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Escanaba Community Honors 'Native Son' Tapani
 ESCANABA---A ceremony was held Thursday in Escanaba to rename the Veterans Park baseball field as the "Kevin Tapani Field at Veteran's Park". It's been named after 1981 Escanaba High School graduate Kevin Tapani, who played Major League Baseball for five teams. Tapani is best known for pitching for the Minnesota Twins in the 1991 World Series. He also played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago White Sox during his baseball career.  Before embarking on his professional baseball career, Tapani led the Escanaba High School football team to the MHSAA Class A State Championship in 1981. The Community Foundation of Delta County helped to buy a new scoreboard for the field, which was lit for the first time during Thursday morning's ceremony. "The honor of having your name up there (on the scoreboard) in your hometown is really a special moment," Tapani said. "It's a great day." Tapani says that no matter where his travels took him while playing in the Major Leagues, he always remained an Eskymo and a Yooper. "It's unique and you get a following beyond the city (of Escanaba)," Tapani said. "It extends to the whole U.P. It didn't really matter where you went in the country, or what stadium you were in, there was always someone from home that was there." Tapani, 50, played professional baseball from 1989-2001. The right hander had a record of 141-125 with five teams, an Earned Run Average of 4.35, and 1,482 strikeouts. Tapani now coaches high school baseball at Providence Academy in Plymouth, Minn.  |
