Baseball Legend and Hall of Fame Member Jim Rice featured speaker at Business Council Golf Tournament

ALBANY, NY (05/31/2011)(readMedia)-- Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Rice will be the featured guest at The Business Council of New York State's Fourth Annual Business Council Member Golf Classic on Monday, July 18 at the Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown.

The Golf Tournament will be held on the Leatherstocking Golf Course at the Otesaga. The par 72 course, designed in 1909 by Devereux Emmet, is considered by many to be one of the East's most scenic and challenging golf courses.

The Otesaga was recently voted 55th Best Golf Resort in the US by readers of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine and awarded 4-1/2 stars by Golf Digest.

The natural contour of the course sweeps along the western shore of Lake Otsego. The mid holes climb to elevated fairways and tees that provide unforgettable views of the lake and the adjoining grounds of the Fenimore Art Museum and The Farmers' Museum. The 18th hole may be the most exciting on the course - a 505-yard, par 5 with an island tee box on Lake Otsego.

The event begins at 11:30 am with a buffet lunch at the Golf Club followed by golf on the Leatherstocking Golf Course (Scramble Format).

The evening begins with a reception on the veranda of The Otesaga followed an awards dinner and closes with a private dessert reception at the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum that features Hall of Famer Jim Rice.

Jim Rice was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2009, as its 103rd member. Born James Edward "Jim" Rice, on March 8, 1953, he played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox. An eight-time American League (AL) All-Star, he was named AL's Most Valuable Player in 1978.

He became the ninth player to lead the major leagues in total bases in consecutive seasons, and he joined Ty Cobb as one of two players to lead the AL in total bases three years in a row. He ended his career with a .502 slugging average, and then ranked tenth in AL history with 382 home runs.

Rice led the AL in home runs three times, in RBIs twice, in slugging average twice and in total bases four times. He also picked up Silver Slugger awards in 1983 and 1984. He was an American League All-Star eight times. In addition to winning the American League MVP award in 1978, he finished in the top five in MVP voting five other times.

Business Council members and future members are welcome at the event. A full agenda and registration information can be found here. For more information, contact Ellen Muir at ellen.muir@bcnys.org.