| For the benefit of: |
|
| |
|
The Baseball Challenge is an annual event held during the summer.
The goal is for recreational baseball players to have a great time playing baseball while raising
funds for two fantastic charities - Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska
and Cocoon House of Everett.
We try and hold the event in conjunction with a weekend afternoon Everett AquaSox game.
This year, we needed to postpone the event until after the AquaSox season was over so
we played the game at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, home of the AAA Tacoma Rainiers.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska supports families with seriously ill children
by providing a caring home-away-from-home at the Seattle Ronald McDonald House and
by operating a grants program benefiting children’s health related non-profits in Western Washington and Alaska.
Cocoon House provides youth housing and other community-based services to
youth, caregivers, families and the community in order to alleviate youth homelessness
and address child abuse and neglect issues.
There are multiple ways to get involved!
You can play in the game, attend the game, help organize the game or become a sponsor!
To play in the game, we ask that players raise a minimum of $500 for Ronald McDonald House or Cocoon House (or both).
Included in that $500 is a $60 deposit to secure a rostor spot and pay for expenses.
We supply 2 tickets to an AquaSox game, bats, balls, catchers gear, hats, a professional quality double tackle twill jersey, belts and socks.
All you need to bring is basebal pants, cleats and your glove.
The game itself is played for fun and follows modified rules (no bunting, stealing or advancing on balls past the catcher).
There are a mixture of experienced adult players as well as some players who have not played in 20+ years.
Our format allows for a fun game for players of varying ages and abilities and sexes.
Another benefit is the chance to talk baseball with the former major leaguers who are coaches.
We have had the extremely good fortune to have a number of truly remarkable individuals volunteer their time
to come out coach (or make fun of) adult players while telling stories you have never heard on the radio.
For more information about the event send email to
TheBaseballChallenge@hotmail.com
For more about the charities, please contact them directly.
|
Sponsor Information:
Seattle Mariners Fantasy Baseball Camp
Athletic Supply
STT Sports Lettering
Mark Gardiner Photography
Everett AquaSox
|
Latest News
9/28/08 - Gameday!
Finally everything cooperated and we were able to play the game.
The weather was beautiful, the players were psyched and we got in 9 wonderful innings.
Roy Thomas guided Team Ronald McDonald House to an easy 14-2 win over Team Cocoon House.
Despite the somewhat lopsided score, everyone had fun and we raised over $10,000.
We're hoping for additional funds to trickle in and allow us to get up to $15,000.
Sadly, Julio Cruz could not join us due to a conflict with the final Mariner's game of the year.
He is the Spanish language broadcaster for the M's.
9/24/08 - We're playing in Tacoma
While Kirkland would have been a great place to play
we were able to secure Cheney Stadium in Tacoma for our game. We're thrilled to play there.
The game will start at 10:00AM so be there early to check in and get warmed up.
9/21/08 - Rain!
Sadly, our game plan to play Sunday, Septempber 21st at Lee Johnson Field
in Kirkland was dashed when all-day rain on Saturday, September 20th soaked the field.
We were forced to cancel the game. We are currently looking to play the game on Sunday, September 28th.
We are looking for a place to play. Most likely places include Kirkland (again), Cheney Stadium in Tacoma or
maybe we can back to Everett Memorial Stadium. A big thanks goes out to Dave Henderson for agreeing to
take over coaching duties for Roy Thomas who had a personal conflict arise. Hendu has been a big part of the
event over the years and is a great coach and ambassador of the game.
9/10/08 - We're playing in Kirkland
It was really hard to find a field but we were lucky enough
to find an open date & time in Kirkland. We will play at historic
Lee Johnson Field at Peter Kirk Park. This field is a very nice municipal field
with a long history. As recently as 2 years ago, it was home to the Kirkland Kodiaks, a local amateur
team with numerous college players.
7/18/08 - Roy Thomas Returns to Lead Cocoon House
Like Julio, another former Mariner and 2nd time particpant, Roy Thomas, has
indicated he will be able to attend the event and help coach. Roy and Julio are both considered
"players" managers and were very popular in the "clubhouse" with their teams in the past. Roy
will handle the Cocoon House coaching duties.
Click here for short biographies of the former Mariners who have served as coaches.
5/14/08 - Julio Agrees to Coach Again
Former Mariner Julio Cruz agrees to coach again! Julio returns for his
2nd year of coaching, taking over the reigns of the Ronald McDonald House team after guiding the Cocoon House team
to their first loss in 3 years. Just kidding Julio, we love you man!
We are truly deligted to have him on board. Like toddlers, our enthusiastic but sometimes inexperienced
players can sometimes require a little extra care, so we are always on the lookout for more former Mariners or major leaguers.
Click here for short biographies of the former Mariners who have served as coaches.
9/8/07 - Game Over
What a day! Team Ronald McDonald House prevailed over Team Cocoon House by
breaking open a close 3-2 game with a big inning in the 5th and cruising to victory. No one seems to know the exact
final score but 14-9 seems pretty close. Everyone had fun and once again we raised over $20,000!
|
More Information:
Donate to Ronald McDonald House
Donate to Cocoon House
Biographies of former Mariners
History of the Baseball Challenge
|
