Charity game goes down to the wire - 2009-06-16
By CHRIS O'DELL
Special to the Star Courier
FRISCO -- The eighth annual Reebok Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game took place Saturday at the Dr Pepper Ballpark with multiple athletes and entertainers joining forces to raise money for several causes including the Heroes Foundation YOUniversity Program and the Mike Modano Foundation.
The athletes competing in the friendly, but competitive, baseball game were all aware of the importance that these foundations serve.
“We’re in such a fortunate position, whether we like it or not, but we are, to take advantage of our time while we’re in the middle of our careers to help raise awareness and money,” said Marty Turco, Dallas Stars goalie. “And it’s a wonderful thing.”
The two baseball teams competing for these causes were the Red Socks and Black Socks. Each team was comprised of celebrity players and amateurs.
However, before the game took place, several celebrities competed in a home run derby to display the power, or lack thereof, that fans are rarely lucky enough to see.
The event began with former Dallas Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson belting a tone-setting, 200-point performance in the three swings each batter was allowed. Although none of Pearson’s hits cleared the wall, his 200 points were good enough for first place throughout most of the event.
However, former Tampa Bay Bucs defensive tackle and “Dancing with the Stars” competitor Warren Sapp, along with amateur Richard Barge, would surpass Pearson to advance to the second round of the derby. After three more swings from Sapp and Barge, each hitter remained tied and entered a two-swing tiebreaker to settle the competition once and for all.
Sapp would prove victorious after hitting a line shot to left field for a score of 300 points. The hit, which was the longest by any participant, was enough to give Sapp his first Heroes Celebrity Baseball Home Run Derby Championship after Barge failed to reach 300 points on his two swings.
Although most of the participants in Saturday’s game were current or former athletes in at least one sport, some players were displaying their hidden athleticism for the first time.
“It’s my first year here so I’m really happy to be here,” said Joey Fatone, former N’Sync member. “For me, it’s like, I may not be the best player, but I make up for it in personality and spirit.”
Fatone, who Sapp dubbed as “Joey Fat One” before the game, was Red Socks manager Wade Boggs’ pick as a sleeper in the game.
“I feel like [Fatone is] going to give us a big hit,” he said. “Maybe a base hit with runners on second and third to drive in two runs.”
But Boggs, who had successfully managed in the event for multiple years, might have lost his magic touch for picking the big hitters as Fatone failed to contribute anything meaningful to his Red Socks team. In fact, during the sixth inning Fatone brought a chair out to right field to rest his unworked legs while enjoying a cold beverage.
“I got up the second time and Joey Fatone was sitting out in right field,” said Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner. “I’m like, I’ve got to hit the ball to right, and I hit it hard, but right at the second baseman.”
However, after giving a surprisingly good ballet performance after the seventh inning, Cuban got one last chance to show the crowd and his celebrity peers what kind of athlete he is.
With the game tied, 8-8, in the ninth inning, Cuban came up to the plate with runners on at first and second base with two outs. After falling behind in the count, Cuban nailed the ball down the first base line to score both runners and reach second base with a stand-up double.
After Cuban’s Black Socks added another run in the ninth, his teammates closed it out in the bottom of the inning to give manager Matt Williams’ team the 11-8 victory.
“It was great because everything we’ve done up to this point I was pulling, pulling, pulling,” Cuban said. “The first time up, I hit it off the handle and pulled it. But this time I’m like wait, wait, wait, and I was able to hit it down the first base line.”
Mavericks’ general manager and Black Socks assistant manager Donnie Nelson said Cuban’s jersey, which contained a dollar sign on the back, instead of a number, was symbolic of the billionaire’s performance at the plate.
“That was just like the back of his jersey,” Nelson said. “It was M-O-N-E-Y. He was down in the count, and he got a hold of it for a perfect shot up the first base line.”
Cuban would win the Most Valuable Player award after his game-winning double.
