FORMER YANKEES, RED SOX STAR TO MATCH UP FOR OTSAR CELEBRITY GRAND SLAM
BROOKLYN, NY, June 24, 2005 -- Former Red Sox superstar Jim Rice, former Yankees Jim Abbott and Jim Leyritz, and Fox Sports co-host and 1990 National League Championship Series Co-MVP Rob Dibble will team up with Hall of Famer Johnny Bench and Cy Young Award winner and Yankee star Ron Guidry in the 2nd Otsar Celebrity Grand Slam to be played on Sunday, September 18, at Keyspan Park in Coney Island -- home of the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Earlier this month, Otsar Family Services, an organization that benefits developmentally disabled individuals, announced that former All Stars Bench and Guidry would manage the two teams in the celebrity softball tournament. In addition to the unique opportunity for donors to play alongside former Major League Baseball players on a professional field, the Grand Slam will offer plenty of other family activities, including an all-day carnival; contests; and professional instruction clinics in pitching, fielding, and batting for contributors and Otsar beneficiaries. More than 7,000 people are expected to attend the event.
Rice, who spent his entire 16-year career with the Boston Red Sox, won the American League (AL) MVP award in 1978, when he led the league in home runs (HR) and runs batted in (RBI)that year. As the successor to Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski in left field for the Boston Red Sox, Jim Rice emerged as the AL's most feared slugger in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1979, Rice hit .325 with 39 HR and 130 RBI, and became the only player in Major League history with three consecutive 35 HR-200 hit seasons. Retiring with a career average of .298, he trails only Williams and Yastrzemski on the Red Sox' all-time leader lists in HR, RBI, hits, and total bases.
Abbott, whose participation was a highlight of last year's event, is best known for the no-hitter he pitched for the Yankees against the Cleveland Indians, despite being born without a right hand. On the mound, Abbott wore a right-hander's fielder's glove over the stump at the end of his right arm. While completing his follow-through after delivering a pitch, he rapidly switched the glove to his left hand so he could handle any balls hit back to him. Over the course of his Major League career, Abbott, who was also a member of the 1988 US Olympic team, played for the Yankees, Angels, White Sox, and Brewers.
Leyritz, who batted .264 with 90 homers and 387 RBI during his 11-year career, mostly with the Yankees, is a favorite of New York fans because of his dramatic post-season home runs -- most notably his home run in the 15th inning at Yankee Stadium in Game 2 of the 1995 Division Series which gave New York a 7-5 win over Seattle, and his three-run shot off Mark Wohlers which tied Game 4 of the 1996 World Series in Atlanta and ignited a chain of four World Series victories in five years. In all, he had eight career post-season home runs, including the last home run of the 20th century in game 4 of the 1999 World Series. Currently a commentator for mlb.com, his 11-year career also included short stints with Texas, Anaheim, Boston, San Diego and Los Angeles.
Dibble, co-host of a popular Fox Sports program, was a right-throwing reliever best known for being one of the Cincinnati Reds "Nasty Boys" in the late 1980s and early 1990s -- one of the most fearsome bullpen combos assembled in baseball history. He was a two-time All-Star who retired with a 2.98 earned run average, 89 saves, and a 1990 World Series win in relief. He has also worked as an analyst for ESPN.
Otsar is a 25-year-old organization dedicated to enabling developmentally disabled children and adults to become vital and contributing members of their families and the community; providing families with the knowledge and tools to fully engage children with special needs; and serving as a support network for families of children with disabilities.
For more information on the Otsar Celebrity Grand Slam, call 718-946-7301, ext. 300; email grandslam@otsar.org; or visit www.otsar.org.
Photo Caption: Jim Abbott was a hit with the fans at last year's Otsar Celebrity Grand Slam.
