THE PLACE TO LEARN ABOUT BASEBALL -- AND HOW TO SNAG ONE AT A MAJOR LEAGUE GAME




Snagging baseballs for charity

 

 

You know how some people run marathons for charity and get their friends to pledge money for every mile? Well, that's sort of what I'm doing in 2009—except my marathon is the entire Major League Baseball season, and I'm snagging balls instead of running miles.

I've hooked up with a charity called Pitch In For Baseball (PIFB) that collects new and "gently used" baseball equipment and re-distributes it to needy kids around the world. (Good cause, no?) Last year, for example, when Hurricane Ike destroyed Galveston and other parts of Texas, PIFB helped get the Little Leagues back up and running by replacing all their damaged gear. Just within the last year, PIFB has supported a youth softball program in Ecuador, an orphanage in Haiti, a school in the Philippines, and dozens of Urban Initiatives right here in America. To date, PIFB has shipped equipment and uniforms to over 50 countries (including Poland, Uganda, Israel, Iraq, Nicaragua, and the Cook Islands) and over 100 communities around the United States.

Not only is PIFB keeping kids interested in baseball, but it's also keeping them off the streets, giving them a chance to exercise, and helping them find their passion.


Ecuador

Haiti

Philippines

America

This is where I'm hoping YOU come in. One way to help, of course, is to donate equipment directly to PIFB, but another way to help is to pledge a small amount of money for every baseball I snag during the 2009 season. There's no telling exactly how many balls I'll end up with (which kinda makes this whole fundraising process more fun) but if you take a look at my previous yearly totals, you'll get some idea of what to expect.

I've already snagged well more than 100 balls this season, but for the sake of doing some simple math, let's say that's how many balls I were to end up with. If you were to pledge a nickel per ball, you'd end up donating $5 to this cause. If you were to pledge one dime per ball, that would be $10. And so on. If I end up snagging 500 balls this season and you pledge 25 cents per ball, that would amount to a generous donation of $125. Got it?

How much money am I hoping to raise? What exactly will the money be used for? Is this charity legit? (Totally!) What are some of their other projects? Are donations tax deductible? Why am I even doing this?

Click here to read the FAQs.

Making a pledge only takes a minute, and once you're done, you'll have the option of adding your name (and web site) to the list of donors below. Thanks very much for your consideration...

Click here to pledge.



2009 totals: 60 games, 538 balls, 129 donors, $25.45 pledged per ball



DONOR PLEDGE
(per ball)
TOTAL PLEDGE
(so far)
DONOR'S WEB SITE
       
Imaginative Sports Management Group$2.50$1345.00
Santangelo Real Estate$1.00$538.00www.soldbysanta.com
Mark Solomon$1.00$538.00
Naomi & Stuart Hample$0.77$414.26
EJ Silber$0.75$403.50
Gail Quackenbush$0.69$371.22
Argosy Book Store$0.59$317.42www.argosybooks.com
Lincoln Chinnery$0.50$269.00
Brie Spangler$0.50$269.00www.peglegpeke.com
Matthew Rowland$0.50$269.00
Joseph LaRosa$0.50$269.00
Linda Brandt$0.50$269.00www.tomboyshavemorefun.blogspot.com
The Black-Murphys$0.50$269.00
Amber Watson Costello$0.50$269.00
Heath Bell$0.50$269.00
arthur cornfeld$0.50$269.00
Jack's marine$0.42$225.96
Arthur Pincus$0.36$193.68www.fandome.com
Jake Weiss$0.36$193.68
Rachel Eisenman$0.31$166.78www.livebetterfitness.com
Paul Avrin$0.25$134.50
Martha Hample$0.25$134.50www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=...
Adam Hofstetter$0.25$134.50
Brooke Linville$0.25$134.50lifeafterthefire.blogspot.com
The Brew and Bill Show$0.25$134.50www.brewandbillshow.com
Kathy Arnold-Yerger$0.25$134.50
anonymous - go Phillies!$0.25$134.50
Jennifer & Bill Johnson$0.25$134.50www.jsquaredinc.net
Frank Messina$0.25$134.50www.frankmessina.com
barbara buloff$0.25$134.50
Adam Berenbak$0.25$134.50noboruaota.blogspot.com
Norton & Jeanne Juster$0.25$134.50
Scott Sweeney$0.25$134.50www.reviewchicago.com
Polly Herman & Mel Behney$0.25$134.50
adina cohen$0.25$134.50
Judith & George Lowry$0.25$134.50
michele berdy and drew howland$0.25$134.50
Noah Remillard$0.21$112.98www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id...
Robert Hellmann$0.20$107.60www.hellmannconsulting.com
Megan Lyles$0.20$107.60www.meganlyles.com
David Stewart$0.20$107.60www.stormpen.com
Anonymous$0.20$107.60
Chris Wood$0.20$107.60www.baseballtourist.com
Dave Gilbert$0.20$107.60www.hifisales.com
Bob Fox$0.20$107.60
Ben Greenwood$0.20$107.60ScrabbleClub.com
Joe Hample$0.18$96.84www.bcc-la.org/content/?page_id=22
Paul Sexton$0.17$91.46inmytaxi.blogspot.com
Jona Jolley$0.15$80.70www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1069002681...
Michael Jasser$0.15$80.70www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1072687042...
Tim Kafalas$0.15$80.70www.greatestdvdever.com/
Toni Baker$0.15$80.70
Douglas Cohen$0.15$80.70
Henry Hample$0.15$80.70www.myspace.com/henryhample
Wayne Cimons$0.15$80.70
Danny and Nettie Wood GO ROX$0.14$75.32
Justen Bennett-Maccubbin$0.11$59.18www.poly-nyc.com
Ms. Lila Lowry$0.11$59.18www.failblog.org
Jon Braunstein$0.10$53.80myusicinmymind.com
karen boltax$0.10$53.80boltaxgallery.com
Lia Norton$0.10$53.80
Elizabeth Michaelson$0.10$53.80
Jeremy Frank$0.10$53.80
Rich Beattie$0.10$53.80www.travelandleisure.com
Brendan Sammon$0.10$53.80
Naturi Thomas$0.10$53.80
Jessica Greif$0.10$53.80pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/txtri09/jgreif
Joe Faraguna$0.10$53.80
Rich "phillyfan" Blaha$0.10$53.80
Michael Simon$0.10$53.80www.michaelsimonweddings.com/
Daniel Guernsey$0.10$53.80
Emily Sauvageau - GO ROCKIES!$0.10$53.80pinkcowboyhat.mlblogs.com/
John Witt -Major League Ballhawk$0.10$53.80ballhawk.mlblogs.com
Brock Bertloff$0.10$53.80youtube.com/watch?v=CIVzrTECZ8c
S. Salstrom$0.10$53.80
seaview$0.10$53.80
Jonathan Meisel$0.10$53.80
Ellen & Dusty Stretch$0.10$53.80
Alex K$0.10$53.80
Todd & Tim Cook$0.10$53.80cookandsonbats.mlblogs.com
Matt Nippins$0.10$53.80
John Roughton$0.10$53.80www.ygcc.co.uk
Greg Rybarczyk$0.10$53.80www.hittrackeronline.com
Joy Mihovilovich$0.09$48.42
Dan Cox$0.08$43.04facebook.com/DanCoxAkron
Dodger_Cali_Lion$0.08$43.04calilion.stumbleupon.com/
Jim Mielke$0.07$37.66
Mark Newman$0.06$32.28mlblogs.mlblogs.com
Diane Firstman$0.05$26.90
Leon Feingold$0.05$26.90www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=43075989428
Erik Jabs$0.05$26.90countingbaseballs.mlblogs.com/
Matthew Hiett$0.05$26.90
Patrick Page$0.05$26.90
Claudia Johnson$0.05$26.90
jaebi$0.05$26.90jaebi.net
Charlie O'Reilly$0.05$26.90www.charliesballparks.com/
brandon sloter$0.05$26.90
Greg Cope$0.05$26.90thevendahhh.mlblogs.com
Laura Becker$0.05$26.90
Benjamin Levkov$0.05$26.90www.babushkaexchange.com
Nadya Chernova$0.05$26.90www.ethnicusa.com
Eric Waner$0.05$26.90www.tradingcardcentral.com/forums/index.ph...
Donny Haltom$0.05$26.90lonestar.mlblogs.com
Mike in Detroit$0.05$26.90
Cara Herbitter$0.05$26.90
Ben Ralston$0.05$26.90
Ryan Maloney$0.05$26.90onedayatwrigleyac000000.mlblogs.com/
Kathryn Bishburg$0.05$26.90www.bishburgonline.com
Eli Bishburg$0.05$26.90
Jody"Yankeekid" Ortega$0.05$26.90
Jose Being Manny$0.05$26.90www.myspace.com/mannywood
Kelly McMahon$0.04$21.52twitter.com/Baseball_Tweets
Fredda Gordon$0.04$21.52freddaphotography.com
Jeff Garlin$0.04$21.52www.jeffgarlin.com/
Connor Greenbaum$0.03$16.14
Stuart Jon Traynor$0.03$16.14www.sjtarchitect.com
Jo Ann Ross$0.02$10.76
Ryan Pace$0.02$10.76www.ryanpace.com
Benjamin Weil$0.02$10.76
Brian "brianguy" Sharkey$0.02$10.76www.halosheaven.com
Andrew Gonsalves$0.01$5.38www.andrewgonsalves.com
Kiley Edgley$0.01$5.38kwolverine.blogspot.com/
Anonymous$0.01$5.38
Keith Roberts$0.01$5.38myspace.com/kjr14
Adam Long $0.01$5.38www.cubs.com
Evan$0.01$5.38webs.mlb4you.com
Chris Cox$0.01$5.38
Anonymous$0.01$5.38
GHD$0.01$5.38www.edwardshairsolutions.co.uk

129 Donors$25.45$13692.10