December 9, 2013 – For the second consecutive year, Major League Baseball and its 30 Clubs have organized a Winter Meetings charity auction that includes once-in-a-lifetime experiences and unique items to benefit Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). The initiative was inspired by the numerous members of the baseball family who have been diagnosed with cancer in recent years.
This year, ESPN Sunday Night Baseball an¬alyst and cancer survivor John Kruk and the General Managers of MLB Clubs will join the cause by participating in a special moment today at the Walt Disney Dolphin Resort, where the auction will launch when the Winter Meetings get underway.
Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig said: “I am proud of Major League Baseball’s industry-wide support of Stand Up To Cancer and the many creative ways in which our game has contributed to its extraordinary mission. The auction at the Winter Meetings is particularly special because it was inspired by brave members of the baseball family who are among our peers. We hope to bring many joys of the game to our fans while advancing the vital work of our friends at Stand Up To Cancer.”
“Stand Up To Cancer was founded on the belief that each and every one of us can make a difference in the effort to make more cancer patients survivors, and the incredibly generous support SU2C receives from all facets of the Major League Baseball community exemplifies that belief,” said SU2C Co-founder Rusty Robertson. “The Winter Meetings auction, which brings together all 30 clubs as well as individual players, coaches and fans, is a powerful example of what can be achieved through collaboration.”
The auction, which begins at 9:00 a.m. (ET) today and will be live on MLB.com until Thursday, December 12th at 11:59 p.m. (ET), features an assortment of experiences and items donated by Major League Baseball, its 30 Clubs, MLB Network, MLB Advanced Media and SU2C. Following are some of the items supporters can look forward to, with a full list here.
• Bring the 2013 World Series Trophy of the Boston Red Sox to your home or office
• A one-day internship with the Minnesota Twins during the Home Run Derby at Target Field during the 2014 MLB All-Star Week
• Have the 2013 MLB home run leader, All-Star Chris Davis, visit your child’s Baltimore-area school
• Have Colorado Rockies All-Star outfielder and 2013 National League batting champion Michael Cuddyer perform a magic show at your child’s school
• Meet-and-greets with All-Stars Jay Bruce, Jose Fernandez, Paul Goldschmidt, Mike Trout and Joey Votto; Dodgers partner and basketball legend Magic Johnson; and 2013 Managers of the Year Terry Francona and Clint Hurdle along with fellow skippers Joe Maddon, Mike Scioscia, Buck Showalter, Ned Yost and others
• Have lunch with Philadelphia Phillies Manager and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg
• Take batting practice on the field with instruction from New York Mets Manager Terry Collins or get a private pitching lesson with former Mets All-Star John Franco
• Have your portrait painted by Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Didi Gregorius
• Have All-Star Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez host a catching clinic for your child’s little league team
• Golf with Los Angeles Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela
• Get a private base running lesson from cancer survivor Dave Roberts, the bench coach of the San Diego Padres who earned one of the most famous stolen bases in Baseball history.
Kruk said, “As both a former Major Leaguer and a cancer survivor, I’m thankful to have the opportunity to be a part of this auction and hopefully inspire others who are affected. The baseball family was there for me when I received my diagnosis and underwent treatment years ago, and it’s nice to see that the momentum to battle this disease continues to grow.”
“Over the past few years, we have simply had too many of our own colleagues, friends and family members affected by cancer to not try and stand up and help in this fight,” said Josh Rawitch, the Senior Vice President, Communications of the Arizona Diamondbacks on behalf of the 30 Clubs’ media relations representatives. “The Winter Meetings are a unique time when the whole baseball world comes together and we are profoundly grateful to the General Managers who have been so supportive of this initiative. We hope that this continues to grow each year so that we’ll soon be raising millions to help find a cure for this disease.”
Major League Baseball and its 30 Clubs are the founding partners of SU2C and a lead donor since 2008 committing over $40 million through 2014. As the initiative’s founding donor, MLB has collaborated with Stand Up To Cancer on significant awareness-building efforts, including public service announcements, in-stadium promotion and fundraising events, and has dedicated one World Series game to the initiative for each of the past three years.
ABOUT STAND UP TO CANCER (SU2C)
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C, a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in 2008 by film and media leaders who utilize the industry’s resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, and to increase awareness about progress being made in the fight against the disease. As SU2C’s scientific partner, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., conduct rigorous, competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and provide expert review of research progress.
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Contact: Pat Courtney or Jen Zudonyi, Major League Baseball, (212) 931-7878, twitter.com/mlb_pr.