Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran Honored at 29th Annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner

Tuesday evening at the Grand Hyatt New York City brought us the 29th Annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner, benefiting the AHRC. Among the honorees for their charity work were New York Yankee Outfielder, Johnny Damon and New York Met Outfielder, Carlos Beltran.

Johnny Damon, Ron Swoboda, Carlos Beltran / N. Diunte

Damon received the Thurman Munson Award as a result of his involvement with the Wounded Warrior Project. Damon was glowing in his praise of Munson, describing him as a "gamer, great family guy, great competitor and a champion."

As much as he tried during the press conference, he could not escape the repeated questions about Joe Torre's new book which had been released the same day. Damon took a little jab at the reporters.

"I'm not sure I am going to need to read the book as I am going to hear every little bit about it every single day."

Beltran was honored for his charitable donations to create sports education programs in his native Puerto Rico. He was proud to be recognized for his efforts.

"It's about doing things right off of the field, being able to give back to the people who really need it the most," Beltran said. "When I give, I don't expect to receive awards, but when you do, it lets you know you are doing the right thing."

Beltran also tried to sidestep the Torre questions, after a reporter found the two sentences where Beltran was mentioned in the book.

"When I met with the Yankees, he wasn't there, he didn't know what we talked about," Beltran said. "He said what he said, and that's his opinion. I don't have a comment on it. I am happy where I am."

Also honored were: 1969 Mets players Ron Swoboda, Bud Harrelson, Art Shamsky, Ed Kranepool, NY Giants Wide Receiver David Tyree, former NY Knick Allan Houston and Olympic Gold Medalist Dara Torres. On hand at the event to present awards were former Yankee Bernie Williams, and 1986 Mets pitcher and SNY analyst Ron Darling.

Johnny Damon










David Tyree, Diana Munson, Allan Houston, Dara Torres, Bernie Williams

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Juan Marichal 'Dominican Dandy' Interview

Hall of Famer Juan Marichal was in New York recently for a few public appearances. We sat down to talk about his memories of playing in New York early in his career and what he enjoys most about attending the BAT dinner.

In this interview below, he shared  his memories of playing in the 1964 All-Star game at Shea Stadium, his current work with ESPN Deportes, his thoughts on the Dominican entry in the World Baseball Classic, and how he was signed by the legendary Horacio Martinez.

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Berke Aims High With Queens Memorabilia Show

Promoter Jack Berke is looking to tap the Queens autograph and sports collectors market by bringing the big gatherings back to the home of the Mets. Berke, founder of Jack Berke Sports has been in the business of player representation and promotion for 20 years. His clients include baseball Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda, Bobby Doerr, Ralph Kiner and Juan Marichal.

During a recent interview Berke discussed the need for a return of shows to Queens, as the "location is central to Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut." His most recent show during the Super Bowl weekend at the LaGuardia Crowne Plaza contained over 100 dealer tables and appearances from, the aforementioned Marichal, Bert Blyleven, Lee Smith, former Met heroes Jon Matlack, Jack Fisher, Craig Swan and Yankee All-Star Roy White.

Berke says that people attending his shows can expect, "good prices, a friendly atmosphere and well stocked dealers. We're offering future Hall of Famer Lee Smith for free with admission during the show. How many other promoters can make that offer? I am able to offer these type of value deals because of my close relationships with the players. I want the customers to feel like they are getting something for their admission."

If you aren't able to attend Berke's shows in-person, no worry, he offers reliable mail order service for your favorite player's autograph. "I personally handle every mail order item, to ensure that it is properly taken care of and returned to my customers."

Upcoming shows include Saturday February 7th and Sunday February 8th, 2009 with Hall of Famers Goose Gossage and Monte Irvin in Albany, NY , and Saturday February 28th and Sunday March 1st, 2009 with newly minted Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, Jim Bunning, Bobby Doerr, Ralph Kiner, and Robin Yount in Teaneck, NJ. As with both shows, there will also be free autograph guests with admission. "I'm bringing new players to the metropolitan area. I will be the first promoter to have Rickey Henderson since the announcement of his induction to the Hall of Fame. I also expect Robin Yount to do well since he hasn't done a show here in some time."

For more information on upcoming shows and events from Jack Berke Sports, check out their website: www.jackberkesports.com

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Carlos Beltran, Johnny Damon, Ron Swoboda to Appear At The 29th Annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner Tuesday February 3, 2009 at Grand Hyatt, NYC

Who: Honorees/Special Guests: New York Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran; New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon; 1969 Amazin' Mets, celebrating the 40th anniversary of World Championship, right fielder Ron Swoboda will accept; outfielder Art Shamsky, shortstop Bud Harrelson, 1st baseman Ed Kranepool, 3rd baseman Ed Charles, Joan Hodges, wife of manager Gil Hodges, son Gil Hodges, Jr., Maxene Agee, wife of centerfielder Tommie Agee, will be in attendance; Giants Super Bowl hero David Tyree; former Knicks All-Star guard Allan Houston; Olympic gold medalist Dara Torres; Corporate Hero Award honoree: Michael Rosen, Partner, Bryan Cave; Diana Munson, widow of late, great Yankee catcher Thurman Munson; Len Berman, NBC Sports, Master of Ceremonies.

What: 29th Annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner to benefit the AHRC-NYC Foundation

Where: Grand Hyatt New York, 42nd Street at Grand Central; Chrysler Room, Mezzanine Level

When: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 Time: 7:00 pm dinner/ awards

For More Information: 212-649-6188

Diana Munson, Thurman's widow, has been involved in the benefit since its inception, raising nearly $9 million to assist children and adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. The honorees will be cited for their accomplishments on the field of play and philanthropic efforts. The AHRC New York City Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that supports programs enabling children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives, including programs of AHRC New York City. AHRC New York City is one of the largest organizations of its kind, serving 11,000 children and adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries and other disabilities.

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The Stars Come Out at the 20th Annual BAT Dinner

Tuesday January 27, 2009 marked the 20th annual "Going to Bat for B.A.T. Dinner" which celebrated the charitable efforts of the Baseball Assistance Team and the memories of Shea and Yankee Stadiums. Over 120 former Major League players were in attendance including 10 Hall of Famers.

During the opening press conference, both Luis Gonzalez and Bret Saberhagen spoke about the importance of B.A.T. Gonzalez's initial intrigue with B.A.T. came from having, "an opportunity to help baseball players and their families in need." After seeing the positive effects of B.A.T.'s efforts, he began to recruit the younger players in the clubhouse to make contributions. He felt it was his way of, "instilling old school values into new players," by helping them give back. Gonzalez was honored with 2008 Bart Giamatti Award for his involvement with numerous community based programs including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Phoenix Children's Hospital.

Saberhagen helped to raise $100,000 for the B.A.T. this year by winning a golf tournament with Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith, George Brett and former New York Met, Vince Coleman. He saw donating the winning purse to the B.A.T, "as a great way to give back to the baseball community." They received the 2008 Big BAT/Frank Slocum Award for their generous donation to the B.A.T. organization.

B.A.T. president Ted Sizemore said that the fundraising efforts will continue during Spring Training, visiting all 30 teams to educate players about the role of the B.A.T. The Bobby Murcer award will be given to the team that donates the most money during Spring Training.

This year's grant recipients included former Cleveland and Cincinnati farmhand pitcher Jacinto Camacho (1963-70) and Mets minor league outfielder Angel Cantres (1971-76). Both were able to have their expenses paid for acquiring prosthetic legs by the B.A.T. with the help of MLB alum Benny Ayala. Cantres gave a heartfelt speech during the dinner, thanking B.A.T. for giving him the opportunity to once again use the legs that allowed him to play baseball.

Current player representative, Randy Winn spoke about the continued need for B.A.T. awareness, "as any player regardless of circumstance can fall on hard times or have bad luck. It feels great to be in a position to provide assistance to the MLB family."

The evening proceeded with a cocktail reception hour, where many guests mingled with the many Major League alumni, scoring autographs and mingling with the many stars of baseball's past. The guests then made their way to the dinner, which was emceed by Gary Thorne. The Hall of Famers in attendance congregated on stage for photos, and many of the former Mets and Yankees gave their favorite memories of Shea and Yankee Stadium. Ed Kranepool relayed one of the more entertaining stories of the evening regarding the Mets colorful manager, Casey Stengel. "Casey was going to bring me out after a few innings of playing the second game of a double-header in 1964. I had played the first game, so I wasn't that worried; being 19 you're just happy to be out there. Of course, Casey couldn't keep his promise, as he used all of the substitutes within the first few innings and the game just happened to go 23 innings. The game ended at 11:50. If it would have gone 10 more minutes, it would have been the longest game ever, as we would have started in May and ended in June!"

For more information on the Baseball Assistance Team, please visit http://www.baseballassistanceteam.com

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