News Releases for July 2006
July 6, 2006
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Hoeven Calls On North Dakotans To Vote For Pronk!
Travis Hafner in Running for American League All Star Team
BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. John Hoeven today is encouraging North Dakotans to vote online for Cleveland Indians first baseman and designated hitter Travis Hafner, a Sykeston native, for a spot on the American League All Star Team. Fans can vote online at mlb.mlb.com. Click on Travis’s picture to vote. Balloting ends at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 6.
“Through hard work and determination, Travis has turned himself into one of the finest hitters in major league baseball,” Hoeven said. “He is most deserving to be on the American League roster, and it would be wonderful to see him in this year’s All Star game.”
Hafner, or Pronk as he’s known to fans, is one of five players vying for the spot. Francisco Liriano, a rookie pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, along with three other contenders, is also in the running. The others are Orioles' Ramon Hernandez, the White Sox's A.J. Pierzynski and the Tigers' Justin Verlander.
“It was a true fireworks explosion on the Fourth of July when he went 3-for-5 with two homers, four RBIs and 10 total bases in a 9-1 rout of the Yankees,” said Major League Baseball’s Mark Newman. “That brought him up to .318 with 24 homers and 70 RBIs. Hafner also hit that grand slam over the weekend that made it four already, meaning he is one of just five Major Leaguers in history to have that many by the break.”
(Just in case you haven’t heard, Travis has had a candy bar named after him – the Travis Hafner Pronk Crunch Bar– and it’s delicious, Hoeven added. They’re available at www.malleys.com.)
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