John C. Herzog, former Bolingbrook Lions club president and founder of the annual Bolingbrook BEEP Baseball Bash, gave more to others than he received over the years, friends and family said.

On Sunday, the Lions Club of Bolingbrook returned the favor when Lions club officials announced the organization was honoring the man affectionately known as “Big John” by placing a commemorative leaf on the Tree of Honor at the Illinois Lions Club Foundation headquarters in Sycamore in his name.

The club also made a $500 cash donation to the Lions Club Foundation’s endowment fund in Herzog’s name.

“This is a somber moment, but over the years the BEEP Baseball Tournament has become synonymous with the Herzog family,” said Bolingbrook Lions club President Kevin Johnson during the presentation.

“Now John will be remembered eternally for his work,” Johnson said.

The ceremony culminated the two-day tournament, which brought teams from as far away as Boston, Kansas and Cleveland to compete in BEEP baseball.

The tournament, played on the grounds south of the Bolingbrook Recreation and Aquatic Center on Lily Cache Road, is a form of baseball played by blind and sight-impaired individuals using 16-inch softballs that beep and foam pylon-style bases that buzz.

In addition to Herzog being honored with a leaf, his wife, Elaine, received a commemorative plaque honoring her late husband.

“Big John” Herzog died Jan. 30, 2008.

Herzog’s son, John T. Herzog, a Woodridge resident, coaches the Chicago Comets, which won the tournament for the second year in a row and includes many players from the western suburbs.

One of the players is John J. Herzog, 25, John T.’s son, a graduate of Downers Grove South High School.

John T. Herzog — who goes by J.T. — said he had an inkling a special award ceremony was in the offing after Saturday’s set of games.

“One of the Lions asked me if my mother would be attending. Then he said it more like ‘Your mother is attending, right?”,” J.T. said.

The announcement came shortly following the last game, and as J.T. and son, Adam, compiled statistics  Lions club officials made the announcement at an outdoor reception attended by about 100 participants and spectators.

“I am very proud, it was very emotional,” said J.T. Following the announcement.
Last year the trophy awarded each year to the tournament champion was re-named the John C.

Herzog Memorial Trophy, and a tree was planted in Lions Park on Lily Cache Lane in Bolingbrook in John C. Herzog’s honor as well.

“Only over the past few years have I have come to realize how many people my father touched through his work with the Lions Club, Trojan Football and the Boy Scouts,” J.T. said.

“It was kind of like not being able to see the forest through the trees. But I like to say dad was a pretty big tree, and I’ve come to learn he touched a forest of people,” said J.T., who has lived in Woodridge for 20 years after growing up in Bolingbrook.

Giovanni Francese, 33, a Westchester resident and member of the Comets, said John C. Herzog will always be remembered as the father of Bolingbrook’s BEEP tournament.

“I’ve been on the team now for six years, and I remember John C. pretty well,” said Francese, who is a graduate of St. Joseph High School, and also attended Fenwick High School in Oak Park.

Francese, whose parents own D’s Little Italy in La Grange Park, said playing BEEP baseball has provided a recreational outlet he might not otherwise have.

“During the BEEP Baseball World Series last year in Houston, I was named the tournament’s most valuable hitter,” said Francese, who lost his eyesight to macular degeneration.

“Usually macular degeneration is something associated with older people. Still, the way I look at it is if I can get by with just being blind, then I will be just fine,” said Francese, who is dedicated to his sport.

“I’d like to keep working on my fielding to become a more complete player,” said Francese, who plays in the left field line zone.

In 2003 the Comets won the World Series of BEEP baseball, and will make another appearance in the national championships scheduled for July 26 to Aug. 2 in Stockton, CA.

“I would love to be on a team that wins the World Series,” said Francese, who joined the team a year after it won the 2003 national title.

Louie Lopez, a North Riverside resident who is one of the team’s pitchers, began working with the team in the mid 1990s.

“My dad (Nick Lopez) got involved and took me to games. I eventually started pitching, and it is a thrill to participate and be pat of BEEP baseball,” Louie said.

Louie was part of the 2003 national championship Comet squad, and said he looks forward to this year’s championship in California.

“We’ve been working hard since January, when we began with indoor batting practice. It takes a lot of coordination between pitchers and catchers — who are sighted — and each batter. The important thing is to establish the right sequence and cadence so the batter can use the same consistent swing and trust us to pitch it to the right spot at the right time,” Louie said.

Although the tournament belonged to the Comets — they won all four games they played to earn the title — the moment belonged to Big John and his family.

“He (Big John) leaves behind an incredible legacy,” said Ken Arndt, past president of the Bolingbrook Lions Club.

“Even though I wasn’t part of his immediate family, he touched me, and showed me a lot about persistence and attitude. Big John was a person who wouldn’t stand to let things stand in the way of accomplishing his goals,” said Arndt, who now chairs the event.

Other rostered players on the Comets include Mike Grunze, Naperville; Nicole Sauder, Oak Brook, and Alex Munoz, Berwyn.