The Curtis Granderson Grand Kids Foundation 3rd Annual Celebrity Shoot Out Sunday January 24

CELEBRITY SHOOT-OUT

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24

Seaholm High School

2436 West Lincoln Road

Birmingham, MI 48009

Phone: (248) 203-3700

2:00 p.m. - Doors Open

3:00 p.m. - Opening Tip-Off

Game Prices:

$30 - Adults

$25 - Youth/Student (w/ School ID)

$100 - Family 4-Pack (2 Adult/2 Youth)

Free - Children 2 and under

Click Here to Purchase Tickets

Curtis Granderson Recognized as Man of the Year by Major League Baseball Players

Grand Kids Foundation

In a season marked by extraordinary performances on and off the field, Major League baseball players today bestowed their highest honors on two players – St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is Player of the Year and Detroit Tigers centerfielder Curtis Granderson is the Marvin Miller Man of the Year.  The Major League Baseball Players Trust will honor Pujols and Granderson, the top Players Choice Award winners, with donations of $50,000 each to the charities of their choice.

The Awards announcements were made this morning on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning show during the finale of an exclusive, five-day broadcast special presented by Upper Deck and benefiting the Major League Baseball Players Trust.

Pujols helped guide the Cardinals to their fourth NL Central Division crown in six years by leading the Majors in home runs for the first time, with 47.   The eight-time Players Choice Award winner finished first among all National Leaguers in runs scored (124), on-base percentage (.443) and slugging percentage (.658), second in doubles (45) and third in batting average (.327), RBI (135) and walks (115).  Pujols, 29, hit above .300 with 30-plus home runs and 100-plus RBI for the ninth consecutive season.  Pujols has now been honored by his peers with Players Choice Awards as Player of the Year and NL Outstanding Player in 2003, 2008 and 2009, Marvin Miller Man of the Year in 2006 and NL Outstanding Rookie in 2001.

Granderson earned the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award, named for the founding executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association and awarded to the player whose on-field and off -field performance most inspires others to higher levels of achievement, by displaying as much passion to give back to others as he shows between the lines on the baseball diamond .  In 2008, he established the Grand Kids Foundation to focus on improving opportunities for inner-city youth in the areas of education and youth baseball.  A graduate of the University of Illinois-Chicago, Granderson recently released a children’s book, All You Can Be, which encourages children to chase their dreams.  He is also an active member of the Action Team national youth volunteer program administered by the Players Trust and Volunteers of America, which is inspiring and training the next generation of volunteers in more than 150 high schools across the United States.  Granderson, 28, just completed his fourth full season in the Majors and set a career high in home runs (30), and finished with 157 hits, 91 runs scored, 23 doubles, 8 triples, 20 stolen bases and 71 RBI in 160 games with the Tigers.  

To listen to a podcast of the Players Choice Awards announcements and player interviews, please click here.

Players Choice Awards annually recognize the best player, pitcher, rookie and comeback player in each league.  The Player of the Year and Marvin Miller Man of the Year awards bestow top honors without regard to league. Balloting of all Major League players for the Players Choice Awards was conducted in September under the supervision of accounting firm KPMG.

Players Choice Awards winners will recommend the charities of their choice to receive grants from the Major League Baseball Players Trust totaling $260,000.  Since 1992, the Players Trust has contributed more than $3.5 million dollars to charities around the world in honor of Players Choice Award winners.

The 2009 Players Choice Awards finalists are [winners in bold & underlined]:

American League:

Outstanding Rookie: Elvis Andrus (Texas), Gordon Beckham (Chicago White Sox), Jeff Niemann (Tampa Bay)
Comeback Player: Russell Branyan (Seattle), Aaron Hill (Toronto), Scott Podsednik (Chicago White Sox)
Outstanding Pitcher: Roy Halladay (Toronto), Zack Greinke (Kansas City), C.C. Sabathia (NY Yankees)
Outstanding Player: Derek Jeter (NY Yankees), Joe Mauer (Minnesota), Kendry Morales (LA Angels of Anaheim)

National League:

Outstanding Rookie: Chris Coghlan (Florida), Tommy Hanson (Atlanta), J.A. Happ (Philadelphia)
Comeback Player: Aaron Boone (Houston), Chris Carpenter (St. Louis), Nick Johnson (Florida)
Outstanding Pitcher: Chris Carpenter (St. Louis), Tim Lincecum (San Francisco), Adam Wainwright (St. Louis)
Outstanding Player: Prince Fielder (Milwaukee), Albert Pujols (St. Louis), Hanley Ramirez (Florida)

Either League:

Man of the Year: Curtis Granderson (Detroit), Torii Hunter (LA Angeles of Anaheim), Albert Pujols (St. Louis)
Player of Year: Joe Mauer (Minnesota), Albert Pujols (St. Louis), Hanley Ramirez (Florida)

Don't Miss This Opportunity to Wine and Dine Detroit's Very Own Curtis Granderson!

Curtis Granderson has given plenty of his time to charitable causes over his four years with the Tigers. His next fundraising effort will include a night out.

Detroit's All-Star outfielder, who scored the winning run in last week's All-Star Game, will become a wine taster for the evening, welcoming teammates Edwin Jackson and Ryan Perry for a Passport to the Wines of the World this Thursday at Big Rock Chophouse/The Reserve in Birmingham.

The event will feature over 300 wines from five continents, including local wines from the Detroit area and the state of Michigan, as well as a silent auction of sports memorabilia, wine and entertainment package. The evening includes a bachelor auction, where the highest bid will win an elegant dinner for two with Granderson, Jackson or Perry.

Noted young comic Jeff Dye, third-place finisher in last year's edition of NBC's Last Comic Standing, will perform a standup set and serve as the auctioneer. The Seattle native won the 10th annual Giggles Laff Off in his hometown last year and has performed in the Just for Laughs Festival the last two years, including this year in Chicago. His comedy is clean but has been described as charmingly twisted.

"I am really excited to have Jeff come out and perform at this event," Granderson said last week. "I am positive that all in attendance will enjoy Jeff's comedic style and he will add a great energy to the evening. Plus, he is a big baseball fan, albeit for the Mariners."

The festivities begin with a VIP reception hosted by Granderson, beginning at 6:30 p.m. A 7 p.m. champagne toast precedes the main event at 7:30 p.m. The bachelor auction will start at 8:45 p.m.

Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Grand Kids Foundation, which helps students and schools in Michigan's inner cities by purchasing school supplies and books, establishing baseball programs, providing equipment and helping improve facilities.

Tickets for Passport to the Wines of the World run $85 for general admission and $135 for a VIP package, which includes admission to the VIP reception as well as special VIP wines and a souvenir wine glass. Members of the Detroit Wine Organization receive a $10 discount on both VIP and general admission tickets. Membership is free at detroitwine.org.

TV Alert: Curtis Granderson on Letterman This Thursday

http://www.blessyouboys.com/

This afternoon, Major League Baseball announced that 10 players from Team USA will be on The Late Show with David Letterman Thursday night to read the Top Ten list:

Top Ten Reasons to Watch the World Baseball Classic

Here are the details from CBS:

The 10 Team USA players taking part in the Top Ten List are: Derek Jeter from the New York Yankees; David Wright from the New York Mets; Chipper Jones from the Atlanta Braves; Ryan Braun from the Milwaukee Brewers; Jimmy Rollins from the Philadelphia Phillies; Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis from the Boston Red Sox; Curtis Granderson from the Detroit Tigers; Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros; and Adam Dunn from the Washington Nationals.

So Curtis won't be sitting down to chat with Letterman (someday, maybe), but the rest of Thursday's show should be great, with Jon Stewart and U2 as guests. (U2 is actually the musical guest for the whole week.) Set your DVRs!