Former Major League pitcher Cal Eldred will be the featured speaker at the Norway Baseball Association Hot Stove Banquet on Friday, Jan. 29 at the IBEW Hall in southwest Cedar Rapids.

Eldred, 48, compiled an 86-74 record with the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals from 1991 until his retirement following the 2005 season. He finished fourth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 1992 and made two appearances for the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series.

Eldred attended Center Point-Urbana High School and played at the University of Iowa. He was selected by Milwaukee in the first round of the 1989 draft and spent nine years with the Brewers.

Eldred is currently a special assistant for the Cardinals, working with minor leaguers in the organization.

Proceeds from the Hot Stove Banquet will be used to upgrade and maintain the Norway baseball field. The City of Norway recently purchased the field from the Benton Community School District for $1 and the newly formed Norway Baseball Association will run the facility.

"We thought it was a great idea," said former Norway High School baseball coach Jim VanScoyoc, who is the chairman of the association. "Now the city owns it and they're going to lease it to us."

The Norway Tigers of the Iowa Valley League play their home games at the field. VanScoyoc said the field also has been booked for 14U youth baseball games this April and May, and he said the local Senior League also has asked to use the field.

VanScoyoc said he'd like to host Class 4A high school baseball tournaments in future years, featuring teams from Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Des Moines, the Quad Cities and elsewhere.

"What I'd really like to do is host two 4A tournaments," said VanScoyoc, who won 12 state titles at Norway from 1972 to 1990 and is a member of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

VanScoyoc said the Norway Baseball Association also plans to offer camps and clinics for youth baseball players in the future.

Tickets to the Hot Stove Banquet cost $50 per person and can be ordered by calling (319) 721-2370. There will be a silent auction, drawings and a cash bar.

The IBEW Hall is located at 1211 Wiley Blvd. SW in Cedar Rapids. The social hour will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., with the banquet starting at 7 p.m.

VanScoyoc said the Norway Baseball Association hopes to make the banquet an annual event.