Angels' Guerrero and Boston's Ortiz donate big money for relief effort

[Initech]

Ha, see this Jeb? The players are donating more than your sorry ass!

"BOSTON -- Together, they sat on a podium, perhaps the two most feared sluggers in the American League. But on Thursday afternoon, David Ortiz and Vladimir Guerrero weren't having a press conference to discuss their MVP candidacies, the pennant race or their baseball careers.
Instead, they went about the business of trying to do something to aid the countless victims of Hurricane Katrina, a tragic storm that ravaged through New Orleans and surrounding areas last week.

Ortiz and Guerrero, fellow Dominican countrymen, share the type of bond usually reserved for brothers. So there they were, following Tuesday night's Red Sox-Angels game, sitting on a couch at Ortiz's house and watching via television the latest grim details from New Orleans.

<snip>

Guerrero and Ortiz are both too young to remember many of the details from when Hurricane David ripped apart the Caribbean.

" said he remembers his family talking about it, all the destruction we had down there," said Ortiz, translating for Guerrero. "One thing that's he's very happy about is helping people who struggle in situations like this, because his family struggled before and someone came and helped them out."

Throughout this season-long 14-game homestand, the Red Sox and their players have been trying to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Before Thursday's game, center fielder Johnny Damon and right-hander Curt Schilling posed for $100 autographed photos with fans, with all proceeds going to the relief fund. Prior to previous games this week, Jason Varitek, Doug Mirabelli, John Olerud, Mike Timlin, Keith Foulke, Ortiz, Tony Graffanino, Tim Wakefield and Mike Myers posed with fans.

In a six-game span at Fenway Park, fans donated a total $185,000 to the Red Cross' Disaster Relief Fund.

Ortiz and Guerrero hope that players throughout the game continue to do their part.

"All of us, we make enough money to at least donate something, to put it together and send it down there and try to help a lot of people down there," said Ortiz.

http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050908&content_id=1202476&vkey=news_ana&fext=.jsp&c_id=ana

[FrankBooth]

1. Those guys are cool

and great players to boot. I'm an M's fan, but I love watching Vlad play. And of course, the M's trade David Arias (as Ortiz was known then) a long time ago.

[yewberry]

2. Being an out-of-market Sox fan drives me nuts

but I sure do love Big Papi!:loveya: (Oh, yes, and and a big hug to Vlad-who-I-don't-know-from-the-AL-West.)