2008 Woodie Awards
COLUMN: Yeager pulls in donations for BC baseball
Alfredo Adkins
Issue date: 2/1/06 Section: Sports
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A two-hundred dollar a plate dinner? I don't think so. That was my first reaction even with one of my childhood heroes, Steve Yeager, as guest speaker at the 18th annual BC Baseball Hot Stove Dinner on Jan. 21 at the Veterans Hall in Oildale.
However, as I witnessed the volunteers from all walks of life here in Bakersfield, from Kern Counties Firefighters Union 1301 to sponsors like IVS Computers and Clifford & Bradford Insurance, I started wondering why so many people are interested in helping the BC baseball program.
"Bakersfield is the greatest community in the world when it comes to raising money to help kids," said founder of the Light Brigade George Culver, a BC baseball graduate and nine-year major-league baseball player who pitched a no-hitter.
Culver points out that regardless of individual motivation to help, everyone from the volunteers to those paying for dinner were extremely excited that Yeager was part of the event. Yeager created an atmosphere that was full of smiles and laughter that filled the room all night.
The first hot stove dinner 18 years ago helped bring lights to the BC baseball diamond. From there, the Light Brigade went on to bring a clubhouse, dugouts and has donated to local little leagues and the Boys & Girls Club, to name a few. This year's dinner raised money to replace the bleachers that have been there since the late 1950s.
These good deeds and the chance to meet the 28 members of this year's team and, oh, yes, meeting Yeager was enough to entice you pay up for the tickets.
In addition to the dinner, an auction helped create more funds to replace the seats at BC. If you did not have the $700 for the highest bid on an autographed ball or the $2,800 for a tour trip for four through Dodgers Stadium, including meeting players, you could at least view items that you have to go to a convention to view. There were boxing gloves signed by Oscar De La Hoya, old Dodger stadium bleacher seats, hats, bats, lithographs signed by players like Sandy Koufax, Barry Bonds and Pete Rose. Yeager personally signed a couple hundred items that ranged from balls to a catchers mask.
However, as I witnessed the volunteers from all walks of life here in Bakersfield, from Kern Counties Firefighters Union 1301 to sponsors like IVS Computers and Clifford & Bradford Insurance, I started wondering why so many people are interested in helping the BC baseball program.
"Bakersfield is the greatest community in the world when it comes to raising money to help kids," said founder of the Light Brigade George Culver, a BC baseball graduate and nine-year major-league baseball player who pitched a no-hitter.
Culver points out that regardless of individual motivation to help, everyone from the volunteers to those paying for dinner were extremely excited that Yeager was part of the event. Yeager created an atmosphere that was full of smiles and laughter that filled the room all night.
The first hot stove dinner 18 years ago helped bring lights to the BC baseball diamond. From there, the Light Brigade went on to bring a clubhouse, dugouts and has donated to local little leagues and the Boys & Girls Club, to name a few. This year's dinner raised money to replace the bleachers that have been there since the late 1950s.
These good deeds and the chance to meet the 28 members of this year's team and, oh, yes, meeting Yeager was enough to entice you pay up for the tickets.
In addition to the dinner, an auction helped create more funds to replace the seats at BC. If you did not have the $700 for the highest bid on an autographed ball or the $2,800 for a tour trip for four through Dodgers Stadium, including meeting players, you could at least view items that you have to go to a convention to view. There were boxing gloves signed by Oscar De La Hoya, old Dodger stadium bleacher seats, hats, bats, lithographs signed by players like Sandy Koufax, Barry Bonds and Pete Rose. Yeager personally signed a couple hundred items that ranged from balls to a catchers mask.