(La Porte, IN) - A La Porte boy received an award named after a former Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association player from his hometown.

 

Jacob Slucter was a winner of the Ron Reed Mental Attitude Award during the spring youth baseball season.  Slucter, 12, attended a Tuesday evening presentation by Reed at Vickers Theatre in Three Oaks.

 

He brought the award with him to show Reed if the opportunity presented itself.

 

Slucter said he enjoyed hearing Reed tell stories about his professional sports career and the time he spent playing basketball and baseball at the University of Notre Dame and baseball, basketball and football at LaPorte High School.

 

“I think he’s an amazing guy that had some talent in both sports,” he said.

 

“Amazing.  Happy.” is how Slucter described his feelings of being a recipient of the award named after Reed, who is just one of five pitchers in major league baseball history to record at least 100 wins, 100 saves and 50 complete games in their careers.

 

Reed, 83, played mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies before his 19-years in the major leagues ended with the Chicago White Sox.  He played two seasons with the Detroit Pistons in the 1960's before deciding to focus full-time on baseball.

 

Among the family members attending his presentation was Reed’s brother-in-law, Carl Strieter, who also grew up in LaPorte.  Strieter remembered the many major league baseball games he attended across the country, including the 1980 World Series, to see Reed play.  He also met a lot of major league players.

 

Strieter said those were opportunities that would not have presented themselves if not for Reed being married to his sister, Julie.

 

“It was a real experience for me.  I enjoyed it big time,” he said.

 

Reed accepted an invitation to speak from the Biggest Little Baseball Museum in Three Oaks because he's in La Porte for his annual weekly trip from Georgia where he's resided for about the past 60-years.