El Paso’s Jim Paul nominated for baseball honor similiar to hall of fame

Former El Paso Diablo’s owner Jim Paul’s name is synonymous with local baseball.

But he’s also well-known for his contributions to Minor League Baseball as a whole and that’s resulted in a recent nomination to the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of The Eternals.

The Baseball Reliquary is a Southern California-based organization dedicated to fostering appreciation of American art and culture through baseball history. The Shrine of the Eternals is similar to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but differs philosophically in that statistical accomplishment is not a criteria.

“It would mean that baseball people are acknowledging your contribution to the game,” said Paul, reacting to recent news that he is one of 12 new nominees for the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals. “To be acknowledged for my contribution and that of my staff and the City of El Paso, it would be a wonderful thing.”

Paul’s nomination includes a short bio: “Revered as the man who saved baseball in El Paso, Texas, and since recognized as an innovative genius responsible for re-energizing minor league franchises nationwide.”

“I’m kind of excited just to be nominated and if we were to get in it would be a wonderful thing,” Paul said. “But I say ‘we’ because there’s a whole lot of people that made it happen here in El Paso.”

Among those already inducted into the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals is one-handed pitcher Jim Abbott, as well as Pete Rose and Fernando Valenzuela, who are not members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Famous Chicken, Ted Giannoulas, who was inducted in costume in 2011.

“Each of us in our own ways were pioneers,” Giannoulas said at his induction.

Giannoulas nominated Paul for induction into this year’s Shrine of the Eternals.

“People in Minor League Baseball wanted to see what we were doing,” Paul said, referring to the Diablo’s popularity in the minors leading to Paul’s creation of the annual El Paso Baseball Promotional Seminar. “We started it with four people, eight people, 12 people … The last one I did was 308 people.”

Paul started to realize his place in baseball history after El Paso’s new ballpark was built.

“Anytime I went to a ballgame, there were three or four people that would walk up and say, ‘This wouldn’t be possible without you,'” Paul said.

To vote for paul’s induction, you must be a member of the Baseball Reliquary. However, anyone can join for $25. Log on to www.baseballreliquary.org to find out how.