Honoring The Great Lou Gehrig, MLB Teams Up With ALS

Major League Baseaball pays respect to one of its all-time greats this Fourth of July by helping to raise awareness for ALS, the disease that took Lou Gehrig at age 38.

Partnering with four major non-profit organizations, MLB will pay tribute to “The Iron Horse” during all games played on Saturday, July 4th. The “4♦ALS Awareness” campaign will culminate with the following words being read at the end of each game played on that day–the 70th anniversary of “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” at Yankee Stadium.

“For the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for 17 years and have never received anything but kindess and encouragement from you fans.”                       ~ Lou Gehrig, July 4, 1939

The four organizations teaming up for the campaign are The ALS Association, Project A.L.S., Augie’s Quest, and ALS TDI. 

Below is a video of the classy Gehrig giving his infamous speech to a packed Yankee Stadium in 1939.

 .

FORMER MLB PITCHER BLYLEVEN CHOWS DOWN FOR CHARITY

Not for the faint of heart–or those prone to gag reflexes–but what the heck, it’s a great way to raise a quick $15k for Parkinson’s!

I don’t know much about nightcrawlers, but I do know I don’t want them as an appetizer. Not the case for Bert Blyleven. Earlier this month, during a Mariners/Twins game, the 22-season MLB vet and current Twins’ color analyst downed two of the slimy (and rather burly looking) critters to raise money for the Parkinson Association of Minnesota. Blyleven is a staunch supporter of the organization, as his dad passed away from the disease in 2004.

As you’ll see during the video, he actually looks like he’s having fun with it. This may just be the clincher for “Circle Me Bert” getting into Cooperstown…he’s definitely got our vote!

PEOPLE Mag and MLB Invite You To Pitch An “Everyday All-Star”

Do you know someone who has gone above and beyond to do something remarkable for their community? Someone who stands out as a true “All-Star” when it comes to making a difference in the lives of others? If so, step up to the mound and get ready to fire a perfect pitch, cuz PEOPLE magazine and Major League Baseball want to hear about it.

PEOPLE and MLB are teaming up to highlight 30 community superstars (one for each MLB team) in their “All-Star Among Us” campaign. Winners will attend and be honored at the pre-game ceremony of the MLB All-Star game in St. Louis, MO, on July 14th, and one of these awesome individuals will be featured in PEOPLE magazine.

PHOTO: Steve Mcsweeney

It’s simple. Log on to the official web page (click here) and fill out the online entry form, which asks for a photo of your nominee (who must be 16 years or older) accompanied by a 50-words-or-less blurb on why they deserve to be voted a “People All-Star Among Us.” Three finalists per Club will be announced in June, with the final voting taking place online to decide one winner to represent each Club at the game.

The deadline is May 22nd, so head on over to the site and get your vote on. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have someone who shines in your community have their shiny face in a national mag–PEOPLE, no less–the check-out stand dominator!