Gwinnett Braves take a break at Eagle Ranch

Gwinnett Braves players took a time off from baseball Monday for fishing and fellowship with the youngsters at Eagle Ranch children’s home in Hall County.

The players joined the youngsters at Eagle Ranch’s 10-acre lake, enjoying the surprisingly cool and overcast weather. Pitcher Todd Redmond took rod and reel in hand and said the fishing and meeting the young residents was a welcome break from the mound.

“Any time you get out and fish is a fun time, especially coming out and fishing with the kids,” Redmond said. “It helps everybody, it helps get my mind off baseball and helps the kids more than anything.”

Eagle Ranch girls had an arts and crafts session with wives and family members of some of the players during the once a year visit. Wes Timmons, Matt Young, Cory Gearrin, Vladimir Nunez and Scott Proctor were other Gwinnett Braves players who came out to visit.

Eagle Ranch assistant councilor Greg Owens said the visit was about relationship building, and building character.

“A lot of the stuff we work on is building character through sports and participation and team activities,” Owens said.

Owens said around 64 boys and girls from eight to 18 years of age now reside at the ranch, set up in 1985 on a 270 campus in south Hall County to provide help to children in crisis with counseling and education.

Link to original story by Jerry Gunn.

Gwinnett Braves players join the youngsters at Eagle Ranch’s 10-acre lake

League of Dreams Takes Flight

The Cedar Rapids “League of Dreams” celebrated opening night June 15, 2010 at Jones Park. All participants were 2nd and 3rd graders from five local schools severely affected by the flood of 2008. The league consisted of six teams that played a total of twelve games that culminated on July 21st.

The “Cedar Rapids League of Dreams” is an outgrowth of the Jones Park Baseball Project which was announced last fall in response to the flood that devastated Cedar Rapids in 2008. The Jones Park Project was formed to upgrade the number and quality of baseball fields in Cedar Rapids. Now, the “League of Dreams” gives 75 kids a chance to play on one of those fields. The league was designed to help schools, children, and families hit the hardest by the flood to participate in a fun, relaxed, and informative baseball program.

The 75 youngsters and 6 coaches who comprised the new League of Dreams visited Perfect Game Field Thursday, July 1 for a Cedar Rapids Kernels pre-game ceremony. Jim Ecker from Perfect Game, Tom Barbee, President of the Kernels Foundation, and Mike O’Neil with the Parks and Recreation Department, presided over the ceremony.
The teams played a game on Perfect Game Field and enjoyed a picnic at Veterans Memorial Stadium on July 27th to wrap-up the season.

The youth baseball league, sponsored by the Cedar Rapids Kernels, Perfect Game USA, Rawlings Sporting Goods, Minor League Baseball Charities, the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department, with a big assist from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, offered 75 girls and boys the chance to play baseball this summer at no cost. The newly formed League of Dreams will become an annual event each summer.

Perfect Game USA employee Jim Ecker gives instructions to League of Dream players prior to a game at Perfect Game Field

Charleston RiverDogs Donate $20,000 to MUSC Storm Eye Institute

The Charleston RiverDogs have yet again left a large paw print on the fight against blindness and retinitis pigmentosa.

Prior to the Thursday, July 29 contest against the Greenville Drive at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park, RiverDogs General Manager Dave Echols presented a check for $20,000 to Dr. Ed Wilson and Dr. Craig Crosson of the MUSC Storm Eye Institute.

The donation comes primarily from the RiverDogs’ 11th annual Kindness Beats Blindness auction, which was held on June 26 of this year.

The auction came as a result of RiverDogs President Mike Veeck’s daughter, Rebecca, being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of inherited diseases causing retinal degeneration.  Veeck and his wife, Libby, have dedicated themselves and most of their charitable efforts toward fighting blindness.

“To work hand-in-hand with the Charleston community for such a worthy cause is something we, as an organization, really look forward to every year,” said Echols. “Seeing first-hand the effect this disease can have on a family adds a level of personality and affection to our auction efforts.”

With proceeds amounting in the thousands each of the 11 years of the auction, the team and the Charleston community as a whole have raised more than $400,000 towards preventative research for the degenerative disease.

For more information on the MUSC Storm Eye institute and their effort to battle RP and other degenerative retinal diseases visit www.muschealth.com/eyes.

Charleston RiverDogs General Manager Dave Echols (center) presents a ceremonial check in the amount of $20,000 to the MUSC Storm Eye Institute’s Dr. Ed Wilson (left) and Dr. Craig Crosson (right) prior to the club’s July 29 contest against the Greenville Drive at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. (RiverDogs photo by Andy Lange.)

Indians Give Back

What could be better than playing basketball in an air-conditioned gym on a hot summer day?  How about playing basketball with a professional baseball player?  Jeff Clement, first baseman for the Indianapolis Indians, spent the morning playing and hanging out with the kids at The Salvation Army’s Eagle Creek Community Center.  “Today was a great opportunity to come down to The Salvation Army and spend time with these kids.  It’s more fun, than anything because I’m just a big kid myself,” said Clement.

The kids are all part of The Salvation Army’s Summer Food Program, which provides nutritional meals for at-risk youth in the Eagle Creek area.  “For some of the kids here, this is the only full meal they get during the day,” said Captain Leti Crowell, Corps Officer for The Salvation Army Eagle Creek.  The program was started to bridge the gap between school sessions.  Nearly all of the children qualifiy for the Federal School Lunch program and many would go without a quality meal this summer without the help of The Salvation Army.

A big part of the day is organized recreation and when Clement heard about the opportunity to go and play with the kids, he jumped at it.  “It means so much to these kids that a player like Jeff Clement of the Indians cares about them enough to take time out of his schedule to come and play with them for a few hours.  These kids aren’t just hungry for food, they’re hungry for attention.  They’re going to go home after this and talk about it for a long time,” said Captain Crowell.

This is the second year that players from the Indianapolis Indians have spent a day with the kids at the Eagle Creek Salvation Army.  Last summer, Indians pitchers Eric Hacker and Chris Bootcheck played whiffle ball with kids.

Jeff Clement, first baseman for the Indianapolis Indians, helps 10 year old Mikhal dunk.

Flying Tigers Help Boys & Girls Clubs Raise Over $14,000 During Inaugural Backyard BBQ Festival

The Lakeland Flying Tigers inaugural Red, White and The Blues Celebration and Backyard BBQ festival on July 4 at Joker Marchant Stadium helped the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lakeland & Mulberry raise over $14,000 during the inaugural event. The Boys & Girls Clubs raised money through sponsorships, selling food tickets for the BBQ and working concession stands. Presenting sponsors included True MD, Nite Owl Urgent Care and Regal Automotive Group.

The mission of the clubs is to provide a quality developmental program which empowers Lakeland & Mulberry youth, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to become productive adults. Each year, Boys & Girls Clubs of Lakeland & Mulberry serve more than 2,000 young people through its Clubs, summer sites and outreach programs. Money that was raised will support programs and expenses at the club.

The Red, White & The Blues event included the Backyard BBQ Festival, Lakeland Flying Tigers game, a tribute performance by The Blues Brothers, Aretha and Cab Calloway by the Jake and Elwood Blues Brothers Revue and then a spectacular dueling fireworks show choreographed to patriotic music.

The Flying Tigers are a Class A Affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. For more information please visit the Flying Tigers online at www.LakelandFlyingTigers.com.

BBQ Teams Serving up Samples to Fans (Photo courtesy of Lakeland Flying Tigers)

Timber Rattlers Golf Outing Benefits Miracle League

The Timber Rattlers completed their latest nine-game homestand on a walk-off victory, but it was their work off the field which reigned supreme during the week. Tuesday, July 13 was the solitary off day for the club during the home stretch, but members from the entire organization showed their support for the Miracle League of the Fox Valley at the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers charity golf outing.

Manager Jeff Isom, hitting coach Matt Erickson, and seven players put down their bats and picked up their clubs at Eagle Creek Golf Course last Tuesday. “I had a blast playing with some great people,” said All-Star second baseman Scooter Gennett. “This was an awesome way to spend a day off.” Even with the enthusiasm, Gennett’s team didn’t come out on top. It was relief pitcher Caleb Thielbar who helped propel his foursome to victory. Thielbar, paired with a foursome put together by Chadd Scott of the Settle Inn, took home the grand prize that featured four Brewers tickets and four autographed bats signed by the entire Timber Rattlers team.

Each of the 18 holes had a contest, such as longest drive, closest to the pin and even the use of an oversized putter. While competition was prominent throughout the day, the true focus of the outing centered on raising money to benefit the Miracle League of the Fox Valley. Organizations were able to sponsor a hole or tee box to help support the event, and donations were accepted at specified holes. Raffle tickets were also sold for selected prize giveaways, including autographed memorabilia from Ryan Braun and Donald Driver.

Thanks to the generosity of each participant and sponsor, the outing helped raise over $5,500 for the Miracle League of the Fox Valley. The charity organization is a baseball league for children aged 4-19 with physical and/or mental disabilities. Games are played at 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday during the summer at John Wollner Fox Cities Miracle Field in Memorial Park of Appleton.

The entire Timber Rattler organization would like to thank each sponsor for their help in raising money and for making the outing such a success. The Miracle League greatly appreciates each donation they receive. Please be sure to continue to show your support for these courageous young children!

Gwinnett Braves Announce Grant Program

The Gwinnett Braves Division of the Atlanta Braves Foundation will begin awarding monthly grants to local non-profits in August. The winner of each month will receive a $1,000 grant, 50 tickets to a Gwinnett Braves game, a concourse table at a Gwinnett Braves game and a check presentation. Each non-profit that submits an application will receive 20 tickets to a Gwinnett Braves game.

“We are pleased to present the Gwinnett Braves Grant Program to the community as it is a multi-faceted program that gives all organizations an opportunity to apply and win one of our monthly grants,” said Gwinnett Braves GM North Johnson. “Gwinnett and our surrounding counties have been extremely good to our organization and we are excited to give back to this wonderful community. I look forward to reviewing the applications and awarding our first winner in August.”

Each month features a different theme and organizations may apply for more than one month and area of giving. Below is a list of the monthly themes:

January: I Have a Dream – Organizations that grant wishes, dreams and opportunities for the youth, elderly, injured or sick.
February: Heart Month – Organizations that bring awareness and/or raise funds for heart related diseases and illnesses or that promotes a healthy diet and fitness programs for children.
March: Salute to the Arts – Organizations that support art programs or education.
April: Take Me Out to the Ballgame – Organizations that promote youth athletics or activities.
May: Cancer Awareness – Organizations that bring awareness to cancer prevention/detection or that raise funds for cancer research.
June: Summer Safety – Organizations that fund or run safety programs for children.
July: Red, White and Blue – Organizations that support the military or military families.
August: Back to School – Organizations that support education or after school/mentoring programs.
September: All About Kids – Organizations that benefit children.
October: Four Legged Friends – Organizations that benefit animals.
November: Thanksgiving – Organizations that work to end hunger and/or homelessness, that support children and families that are homeless or that run and maintain a food bank.
December: Season of Giving – Any organization that benefits youth, education or sports programming may apply.

Non-profits that wish to apply can download the Gwinnett Braves Grant Application at gwinnettbraves.com.

The Gwinnett Braves operate under the Atlanta Braves Foundation and specifically focus on those organizations in Gwinnett and its surrounding counties. Through the foundation, the team is dedicated to providing social, educational and scholarship opportunities for the youth in our surrounding communities in connection with the activities of the Gwinnett Braves baseball club. Gwinnett Daily Post Editor, Todd Cline, and Gwinnett Braves front office members North Johnson and Courtney Lawson, General Manager and Community and Public Affairs Manager, respectively, make up the grant selection board.

2010 Charity Challenge Huge Success

A night at the ballpark is always a lot fun especially when needed funds are raised for local charities.  On Friday night July 9th at State Mutual Stadium the Boys & Girls Club of NWGA, Cancer Navigators, Children’s Miracle Network, Hospitality House, Murphy Harpst Children’s Home, and Williams Davies Shelter all participated in the 2010 Charity Challenge.  Each organization sold tickets with a portion of sales going directly back to them.  The top four teams selling the most tickets took part in “on field” activities like the dizzy bat race and the limbo to raise additional funds.  Nearly $3,500 was raised.

The Murphy Harpst Children’s Home sold the most tickets, Boys & Girls Club placed first in the game challenges while the Children’s Miracle Network placed 2nd in the game challenges.

Pulaski Mariners Join Fine Arts Center Benefit Concert

On Friday, June 18, the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley presented a benefit concert by Elvis impersonator Ryan Pelton. The Pulaski Mariners concession staff manned the concession area and donated their time and the profits from sales to the Fine Arts Center. An estimated crowd of 2,500 people watched the show in the downtown Jackson Park.

Pulaski is a town of only 10,000 population. The benefit to the Fine Arts Center from Pulaski Mariners was thirty-five man hours and $750 cash. A return visit has already been schedule for “Elvis” which deems this initial concert a success.

Missions donate $5,000 to Missions Rookie League

The San Antonio Missions presented a $5,000 check to the Missions Rookie League before Thursday’s game, a result of a successful charity golf tournament held on May 25.

The Missions Rookie League is an organization that provides baseball opportunities to underprivileged kids and student athletes in San Antonio. The Missions Rookie League also offers scholarships for youth athletes, and is partnered with the Police Athletic League.

BlueClaws Raise Over $5,500 in Pink Jersey Auction

Sunday’s Lakewood BlueClaws post-game pink jersey auction raised $5,535 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Central and South Jersey, the American Cancer Society’s “Strides Against Breast Cancer” and BlueClaws Charities.

The auction was originally scheduled for Mother’s Day (May 9th), but was pushed back two weeks when the May 9th game went 15 innings.

“We’re very happy to raise so much money to help these outstanding causes,” said BlueClaws General Manager Geoff Brown. “The BlueClaws, the Komen Foundation, and the American Cancer Society are all very appreciative of the fans that bid and donated their money to help fight breast cancer.”

BlueClaws pitcher Nick Hernandez’s jersey went for $800, the highest bid of the day.

The team’s next jersey auction will be held on June 17th, when the BlueClaws host a BlueClaws World Cup jersey auction on Soccer Night.

The team will also host jersey auctions on July 10th (BruceClaws on Bruce Springsteen Appreciation Night) and July 29th (Goonies jerseys on 25th Anniversary of the Goonies Appreciation Night).

Charities can receive a portion of the proceeds from a BlueClaws jersey auction through the team’s Community Partners Program. Interested area non-profits that take part in a BlueClaws fundraiser receive exposure through the team’s game program plus stadium signage. Community Partners can then apply to receive additional money through the program.

Interested charities can contact Jim DeAngelis at 732-901-7000 ext 114 or email jdeangelis@blueclaws.com.

BlueClaws Charities contributed over $150,000 to area non-profits and fundraising events in 2009.

The Lakewood BlueClaws are in their 10th season of providing family fun and entertainment at the Jersey Shore. The BlueClaws, who won the South Atlantic League title in 2009, have led the league and New Jersey in attendance in each year of existence.

Tribute to the Peanut Night Supports Central Virginia Food Bank

On Tuesday, May 18, the Richmond Flying Squirrels teamed up with the VA Peanut Growers to raise awareness about peanuts and the need for peanut butter for the Central Virginia Food Bank. People that brought a jar of peanut butter to the game to donate to the Central Virginia Food Bank were entered into a drawing to win an authentic Flying Squirrels practice jersey. Along with raising awareness about a great organization that is in constant need of support, we had a lot of fun as well as we were not only joined by two peanut mascots (one from the Virginia Peanut Festival & one from VA Diner) but also Peanuts characters Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy! Samples of peanuts were distributed to our fans as fun was had by all in a tribute to one of Virginia’s most well known foods, the peanut!

Two happy Squirrels fans donating for a great cause!
Peanut Mascots helping with an on-field contest-Peanut Ring Toss!

Miracle Roll Sleeves Up to Help Community

Miracle Cares is a community outreach program that was founded in the Fall of 2008. The Fort Myers Miracle front office staff recognized the need for volunteers in the community and took it upon themselves to be those people. Each month the Miracle volunteer some of their work time to helping local organizations in need. This year organizations such as the CCMI soup kitchen, Ronald McDonald House and Salvation Army were assisted in there drive for helping others.

Thursday, April 15th the Miracle pushed up their sleeves and went to work in the kitchen of the Ronald McDonald house cooking some ballpark favorites for dinner. “It’s something simple for us to do and yet the families have been very appreciative” says General Manager, Steve Gliner.  The Miracle lent a hand at the local soup kitchen earlier this year, serving over a hundred people within just a couple hours.

The team turned full circle when they visited the Children’s Hospital on April 26th. The visit consisted of stopping at the Oncology/Hematology, Intensive Care and Surgical units. Children’s faces lit up with joy seeing professional ball players walk into their room to visit. Some kids jumped right into their arms, while others took a little time to warm up to. The kids took to the players right away and began cracking jokes and giving high fives. At the end of the day the kids were just kids, all illnesses momentarily aside.

Miracle Players from left: Tony Davis, Chris Herrmann, Dan Rohlfing, Brad Tippett

American Heart Association receives support from Ports Players

Giving back and supporting local charities is important to any sports organization, and the Stockton Ports are no different.

The Stockton Ports were asked to take part in the Go Red for Women Luncheon on April 29, 2010 at The Hilton Stockton to help raise money and awareness for Go Red for Women and the American Heart Association. The luncheon provided a Healthy Lifestyle Expo & Boutique, Breakout Session, Keynote Speaker Neha Sangwan, Survivor Speaker James Niskanen, and Master of Ceremonies Jennifer Smith of News 10. The Ports players took part in the luncheon portion of the event and provided a lot of smiles and laughs for all in attendance.

The players had the responsibility of collecting donations during the lunch. But the fun part was what happened once the donations were collected. The boys were provided with red feather boas. Each person who donated received a boa from one of the players. It was a fun way to get the crowd smiling and gave them a way to interact with the Ports. Eight Ports players were involved in this wonderful event: catcher Ryan Ortiz, pitcher Kenny Smalley, pitcher Scott Deal, pitcher Trey Barham, catcher Dusty Napoleon, pitcher Paul Smyth, shortstop Grant Green, and designated hitter Kala Ka’aihue.

Stockton Ports Provide Unique Experience for Local Coaches

Wide-eyed and full of questions, local junior varsity and varsity baseball coaches at the high school level get a rare, intimate look into the life of minor league coaching.

Hours before gates open at Banner Island Ballpark, prior to a 7:05 p.m. first pitch, local coaches were able to step inside the front gates for a lesson of a lifetime. The coaches look around in awe at the ballpark, hoping their young, developing players can make it to that level one day with the help and guidance of their coaching.

Once everyone was in the ballpark, all the coaches were led down to the Ports dugout. Not just anyone gets the chance to be in a minor league dugout. It is a close, rare look at the field that only the players and coaches have the chance to experience. Once in the dugout, the men were greeted by Stockton Ports Manager Steve Scarsone.

Scarsone has been in the baseball world for a long time and had a lot of great coaching advice to give the local coaches…Don’t focus so much on the upper part, make sure your lower half does most of the work, take playing catch seriously, have them do drills, and most importantly, explain to them why. That is just some of the advice that Scarsone bestowed upon the coaches in the hour session they had in the dugout. The men asked questions and received detailed answers and examples from the seasoned coach.

After the hour talk was finished, Scarsone had to get back to batting practice with his team. The coaches weren’t finished yet, though. The men were then led behind homeplate and were able to watch a minor league batting practice up close and personal. Scarsone was still there to answer any questions that the coaches had.

In order for the coaches to attend the Ports Coaches Clinic, they had to purchase a ticket to that night’s game against the Bakersfield Blaze. So once their coaching lesson was over, their minor league experience continued with the Ports game. They were able to see all of Scarsone’s coaching advice play out right in front of them on the field.

Ports Manager Steve Scarsone talks with some of the local coaches in the Ports dugout.
Scarsone gives out more advice to the coaches on the field.