Hudson Valley wins award

This will probably be our last Hudson Valley post for a while, but congratulations:

"Every season hundreds of minor league ball clubs attempt to come up with the wackiest, craziest and most bizarre promotion they can think of in hopes of leaving a lasting impression on their fans. This year the Renegades did just that with "Born in the USA" night. "Born in the USA" night received the 2008 Veeckies Award as the top promotion in Minor League Baseball, courtesy of ESPN the Magazine.

On July 1st Pedro Risso, a native of Portugal, competed against three American citizens for the chance to have the Renegades fund the cost of his naturalization.

Risso competed in five on field games; an apple pie eating contest, the Boston-three party (a tribute to the Boston Tea Party), the British are coming (a twist on Paul Revere's ride), a corn chucking contest and a quiz with questions from the U.S. citizenship test.

Risso needed to score 13 total points throughout the contests, earning three points for a first-place finish and two points for a second-place finish. He competed against three American citizens and despite his unbelievable effort came up three points short.
...
"This is truly an honor to receive the 2008 Veeckies top award as best promotion of the year," said General Manager Eben Yager. "Being recognized on a national level raises the bar for next season, so make sure to check us out in 2009. I'm feeling a repeat."

About the Veeckies:
The Veeckies are named after late promotions-genius Bill Veeck. Veeck was known for many promotional innovations including sending the 3'7" Eddie Gaedel to the plate with the St. Louis Browns, orchestrating "Grandstand Day" where fans decided the managerial decisions and installing the first ever exploding scoreboard."