Game on! Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game news release - 2008-06-19
REEBOK HEROES CELEBRITY BASEBALL GAME ON JUNE 28 TO BENEFIT CHILDREN’S CHARITIES OF THE HEROES FOUNDATION AND THE MIKE MODANO FOUNDATION
Mike Modano, Brenden Morrow, Michael Irvin, DeMarcus Ware, Jason Terry, Mark Cuban and more team up with managers Wade Boggs and Fred Lynn for a weekend that has raised over $1.2 million to date for local youth.
DALLAS – Get up close and personal with famous faces from Hollywood, the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, MLS and more at the family-fun (and affordable!) Seventh Annual Reebok Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game on Saturday, June 28, at the Dr Pepper Ballpark (7300 Rough Riders Trail) in Frisco. Superstars like Mike Modano, Brenden Morrow, Michael Irvin, Dario Sala, Jason Terry and DeMarcus Ware will join TV and movie stars galore to “play ball” for a cause!
Money raised will benefit the children’s charities of The Heroes Foundation YOUniversity Program and The Mike Modano Foundation.
New this year: Big name power hitters have been added this year to battle it out in the Baylor Medical Center at Frisco Celebrity Home Run Derby, plus a 10-minute fireworks show sponsored by Baylor Medical Center at Frisco will illuminate the skies for the post-game finale!
Two baseball teams, the Red Socks and the Black Socks, each made up of 12 celebrity players and 12 amateurs, will play "hard-charging, umpires umping, trash-talking, uniform-wearing, managers managing, base-stealing, home-run hitting, nine innings, authentic BASEBALL!" New this year will be pitchers (no pitching machines)!
The teams will be managed by Hall of Famers Fred Lynn (nine-time All-Star responsible for the only Grand Slam ever hit in a MLB All-Star Game, American League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in 1975) and Wade Boggs (former third baseman for the Boston Red Sox and five-time American League Batting Champion with 12 straight All-Star appearances).
Here are the stars picked to play in this year’s game (2008 rosters):
• Mike Modano, Dallas Stars center and NHL All-Star
• Brenden Morrow, Dallas Stars captain
• Michael Irvin, Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer and current 103.3 FM ESPN Radio host
• DeMarcus Ware, Dallas Cowboys linebacker and NFL Pro Bowler
• Jason Terry, Dallas Mavericks guard
• Dario Sala, FC Dallas goalkeeper from Argentina
• Ben Grieve, Former Chicago White Sox outfielder
• Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner
• Donnie Nelson, Dallas Mavericks president
• Kevin Kiley, 103.3 FM ESPN Radio host
• Dave Annable, TV series Brothers & Sisters
• Bryan Greenberg, TV series October Road
• Samuel Page, TV series Shark
• Geoff Stults, TV series October Road and soon-to-be-released movie The Express
• George Stults, TV series Seventh Heaven
• Joe Trahan, WFAA Channel 8 sports anchor
Singing the National Anthem will be the young, incredibly talented Cactus Cuties (www.thecactuscuties.com/) from Lubbock, Texas!
Throwing out the first pitch will be Retired U.S. Army Corporal J.R. Martinez of Dalton, Georgia, who was severely burned while serving in Iraq in 2003. Having undergone 32 operations, Martinez now serves to inspire and motivate other injured soldiers. He has been a featured guest on Oprah and on the pages of People magazine, Washington Post and many other publications.
Game goers are encouraged to come out for the tailgating party, sponsored by 103.3 FM ESPN Radio, in the parking lot at 2 p.m. ESPN Deportes 1480 will also be on site with a variety of activities, prize giveaways and interactive games for the whole family.
With baseball hard-hitters added to the mix, the Baylor Medical Center at Frisco Home Run Derby promises more homers and excitement than ever! The celebrity players will take the field at 4 p.m. to display their athletic prowess among former major leaguers Orestes Destrade (former MLB first baseman from Cuba), Kevin Bass (former MLB outfielder and National League All-Star), Brian McRae (former MLB centerfielder with 1,336 career hits and son of former MLB All-Star Hal McRae) and Wade Boggs.
At 6 p.m., the Reebok Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game gets underway as the all-stars vie for the game trophy and coveted MVP award won in past years by Dallas Cowboy DeMarcus Ware, Desperate Housewives actor Josh Henderson, NBA player Kenyon Martin, Chris Kirkpatrick of N’Sync, former NHL All-Star Brett Hull, NBA player Marquis Daniels and amateurs Troy Haugen, John Trabold and Richard Barge. The big weekend also includes “little-league” action on Friday, June 27, beginning at 3 p.m. when the Little Heroes Baseball game gets underway at the Whataburger Little Heroes Field (2807 Harry Hines, Dallas, TX 75201). The All-Star kids (ages 9-11) will be selected from the Heroes ILB program to play and will attend the Celebrity Baseball Game the following day.
Throwing out the first pitch will be honored U.S. Soldiers and Purple Heart recipients from the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, who will be honored during the game courtesy of WBAP 820 AM.
Tickets and more information
Tickets are $5, $7, $12 and $15 and are on sale now at Ticketmaster (214-373-8000), online at www.Ticketmaster.com or at the Dr Pepper Ballpark Box Office during office hours.
North Texas children to benefit from baseball weekend
The Heroes Foundation YOUniversity Program provides constructive opportunities through all of its programs for at-risk inner-city youth to learn the finer points of team sports and participate in educational and cultural curriculums that build self-esteem and give them hope for a much brighter. More than $3 million has been raised to fund the programs for Dallas’ inner-city kids, including the Whataburger Little Heroes Baseball Field, which opened March 2005 at Dallas’ historic Pike Park adjacent to the American Airlines Center.
Proceeds also go to The Mike Modano Foundation, dedicated to raising funds to improve the lives of at-risk and under-served children in the Dallas area, specifically children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected. In addition, the Mike Modano Foundation provides funding for organizations whose purpose is to offer education to children and families suffering the devastation of abuse to help break the cycle of abuse.
In September 2003, the Mike Modano Infant and Toddler Cottage at Jonathon’s Place opened its doors to help at-risk children who have been removed from their homes by Child Protective Services. For more info, visit www.mikemodano.com/foundation_home.php
Sponsors
Baylor Medical Center at Frisco is the presenting sponsor of the Celebrity Home Run Derby. Media sponsors are WFAA Channel 8, 103.3 FM ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes 1480, The Big 96.3 KSCS, Radio Disney and WBAP News/Talk 820.
Chillout, featuring an unplugged performance
by Lifehouse, on tap Friday night at The Palladium Ballroom
The Reebok Heroes Celebrity Weekend kicks-off Friday night (June 27) with Chillout, featuring a special unplugged acoustic performance by American rock band Lifehouse (www.lifehousemusic.com/). Beginning at 8 p.m., VIP ticket holders can enjoy cocktails while mingling with celebrities playing in Saturday’s game.
Chillout is presented by the Heroes Foundation and sponsored by The Joule, A Luxury Collection Hotel. Ticket packages are available to the public and include VIP floor access passes, open bar from 8 p.m. – 1 a.m., performance by Lifehouse at 10 p.m. and an exclusive after-party at 11 p.m. Starting at $1,000 for two tickets and $2,000 for eight tickets, all proceeds benefit the organizing foundations. To purchase, contact Lara Beth Seager at 770-898-4510 or lbseager@heroesbaseball.org.
Media-only activities
Orestes Destrade, Kevin Bass, Brian McRae and Jack Clark (aka “Jack the Ripper”, former MLB player, four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner) will stage a one-hour clinic for the Heroes ILB program from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, at the Dr Pepper Ballpark (before the Home Run Derby and celebrity game). About 150 inner-city kids will participate. The clinic will be open to the media but not to the public.
Also open to media only is the Red Socks and Black Socks Training Camp at the Dr Pepper Ballpark on Friday, June 27, from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. There is only one training camp scheduled this year, which means players and managers from both teams will be training at the same time, making it easier to photograph the players, set up interviews, etc.
Media entrance is at the left-field gate.
