Amherst residents to enter WNY Baseball Hall of Fame

Fink

Of the three players from Amherst inducted into the Western New York Baseball Hall of Fame, two, Dr. Charley Weber and Richie Fink, once played on the same team and also were opponents. Weber was a regular on the late Charley Arbogast's Mustangs team in 1972 and again in 1978.

The trio will be inducted into the WNY Baseball Hall of Fame Sept. 19 at a ceremony at Fontana's Banquet Center, 2440 Clinton St., at Harlem Road, Cheektowaga. The time of the ceremony was not given before press time.

It's the eleventh class of outstanding players from the Muny League, Suburban Association and Cheektowaga Classic League selected from a long list of nominees by the Hall's board of directors.

The prerequisite to be nominated is to have played five years minimum of amateur baseball.

Richie Fink

Fink, a smooth-fielding first baseman who threw and batted left-handed, also was an outstanding hitter, first in the BEN, where he earned honorable mention All-High honors and was Bennett's Player of the Year.

Weber

From 1967 to 1963 he was in the BEN-PAL league at Delaware Park and an all-star in the Hertel North Park League. Following stints with those teams, he was a regular at Bennett High School and was named the school's athlete of the year in 1973.

Other honors he garnered included MVP in the Kiwanis Tournament at the Amherst Recreation Center and was Metro Community News' Player of the Week in 1989 with a .553 batting average. Fink's career batting average was a gaudy .420.

In the Muny AA (before Class AAA was added), Fink was on three different championship teams - the Manzellas, the Mayaguez and the Southstars from 1973 to 79.

As a 16-year-old in Muny AAA, he pitched a 2-1 victory over the Almaroones. In 1976, he also pitched a nine inning four-hitter with 10 strikeouts as the Manzellas won the AAA playoff title over the Mustangs,

In the Suburban Association's Erie-Niagara League, Fink helped the Amherst City Mattress team win five Suburban Association All-Around playoff titles. They also finished second, twice, winning two Rechlin Cups in the round-robin series for second place teams from 1989 to 1996. He was Amherst MVP in 1992.

Arbogast

Dr. Charley Weber Weber started a lengthy career at Canisius High School where he was voted All-Catholic outfielder by the Buffalo News and All-Catholic pitcher by the Courier- Express. He attended UB Dental School while pitching and playing the outfield in evening and weekend games. He played the same position in the AAABA and CEBA All-Star games (for 16-19 year olds).

In the years of the Kiwanis tourney, Weber also was honored as MVP in 1984. After missing two years because of injuries, Weber returned to full-time, playing for Karl Wicker on Fat Man's, and also part-time for Amherst City Mattress. He had a no-hitter for six innings against Lockport Bus, but a single ruined it.

"My association with Karl Wicker and Fat Man's team is one I'll cherish forever," said Weber. "He was a class act."

"I played in the All-Around playoffs in several games and both teams had solid levels of success," he added.

Weber was nominated for the Hall by his former manager, first baseman Mark Clifford, himself a former manager and first baseman who starred for Amherst in the Erie-Niagara League.

Charley Arbogast

Arbogast, who played and managed the North Buffalo Mustangs for 13 years, suffered fatal injuries in an auto accident in 1978 while on his way home from a game.

"Charley would do anything for anybody. He was a real gem of a man and player," said Ray Bellet, himself a Hall of Fame pitcher and a member of the HOF and who managed and played or the Mustangs from 1978 to 88 after Arbogast's death.

Arbogast's career included winning the Dick McCabe Sportsmanship Award in 1962, named after the founder of the Simon Pures Muny champions. Arbogast's Mustangs won the New York State National Baseball Congress Tournament in 1972, and won Muny AAA playoff titles in 1969 (AA) and 1972 and 1975 (AAA). He also was awarded the Stanley Stachowski (Commissioner of Parks) Award for his promotion of Muny baseball in 1971.

Arbogast, who drove a delivery truck, has a big sign on its side reading: "Big game at Caz, Delaware, "or whenever it was scheduled."

"He was passionate about baseball, coaching and teaching youngsters, or arranging get-togethers and promoting fund-raisers to buy team equipment," said his niece, Donna Martin.

Bellet finished second eight times in his 10-year reign, and often pitched in three games in on week, something which no other Muny hurler could claim.