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Local attorney scores prestigious award at Cleveland Indians Fantasy Camp
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: March 2, 2015
There are birthday gifts that bring a smile to a person’s face and then there are gifts that make someone’s dreams come true.
Roderick Linton Belfance partner Ted Lesiak received one of the latter from his wife, Ohio 9th District Court of Appeals Judge Jennifer Hensal, on his 50th birthday when he unwrapped a trip to Cleveland Indians Fantasy Camp.
“It was from me but his parents and my mom pitched in as well,” said Judge Hensal. “We discussed in advance that this is what we wanted to do for him because he just really, really loves baseball and for a period of time he stopped playing when the kids were young.”
She said she wanted to keep it a secret until his actual birthday, October 7, but he had to get fitted for his uniform and meet with trainers at Progressive Field before then, so they were not able to do so.
Although a trip to Indians Fantasy Camp may not be the ideal gift for everyone, keep in mind that Lesiak has been playing baseball since he was seven. As a child growing up in Valley View and Medina, he took part in Little League, Hot Stove League and at Medina High School he played shortstop, second base and pitched. He continued to play in the Akron AA League as a young adult before taking a hiatus that lasted until he turned 38. Still, he never lost his love of the game.
He coached his daughter Sarah, who played fast-pitch softball at Medina High School and his son Trey, who was a member of Hoban High School’s baseball team.
Despite a demanding law practice, Lesiak is a member of a Roy Hobbs Baseball League team, the Kent MudHens. The MudHens were started over 25 years ago and have teams in the 35, 45, 53 and 60 Roy Hobbs divisions.
“I play for the MudHens in both the 35 and over and the 45 and over leagues,” said Lesiak.
In addition to playing baseball, Lesiak serves as legal counsel to the Roy Hobbs Foundation and the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the board of directors at the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame. Located in Canal Park, the HOF organizes the Summit County High School All-Star Game and holds its induction weekend each July.
Fantasy camp was held between Jan. 17 and 24 at the Indians’ brand new training facility in Goodyear, Arizona.
Lesiak not only got a chance to play with like-minded enthusiasts and interact with Indians greats, but he took home the Bob Feller award.
Nicknamed “Bullet Bob,” Feller pitched for the Cleveland Indians for 18 seasons, pitching 3,827 innings and posting a win-loss record of 266–162, with 279 complete games, 44 shutouts and a 3.25 earned run average (ERA).
“Ted set a Fantasy Camp record by pitching 29 innings in five games; the old record was 28,” said Mike Hargrove, special adviser to the Cleveland Indians, who together with Major League Baseball pitcher Lenny Barker, managed the Fantasy Camp team.
A former Indians pitcher, Barker pitched the tenth perfect game in baseball history.
“The team did not win many games, but because of Ted we were in all of them,” said Hargrove, who managed the Indians from 1991 to 1999.
“One of the major advantages that Ted has is that he throws strikes; the bigger plus is that he has a breaking ball he can throw for strikes when he is behind in the count,” said Hargrove.
“It is an amazing honor to receive the Feller award, especially for a rookie at Fantasy Camp,” said Lesiak, who noted that he also tied the record for complete games with four.
Lesiak was not the only Kent MudHens player at Fantasy Camp. His friend, Chad Bryant, was there as well.
“Ted and I met about a year ago when I started playing with the MudHens,” said Bryant. “I went to Fantasy Camp last year and I talked to Ted about going. We ended up being roommates and we were drafted by the same team.
“Ted is a very good pitcher,” said Bryant. “He pitches for our team in the summer too. I would say Ted has a rubber arm, given that he pitched 29 innings in just four days.”
Fantasy Camp consists of one day of clinics overseen by several pro ball players and four days of 7-inning games, including playoffs.
Men and women 30 and over are eligible to participate. Each team is made up of between 12 players and some of the teams have both men and women. Lesiak said one of the reasons he’s planning to return next year is because his team did not win the championship.
“Participating in Fantasy Camp was definitely the highlight of his year and we were really ecstatic that we were able to do it for him,” said Judge Hensal.
Back home, the Kent MudHens meet every Thursday night at an indoor facility at Aster Industries in Akron to gear up for opening season.
“My fellow Roy Hobbs ballplayers voted me pitcher of the year in the 35 league in 2013 and the 45 league in 2014,” said Lesiak. “It is always great to be recognized by your peers when you have success. However, I think the Feller award is the award I will always treasure as I was chosen by major league ball players to receive an honor carrying the name of the greatest pitcher in Indians history.”