The Bronx Stop: A Yankees Blog

This is a link to the video of the wonderful story ESPN's Outside The Lines ran today on my personal hero, Lou Gehrig.

The video is based off a series of letters that Lou wrote to his doctor after being diagnosed with ALS.

Everyone should take a few minutes to watch this amazing story of courage-- and if you have time-- to read Lou's actual letters.

Click here watch the ESPN special Sincerely, Lou and read Lou's actual letters.

Click here to learn more about what MLB is doing to help find a cure for this terrible disease.

Click here for the ALS association's website.

Fans are invited to vote in the All-Stars Among Us campaign, a presentation of People Magazine and Major League Baseball, for the 30 winners from June 8-24. One winner will be chosen as a representative of every club, and all 30 will be honored Busch Stadium in St. Louis for the July 14 All-Star Game. One club representative also will be featured in People Magazine.

Here are the finalists for the New York Yankees (You can vote for them by clicking this link):

Farley Boyle: The Little Silver, N.J., resident founded CHASE for Life after her daughter Chase nearly drowned. The organization provides free infant and child CPR and has provided hands-on training to more than 4,000 people.

Christina and Michael Pesci: The twins from Parsippani, N.J., are both active in the community. Christina is the president of Bridging the Generation Gap, an outreach club encouraging friendship between young people and seniors, while Michael founded the non-profit Perfect Pitch, which has raised $175,000 for mentally and physically handicapped children and young adults.

Tzirl Goldman: The Brooklyn, N.Y., resident started a program called the Friendship Circle, which pairs teens with special-needs children for fun and friendship. She's also run eight fundraising concerts to help fund the program.

Caught this over on Bryan Hoch's Bomber's Beat Blog and thought I would pass it on.

Joe Girardi, whose father Jerry is afflicted with Alzheimer's, will be joined by YES Network Yankees voice/1050 ESPN Radio host Michael Kay and CBS Sports' signature voice Jim Nantz as the guests of honor and keynote speakers at "Remember When, Remember Now" at the venerable Grand Central Oyster Bar (Lower Level, Grand Central Station) in New York City on Wednesday night, November 19.

All proceeds from the fundraiser and celebration of the Grand Central Oyster Bar's 95th Birthday will be earmarked toward Alzheimer's research and care. The New York City Chapter of The Alzheimer's Association, the Central Illinois Chapter, based in Peoria, and Alzheimer's Research at the Texas Medical Center's Neurological Institute will be the beneficiaries of the event.

Tickets are priced at $250 per person, while tables of 10 are priced at $5,000 (exclusive "Box Seat Table" which include celebrity table host), and $2,500. Cocktail hour begins at 6:30 PM, with the dinner and program starting at 7:30 PM . For information and ticket purchase contact 212 490-7108 and 800-622-7775 or info@oysterbarny.com.

I got an Email this afternoon from a fellow Ohioan named, Tom Kackley. Tom has spent 20 years as a minor league clubhouse manager, the last four of those years working in the Yankees minor league system.

Tom emailed to ask me if I would help put the word out for a (mostly!) Yankees memorabilia auction that he is holding to benefit the Domestic Violence Project in Stark County, Ohio.

Domestic Violence Project, Inc. provides emergency and supportive services, including drug and alcohol treatment, to victims of domestic violence while promoting increased public awareness of domestic violence issues.

Please take a few minutes to check out all the sweet gear that Tom and DVP have up for auction on eBay by clicking here.

Please be assured 100% of the profit from the sale of the items goes to the shelter, and that each item comes with a certificate of authenticity from the Yankees AA affiliate Trenton Thunder.

So please, please, please check it out!!! This is a good chance to get some rare memorabilia before some of these guys become big names in the majors, and it helps out a great cause! It's a win-win situation for everybody!

Ben Platt/MLB.Com:

Throughout its rich history, baseball's greatest moments have been played out on its lush fields of green. Now thanks to an unprecedented partnership, the national pastime is embracing the color green in a whole new way.

Major League Baseball and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have jointly announced the creation of a Team Greening Program. This program was developed to support and coordinate the many environmentally sensitive practices now pursued by virtually every Major League club. The joint effort marks the first time that Major League Baseball will implement a league-wide environmental protection strategy.

"Baseball is a social institution with social responsibilities, and caring for the environment is inextricably linked to all aspects of our game," said Commissioner Bud Selig. "Sound environmental practices make sense in every way and protect our natural resources for future generations of baseball fans."

The program will provide an individualized NRDC Team Greening Advisor for MLB, a Web-based software tool featuring advice and resources for every aspect of a club's operations.

This unprecedented program, more than two years in development, will expand on the industry's best practices, offering specific local advice concerning such topics as energy use, purchasing, concession operations, water use, recycling and transportation.

Kat O'Brien/Newsday:

Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are scheduled to be on Good Morning America (that's ABC) Thursday morning perhaps to talk about their involvement in Going To Bat Against Breast Cancer.

The show airs from 7am to 9am Thursday morning, but there is no word on when exactly their segment will air.

It took a mighty cause to get two of baseball's best, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, together on a brisk April afternoon in the Bronx. No, it's not because the storied "House That Ruth Built" will be torn down after this, its final season. It is actually something even bigger than that: It's a Mother's Day promotion to fight breast cancer.

Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts, shows up at the stadium with a camera crew to film a segment for Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer, a special program started by Major League Baseball and Susan G. Komen for the Cure that generates awareness about breast cancer and will raise funds at baseball games on Sunday, May 11. Standing in the on-deck circle, Roberts tries not to shiver. Jeter walks over and hugs her. "It's cold out here," she tells the Yankees captain. "How do you play in this weather?"

"This is football weather," Jeter says, with a smile. He calls over Rodriguez. "A-Rod," like many of his teammates, has fond memories of Roberts from her days at ESPN.

Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer less than a year ago, and she is dressed in pink: sweater, sneakers and baseball cap. The wig she normally wears on air is left behind. "I really appreciate your time like this.... It's not like you're busy or anything," she says, kidding the guys.

It has been an emotional journey for Roberts, 47, who recently finished chemotherapy treatments and radiation. She says she feels great and is excited to be involved in Going to Bat. "It's fantastic that these world-class athletes are involved in an initiative like this," she says. "It helps bring attention to the problem."

Jeter, too, has his own reason to be here. He thought cancer only affected "someone really old" until his sister was diagnosed in 2000, just before her 21st birthday. "She's doing well," he says. "She battled, she's cancer-free right now, and I'm happy to say that."

To raise money for Going to Bat, Jeter, Rodriguez and Roberts each have signed pink Louisville Slugger bats, like the ones hundreds of players will use this Mother's Day, to be auctioned off for the cause (see above). Says Rodriguez: "We're all very fortunate to play this game, and we realize how important baseball is, yet how trivial it really is in the scope of things."

This year, Going to Bat -- known as "Pink Bat Day" -- hopes to raise at least $250,000 to cure breast cancer, which will claim the lives of an estimated 40,000 women and 450 men in 2008. "Most people wouldn't put breast cancer and baseball together, but it's a natural fit," says Komen founder Nancy Brinker, noting that almost half of baseball's fans are female. "It's especially true on Mother's Day, when we reflect on how much the women in our lives have affected us."

"It's fantastic that these world-class athletes are involved in an initiative like this. It helps bring attention to the problem."

Ned Thompson was a first responder for the New York Police Department on Sept. 11, 2001. He worked the bucket brigade for weeks at Ground Zero. Despite being a non-smoker, Ned died on March 9 at age 39 of lung cancer, almost certainly caused by his selfless work near the fallen towers.

He was survived by a wife and four daughters, all eight years old or younger.

I am telling you this because there is a fundraiser a week from tonight, April 28, for Ned Thompson. It is at the Gallway Hooker restaurant at 7 E. 36th Street in Manhattan between 6-10 p.m.

Baseball New York is strongly supporting this effort. Brian Cashman had sent Ned a signed baseball and a letter in the weeks before his passing that was said to bring him great happiness in his final days, and the Yankees are sending memorabilia to be auctioned off. The Mets donated an autographed Tom Seaver baseball. And Bobby Valentine, who was so involved in the post-tragedy efforts, sent autograph items from Japan that included a 2000 World Series program and a T-shrit commemorating his Chiba Lotte Marines 2005 pennant.

If you can't make the auction, there is a trust fund set up for Ned's girls:
Trust for the Benefit of Edward D. Thompson Children
35 Edgewood Ave.
Little Silver, N.J. 07739.

Major league pitchers will soon have added incentive to strike out batters.

Drugmaker Bayer AG will announce plans Wednesday to donate $10 to prostate cancer research for every strikeout during the regular season this year.

Major League Baseball estimates the four-year partnership could add up to a little more than $300,000 per year. There were 32,189 strikeouts during the regular season in 2007, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Bayer, based in Leverkusen, Germany, will give an additional $1 million to the Prostate Cancer Foundation if a pitcher sets a new record by striking out 21 batters in a game.

Bayer’s One-A-Day vitamins for men are marketed as a way to maintain prostate health.

The deal marks the brand’s first partnership with a sports organization and is “a great way to reach men for the One-A-Day products,” said Jay Kolpon, vice president of marketing for Bayer Healthcare Consumer Health.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News:

The Children’s Health Fund is looking to recruit new members for the “Johnny Damon Yankees Home Run Club,” which gives Yankees fans an opportunity to root for their team and help bring quality health care to homeless and low-income children. For 20 years, the CHF has helped provide health care to thousands of disadvantaged children via mobile medical units.

The Yankees Home Run Club launched back in 1988 with the help of Don Mattingly, raising money and awareness for the CHF’s programs. Bernie Williams took the baton from Mattingly, and has since passed it on to Damon, who took over the role in 2006 after he joined the Yankees.

Becoming a member is easy, and there are two ways to do it: make a pledge for every home run hit by the Yankees this season, or make a one-time gift donation for the entire 2008 season.

Members may be eligible to win field-level box seat tickets to a game in this final season at Yankee Stadium. According to Patricia Abrams of the CHF, the Yankees Home Run Club has raised more than $1 million since its inception thanks to people just like you.

For more information, you can visit the Children’s Health Fund by clicking here.

"Obviously it was a moving experience, going through what we went through today...to see the excitement of Virginia Tech players slapping high fives coming off the field, baseball was a game again." -Joe Girardi


Listen to Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Joe Girardi reflect on the Virgina Tech experience. These links are to Podcasts from WFAN.

Alex Rodriguez

Derek Jeter

Joe Girardi

Bryan Hoch/Yankees.com

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said on Thursday that the team plans to bring its entire starting lineup for a scheduled exhibition at Virginia Tech. New York agreed to schedule the game last season in the wake of the April 16 shootings on the campus, where 32 were killed and many more were wounded.

"I think it's a wonderful opportunity for our players to see that you don't take life for granted," Girardi said.

Immediately following the tragedy, Yankees principal owner George M. Steinbrenner pledged $1 million to the Virginia Tech "Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund." In addition, the Yankees wore special caps bearing the VT logo for a game at Yankee Stadium.

"Mr. Steinbrenner cares about people," Girardi said. "He's always had a big heart, and he's always reached out to communities. I think it's a great thing for our club. We never know what's in store for tomorrow, so I think it's important that you give your greatest effort every day."

The roster for the trip has not been finalized, but Girardi confirmed that right-hander Jeff Karstens will make the start against Virginia Tech.  He also said the Yankees will bring their "A" lineup, including team captain Derek Jeter, third baseman Alex Rodriguez, catcher Jorge Posada and the rest.

 

Jorge Posada and Bobby Abreu have joined other wine baseball icons in an effort that will raise money for charity through wine sales.

Posada's wine is named "Jorge Cabernet", and is a 2006 California Cabernet Sauvignon.  A portion of the proceeds from Jorge Cabernet will benefit The Jorge Posada Foundation which was established to help children and families affected by craniosynostosis. The foundation provides emotional and financial support as it underwrites a portion of the costs of initial surgeries in its partner medical centers.

Abreu's wine is named "Abreu's Finest", and is a 2006 California Merlot.  Portions of the proceeds from Abreu's Finest will benefit the Police Athletic L eague, New York City's largest, nonprofit, independent youth organization. PAL serves 51,000 boys and girls each year with recreational, educational, cultural and social programs. PAL is the official youth agency of the New York Police Department, that is: New York's Finest.

The wine is being distributed across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut stores and restaurants beginning May, 2007. Expected retail is about $12.

Follow the link here to Pre-Order bottles of the wine now!

Excerpts courtesy of Bryan Hoch at Yankees.com:

Before Wednesday's exhibition game against the Twins, Damon accompanied three soldiers who recently returned from Iraq to the mound for ceremonial first pitches, drawing a standing ovation.

As Petty Officer 3rd Class Robert Roeder (U.S. Navy), Capt. Jonathan Pruden (3rd Infantry Division, U.S. Army) and Sgt. Jace Badia (1st Infantry Division, U.S. Army) threw baseballs to players behind home plate at Legends Field, Damon smiled with pride.

The son of a career Army NCO and Vietnam veteran, Damon has developed a lasting connection to the military, making time during his schedule to visit wounded soldiers around the country, engage them and listen to their stories. After Wednesday's game, he recruited as many teammates as possible to organize a visit to the Tampa VA Medical Center.

Chris Britton, Nick Green, Alan Horne and Ian Kennedy were among the players who visited the hospital, located about 20 minutes from Legends Field. Several of the wounded veterans recognized the Yankees, including Britton and Kennedy, who pitched in Wednesday's nationally televised game.

Fortunato said that Damon and the three veterans taped public-service announcements on Wednesday at Legends Field. The spots will air on national television and radio beginning in April and will also be shown before or during games at Yankee Stadium this season.

A salute to wounded servicemen and servicewomen is also planned for this season in the Bronx. More than 29,000 soldiers have been injured in the current war on terror, wounds that will retire them from military service.

"It's the least I can do," Damon said. "There are so many people that help me out to make my job easier. If I can lend my time to help these proud veterans out and make a difference, it is definitely worth it."

Joba is the man.

In case you were wondering what baseball can do for a six year old boys mind state check out this story about Max Marangella a young boy from Gilbert, Arizona.

Max Marangella, 6, is a big fan of the New York Yankees. Derek Jeter is the coolest guy around for the first-grader, and now Max can escape to his own version of Yankee Stadium after local nonprofit Room for Joy renovated his room last weekend.

The group creates dream bedrooms to enhance the healing of chronically ill children. Max now has his own locker, baseball chair and dugout bed fashioned out of fence in his Yankee-themed room.

When the family came home Sunday from a weekend getaway sponsored by Room for Joy, Max sprinted from the car to see his new digs.

"I mean he just galloped down that hallway," Max's mom, Patricia Marangella, said. "I was still way behind him and his face he didn't know what to look at first. It's just every place he looked there was something else."

Max loves playing baseball in his backyard and being as active as possible but that hasn't always been easy for the Gilbert boy.

He was born with a heart defect and also suffers from intestinal and connective tissue disorders. He's had 32 surgeries.

Max underwent his first cardiac surgey when he was six weeks old and his latest was in June.

"He truly believes he's Superman," Marangella said. "He doesn't let any of his medical issues really slow him down."

About 20 to 30 volunteers helped with the project that was funded by the children's ministry at Central Christian Church in Mesa. The rooms cost about $3,000 to $5,000 to do.

Many of the children, who helped raise the money, attend Max's school, Quartz Hill Elementary in Gilbert.

"We've had a really rough six years with medical issues and those of course impact your finances," Marangella said. "When you look around the house, you can tell there are issues. We always put our kids first no matter what happened we did for them before we did anything else. You just fall short. It's been a rough existence these past six years."

And that's why Marangella said she was thankful for the renovation. This weekend was a bright spot that was a long time coming for the family of four.

Before they left on Friday for their mini-vacation, a volunteer had told Max that she wasn't much of a Yankees fan, but liked other sports teams.

"I told her, 'You better not tell Max if it's the Boston Red Sox,'" Marangella said. "Derek Jeter is God to him. He just loves Derek Jeter."

Hey Jeter...if you are reading this-- there is a kid in Arizona who could use some autographs.

To find out more (or help another child get the room of his/her dreams) please visit the Room for Joy nonprofit charities website below.
Room for Joy!

A pair of Yankees and a Dodger will wander the woods in Okeechobee this Saturday hoping their handiwork with a double-barreled shotgun will do as much good as their work with a baseball.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Proctor chose a new twist on an old theme when he planned his first celebrity benefit, set to debut this weekend.

The usual golf foursomes that are so popular for other celebrity fundraisers didn't interest Proctor enough. He wanted something distinctive, and foursomes for a sporting clay-shooting tournament seemed like a fun and entertaining alternative.

The event, which will be held at Quail Creek Plantation, will feature Proctor and New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon and pitcher Kyle Farnsworth. All will participate alongside donors in a tournament that has "shooting stands" instead of golf holes. There will be 14 stands where clay discs hop along the ground to represent rabbits and shoot into the sky to represent birds.

"To me, everyone does a golf tournament, and I wanted to do something to make us different. The main thing was to do something that no one else would do," Proctor said. "Anytime you get a chance to shoot a firearm, that intrigues people."

While Damon is a hunting novice, Farnsworth is a long-time bow and shotgun hunter.

"It's definitely something different for sure. I'm an outdoorsy kind of guy, so it's nice," Farnsworth said. "Anything that has to do with hunting and at the same time raising money, I'll do anything I can to help out. Scott is a really good friend of mine."

--Wow. What an idea!!! Proctor, Damon, and Farnsworth shooting guns for charity. Awesome!!! You know what? Farnsworth may come off a little girly at times-- but I am betting this dude is a bad ass with weapons...Bloggers beware--Farnsie will hunt you down...

Johnny Damon was trembling as he stepped to the podium. He tried to steady himself, take a deep breath, find some way to choke back the tears.

It was no use.

The Yankees outfielder was overwhelmed by his introduction Sunday night at the 85th annual New York baseball writers' dinner, where he was honored for his work with soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Wow. I'm not that emotional of a person," Damon said after a standing ovation. "But for the freedom that we have, we all should pay more attention to people who go out there and fight for it."

Damon received the Joan Payson Award for community service, named after the former New York Mets owner. In September 2006, he became a national spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides various types of assistance to injured servicemen and women.

"This was something that really needed to be addressed," said Damon, whose father, Jimmy, was a career Army officer and served in Vietnam. "I'm going to keep spreading the word. We're going to make these guys come home and live normal lives and feel like they're a part of our country still."

Article Courtesy of AP Baseball writer, Mike Fitzpatrick.

Holy Cow, the Pope's coming to town!!!

According to Bryan Hoch and his Bomber's Beat Blog, the Pope is going to be speaking at Yankee Stadium on April 20th. The Yanks will be on a road trip to Baltimore during this historic event.

Wow, what a fitting way to say goodbye to one of the greatest venues in the history of the world!

The fifth annual Derek Jeter Celebrity Golf Classic takes place from Saturday through Monday at the Avila Golf & Country Club in Tampa, Fla. All proceeds from the Golf Classic will be earmarked for youth programs and organizations in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. Since the inception of the classic, Turn 2 has committed more than $400,000 to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area.