updated to add Woodford County as Rockcastle County's opponent.)