Going Home.

Yesterday, Tim Wakefield's golf tournament kicked off in Florida.

And last night Dustin Pedroia went home to Woodland, CA to help raise funds for improvements to a baseball field.

Good Eggs.

Tim Wakefield will be hosting his golf tournament for the Space Coast Early Intervention Center down in Florida this weekend. Since its inception the fundraiser has raised almost $6 million for the school. It would seem to be a good, useful program. What's more, Wake sends his own kids there after school. Timmy is a good person who deserves to be treated with respect.

Meanwhile, battery mate Victor Martinez isn't willing to disappoint a little girl either. There was still apparently unfinished business for him in Cleveland. Last year he had agreed to be part of a radio contest where the winner got to bring him to school, presumably for show-and-tell. Unfortunately for the contest's winner, Victor was traded to Boston before they could settle on a date for the visit. So today he trekked up to Cleveland to complete his part of the bargain.

Say it with me: Awww.

A Different Sort of Christmas.

Tonight in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic David Ortiz will be co-hosting an event called The Millionaire's Night Party--link in Spanish. The event is a fundraiser with the idea of being able to provide Christmas dinner (gifts and toys included) to the children in ten orphanages in the the Dominican Republic.

Say it with me: Awwww.

A Hunting We Will Go.

Betty Boop - A Hunting We Will Go
by baje22

I am not morally opposed to hunting. I don't particularly understand it's appeal but I'm not against it.

So even though I don't recall having ever seen a Betty Boop cartoon, I was never really a fan of Ms. Boop. (My Dad's nickname for me is descended from Ms. Boop's and it greatly offended my childhood sensibilities to be named after a cartoon character. My grandfather always used to call me Betty and my Dad picked up on that and calls me Booper, or in its full version: Betty Booper Pooper Scooper. It was never a favorite of mine.) She seems to be a bit of a flake. In this cartoon, she will just absolutely die if she doesn't get a fur coat but then the sight of the animals without their fur causes her to see the light and she gives them back their coats. Because skinning animals alive is wrong. Or something.

Hopefully, Josh Beckett has properly vetted the participants in his charity hunting event this weekend (You knew that there would be a point in here somewhere, right? And that really was the only mention I could find of the gathering--a throw away line in an article about philanthropic Tommy Hunter.) so that he hasn't invited any individuals who might share Ms. Boop's ideals. I'd bet she's a trouble maker.

Golfing With Mr. Hunter (and Mr. Upton).

I'm not sure if my recent dislike of Torii Hunter gives me leave to make fun of his charity. Even if he is a terrible friend and his charity's mission statement is somewhat grandiose and self-satisfied, he probably does a lot of good. Besides which, the man has connections.

Josh Beckett hosts a bowling tournament with a similarly vague goal of helping children and you get coverage from the local media outlets. Torii Hunter hosts a golf tournament to help children in his own self-important way and he gets MLB Network to cover it for him. Beckett has an after party with some band I've never heard of (sorry) and Hunter gets Brian McKnight for his shindig (I couldn't tell you what he sings but I have heard of him).

The reason for bringing it up? Both Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz (who must be a better person than me) have agreed to show up for the November 10-11 tournament. And although Kevin Millar is shown in an Orioles uniform in the slide show at the bottom of the page and it's been four seasons since he played in Boston, he apparently remains an Old Sock to everyone. Also, if Hazel Mae is your thing, she'll be there too.

Fighting the Good Fight.

If we were all allowed to pick the way we were going to die, then cancer would be eradicated tomorrow. It would cease to exist because no one would ever choose to go out that way. Not even the most masochistic or attention-deprived among us would elect to have a highly-treatable form of the disease in order to meet their needs, if they really knew what cancer treatment was like.

Cancer (and it's treatment) is ugly. A formerly vibrant human being lies there, wracked with pain, wasting away while a mass of rouge cells roils through their body destroying as it sees fit. And our response is either to poison it, or to shoot radiation at it, or to cut it out, or some combination of the three.

That's not to say that amazing progress hasn't been made in the treatment of the disease. Thanks to the huge amount of money thrown at the problem, cancer isn't nearly the death sentence it was thirty years ago. But it is still far too common of a diagnosis; there are still children forced to face their own mortality way before they should be and guilt-ridden families left behind to deal with the aftermath.

To that end, former best beloved Craig Breslow will be hosting a fundraising gala in New Haven, CT on November 7. The money raised will go to his Strike 3 Foundation, which supports pediatric cancer research. And as an added incentive to actually making the trek down there, despite not being the best public speaker and possibly making everyone seasick from his swaying/inability to stand still (which might prove disastrous after eating from a raw bar) Nomar is supposed to be the guest speaker.

Different Strokes.

A couple of nights ago Jacoby Ellsbury was spotted whooping it up at Rain nightclub in the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas--which is where Real World Las Vegas was based. (Don't judge me.) It was the night of John McCain's daughter's birthday party but it seems as if Ellsbury's appearance, his dance floor adjacent table, and his vodka cocktails were merely incidental and that he wasn't part of the big do.

Meanwhile down in Texas, Josh Beckett will be playing in Vernon Wells' Charity golf tournament on November 2. The tournament is meant to raise money for the Vernon Wells Perfect 10 foundation. I'm not entirely certain but it seems that the foundation works to help homeless children in the Arlington, TX area.

Good Deeds.

Two little bits of info tonight:

1. David Ortiz will be hosting his second charity golf tournament in the Dominican Republic on December 3-6. The tournament raises money for the David Ortiz Children's Fund which works to support children's healthcare, primarily assisting in paying for cardiac surgeries. (I think.) Says David:

"I am looking forward to gathering with all my friends for the second annual David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Tournament. It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase my home country - the Dominican Republic - while raising money for children who can't afford the healthcare they need. Everyone who participates is making a difference in the lives of these children."

From the photos of last year's event, it was a stunning location.

2. A little bit closer to home (and somewhat less breathtaking), Manny Delcarmen will host his bowling event at King's Back Bay on Dalton St. on Halloween.

Pin Pals.

Say what you will about Josh Beckett (and I may have said it all) being taciturn and surly, he really does seem to care about the success of Beckett Bowl and helping out Children's hospital. I'm not sure I've ever heard him string together that many words at a time.

Won't Be Fooled Again.

So looking at the thumbnail of this video, my first thought was: Good God. What did John Smoltz do to his hair?

Yesterday Smoltz participated in the golf part of Wake/Tek's Pitching in for Kids charity extravaganza. He likes to do charity work and he likes Tim Wakefield. He does not yet know when he will be pitching but he's looking forward to it. Also, there may be some sort of battle royale in the works between Mikey Lowell and John Smoltz for the role of team smart-aleck.

A Heads Up.

I decided a couple of months ago that if I just ignored half of what Kevin Youkilis does and says then I would like him just fine. And so far it's worked out well; I haven't been annoyed with him in quite awhile. But I'm breaking the rules today to pass along the information that Youkilis will be having brunch in Needham on July 25 to help raise money for teen suicide prevention programs. So, you know, be prepared for him to do or say something stupid soon--I have that kind of power.

Acey Duecy.

I haven't attempted to play poker in a very long time. I can play Setback. I can play Spit. I used to be able to play Gin Rummy. I can play War. I am really good at Uno, not as good at Crazy Eights. I got a little bit competitive at Hearts once--stacked the deck. People were upset; it wasn't pretty.

My Dad tried to teach me poker once or twice, five-card draw, seven-card stud (I think these are games), and after I got the hang of it declared myself to be a card sharp. The old man thought this was particularly funny and insisted that the term was card shark. And so the poker lesson dissolved into an etymological lesson and started the hunt for the actual term (we were both right but I was more right) and where it could possibly have come from.

If you do play the game though, on June 8 there will be a poker party in Faneuil Hall (and subsequent golf tournament) to benefit Pitching in for Kids; which raises grant money for children's charities. The event will be hosted by Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek.

Springfield! Springfield! It's a Hell of a Town.

The Springfield YMCA may be the home of basketball but on April 8 it'll be all about the knuckleball. On the campus of Western New England College at 8 that morning, Tim Wakefield will be the keynote speaker at the Greater Springfield YMCA's Kick-Off Breakfast for the 2009 Annual Campaign. Single tickets are available for the hefty price of $150.

It's Difficult to Think of Creative Titles for All the Golf Related Posts.

The Red Sox Charity Classic Golf Tournament took place today. The Globe seems to think that the results of the event should be very hush-hush but they saw fit to provide video of the event.

Just a couple of things:

1. Never trust a rookie to hold one of those flag things (I don't really know much about golf.) When Francona is speaking Justin Masterson is standing behind him holding one and seems to be unable to keep it upright. First, he seems to come close to knocking Javier Lopez with it and then Jon Lester. Or perhaps it's a cunning plan to annoy his competitors into quitting so that Happy can be the winner.

2. I really did think that Jim Rice was going to approach the tee a la Lucy Ricardo in The Golf Game episode of "I Love Lucy." I really wish that there was a clip of the scene where Ricky teaches Lucy how to play golf because when you viewed in the right light (he really is a terrible jerk) it's very funny and this observation only makes sense if you know what I'm talking about.

3. Justin Masterson must wear his socks pulled all the way up out of habit.

I Guess the Shoulder is OK.

John Smoltz's reputation proceeds him. And, as it turns out, it might not be an exaggeration.

On January 25, Smoltz (and teammate Julius Erving) won Michael Jordan's Celebrity Invitational golf tournament. This is the second time that Smoltz was part of the winning team at the event--he tied for first place in 2004 when he was partnered with Angie Everhart. He tied for second place last year. As his prize he received $20,000 which he donated to the Kings Ridge Christian School in Alphretta, GA. I suspect that the school was the one he mentioned having built when he discussed his love of Atlanta. Overall, the event raised $150,000 for charity.

Whoever put the team of Johnny Damon and Roger Clemens together must have a cruel sense of humor.

Fore!

It's a long held tradition for the Red Sox to hold a charity golf tournament during spring training to benefit the Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. This year's tournament (on February 20) will be the sixteenth time that they've done it. I imagine that it's much appreciated, as last year they raised $665,000 for the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital.

I don't know if Smoltzy's shoulder will allow him to play but this would be right up his alley. (I can call him Smoltzy, right? It seems only a matter of time before Francona, in the tradition of Millsy, Mossy, Pedy, Loogie, Mikey, Wakey, Cashie, Petey, Dougie, Javy, Oki, etc., bestows the nickname upon him.) Last year's tournament also provided us with the tidbit that Javier Lopez was a high school tuba player, which explains his superior musicianship in the band-in a typical high school band the tuba might as well be a member of the percussion family.

Just a Thought.

If you happen to be lucky enough to be traveling down to Spring Training at the end of February, you might think about dropping in on the Fourth Annual Evening with the Red Sox. The event, held on February 26 at the Crown Plaza in Fort Myers, benefits the Boys and Girls club of Lee County. Part of the evening will be consumed with a live auction that will include the rather fabulous lot of four green monster tickets to a Yankee game. Like I said, it's just a thought.

Super Timmeeh.

It must be really hard to dislike Tim Wakefield. Other than Brian Roberts, I can't imagine anyone saying "I hate you" to Wake. He doesn't seem to give any reason to feel that way about him; he's good, humble, classy, unassuming, responsible, and doesn't seem to have an entitled bone in his body. He's the anti-Manny. I loved Manny (and kinda still do) but I love Timmeeh more. And as many times as I've tried, I've never been able to fully describe what kind of fabulous person Tim Wakefield is. Plus, his son is as cute as a button.

For the past seventeen (or possibly fifteen depending on which part of the release you're reading) years, Wake has hosted a golf tournament to support the Space Coast Early Intervention Center, a preschool for special needs children. This year is no different, as the event kicks off today. (The photo is from last year's event.)

The one quibble I might be able to think up with Wake is his taste in food. Last year, he had the event catered by the Olive Garden and this year he seems to have used Carraba's. I suppose it's a half-step in the right direction. I know you're Floridian and that that hospi-tallahassee crap might be your idea of good Italian but c'mon Wakey you can do better than that.

Moment 1: Get Down Tonight.

March 1. Florida.

First came the pictures. There really wasn't any sort of explanation to accompany those photos and we were left to wonder what sort of fabulous disaster could have led to their existence. And then on the next spring training game that NESN aired there was video. And it was more than the imagination could have ever come up with.

I can't even begin to express how much the sight of Dustin Pedroia clomping around arrhytmically while his pants fall off amuses me. But if I ever need a giggle, just the thought of that scene will suffice.

And so Mike Lowell's Dancing with the All-Stars event takes it's place as my favorite semi-related to baseball moment of 2008.

Fatalism.

See? What did I tell you? Kevin Youkilis gets some points in the cool column and then almost immediately follows it up by racking up some uncool points. It turns out that Youkilis never registered his charity with the Commonwealth. It's incredibly likely that he didn't know that he had to and that this mistake falls squarely in some other officer's lap but oops.