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Bill “the Spaceman” Lee & me (10/2011)

This year marks the 9th Annual 100 Innings of Baseball Game for ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

The approximate 150 adult amateur players will step up to the plate on Saturday October 20th and will continue playing 100 consecutive innings of baseball. Players come from more than a dozen amateur baseball leagues across Greater Boston, including the Park League, Yawkey, Intercity, Cranberry, MABL, MSBL, Diamond, and others.  There’s about a dozen ‘ Iron Men ‘ who have played all 100 innings of the 8 previous games and most of them will be back again.

The 2012 proceeds will benefit The Angel Fund.  The organizer, Chief Umpire Walter Bentson is president of the Boston Park League, the oldest amateur baseball league in the country, and is also the Umpire Chief of several amateur baseball leagues. He also has ALS.

The History of this Event

The 100 Innings of Baseball Spectacular was born in 2004 with the arrival of Curt Schilling to the Boston Red Sox as a fundraiser for Curt’s Pitch for ALS program to aid the fight against Lou Gehrig’s disease. The world’s longest game continues 100 straight innings and lasts about 33 consecutive hours, and to date has raised more than $503,000.

Highlights from the 2011 Event

Date: Saturday, October 8, 9:00 a.m. through Sunday, October 9, 3:30PM
Time: 30+ straight hours
Location: Adams Field, Quincy, MA
Score: Team Lembo 98, Team Rudy 93
Amount Raised: $18,166

The 8th Annual 100 Innings of Baseball for ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease, this year supported the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center on behalf of umpire chief Walter Bentson.

Over the course of the game, Bill “Spaceman” Lee pitched twice, sporting the old-timer glove and uniform worn by the Hollywood Stars. Gehrig Schilling, son of Red Sox legend Curt Schilling, and named after Lou Gehrig, pitched the 95th through 99th innings with support from his Medfield team, and recorded the hold in a tight ballgame. About 100 ballplayers participated in the game, including 16 players competing in all 100 innings. Other game highlights include a grand slam by Ryan Bere of the MABL Blue Jays, and the complete game from Bobby DeAngelis of Rutland, Vermont who played a 200-inning game earlier this season to set the new Guinness World Record.

My Personal Highlights from the 2011 Game

Last year I got to meet former Red Sox pitcher, Bill Lee (yes, the Spaceman himself). The lead photo for this article features Bill Lee & me! I was fortunate to have played behind him in the OF for a few innings without making an error (I’m mainly an infielder). I had between 3-6  out of around attempts. Bill Lee also knocked me in on one of the hits he had in the game. If he plays this year, I hope to face him at the plate. Now, that would be something to write home (or here) about!

Please consider sponsoring me for this event

Help me raise money for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) research at http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/peterschiller/9th-annual-100-innings-of-baseball-game via @firstgiving. This will be my 3rd year playing.

The Angel Fund

The Angel Fund, Inc was established to aid in the research and exchange of information concerning Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) between the medical community and family and friends of individuals afflicted with ALS. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease is a progressive and ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons – the nerve cells that communicate with muscles. Selective loss of motor neurons causes weakness, muscle failure and eventual paralysis and death, typically within 3-5 years of initial diagnosis. ALS is a particularly devastating neurological disease as patients gradually lose their ability to move and communicate, and eventually breathe, all the while suffering no loss in their normal cognitive thinking and understanding – effectively a prisoner in their own body. The cause of ALS is unknown and there is no cure. There are approximately 30,000 individuals living with ALS in the United States. www.theangelfund.org

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