If you like to play golf, hang out with former major league baseball players and support a local organization that gives end-stage cancer patients hope and another chance, then there is an event next month that might be for you. On May 16 and 17 members of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) will swing golf clubs instead of baseball bats to help the Lazarex Cancer Foundation of Danville raise money to continue its mission of providing hope and time to patients who have been told that conventional medicine can no longer help them.
The May 16 dinner and May 17 golf tournament will be held at the Green Valley Country Club in Fairfield. The Sunday evening festivities begin with a hosted wine reception and silent auction of sports memorabilia at 5:30 p.m. Dinner is served immediately thereafter. Registration for the golf tournament begins Monday at 10:30 a.m. with a shotgun start scheduled for noon. Raffle prizes include accommodations at the La Costa Resort and Spa, the Monterey Plaza Hotel, and the Four Seasons Resorts in San Francisco and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Tickets for the dinner and reception are $180 per person and the golf registration is $250 per player. The golf registration includes a continental breakfast, lunch, and awards. Portions of the dinner ticket and golf registration fees may be tax deductible. Those interested can reserve a spot at the dinner and/or the golf tournament by visiting www.lazarex.org/events.
Ten-year major leaguer Jim Pagliaroni will be among the players attending the dinner and the golf tournament. Pagliaroni caught Catfish Hunter’s 1968 perfect game in Oakland, played with Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski on the Boston Red Sox, and Roberto Clemente on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pagliaroni was also a member of the 1969 Seattle Pilots and featured prominently in Jim Bouton’s best-selling book Ball Four. Other players include former Giants Rich Murray, Hobie Landrith and Ed Bressoud and former Athletics Tim Cullen and Chris Codiroli. Each foursome will be joined by an MLBPAA alumnus, and players will participate in the dinner and reception.
“We are very grateful to the MLBPAA and our other sponsors for supporting us in giving hope to cancer victims who might otherwise have no other alternative,” said Lazarex CEO Dana Dornsife. ““We help patients from all walks of life find experimental treatments in FDA-approved clinical trials and, when needed, we provide financial assistance to help with associated costs like transportation and housing. Many of our patients experience longer and higher-quality lives as a result of the support Lazarex can offer.”
Those needing overnight accommodations in Fairfield for the dinner and golf tournament can get a reduced rate at the Staybridge Suites located at 4775 Business Center Drive in Fairfield. The phone number for reservations is 707-863-0903.
More information on the golf tournament is available by contacting Tournament Director Cherie McCammon at cherie@mc2golfpro.com. Those interested in more information on continuing support for the Lazarex Cancer Foundation can contact Director of Development Susan Sappington at susan@lazarex.org.