Ed Herrmann Scores a Hole in One with Charity Celeb Tourney

When I last spoke to former Major League Baseball catcher Ed Herrmann for the story, "Catcher Ed Herrmann Scores Many Holes In One Following Baseball Career", he was busy, not only putting together pieces of peoples shattered lives, but putting together the pieces of a Charity Golf Tournament to raise funds for their ministry called, "Bringing Broken Neighborhoods Back to Life".

At that time, Herrmann had just begun gathering the names and commitments of his celebrity participants and I, for one, had concerns. Herrmann told me that at that point in the planning process he only had the commitments of former MLB pitcher Randy Jones and three-time Pro Bow defensive back, Willie Buchanon, but had hopes of including one or two celebrities with each foursome.

I envisioned Herrmann, Jones and Buchanon, each dressed in funny colored checkered pants and equally bright colored golf shirts, sprinting around the links, in an effort to divide their time and appease each of the disappointed quartets. It seemed late in the game to me and with only a handful of "runners" on base, it seemed to me that Herrmann may have struck out.

Well, that's why I write stories and Herrmann creates miracles, because upon revisiting his Web site yesterday, it became clear that the "Mighty Herm" had not struck out. Like he did many times in his 13-year MLB career, Herrmann had hit in the clutch and blocked the plate with the game on the line.

With two weeks remaining before the tee-off at hole No. 1, Herrmann has the commitments from stars of, not only baseball, but boxing, football, basketball and television, with a handful more in the on-deck circle. Confirmed celebrities to date include:

• Evander Holyfield: Four-time Heavyweight Champion of the World
• Billy Ray Smith, Sr: Nicknamed "The Rabbit," played for the NFL's Rams, Pittsburgh, Baltimore
• Brian Sullivan: Punter and kicker specialist for Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Colts from 1981-1983. Ranked No. 1 in college in 1980. He holds the record in the East/West Shrine College All-Star Game with a 52 yard field goal.
  
• Chris Cannizzaro: Major League Baseball catcher played for 13 years. He was an All-Star in 1969. He played with the original San Diego Padres and New York Mets. Also played with the Dodgers and St. Louis.
• Craig McEwen: American football tight end in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers
• Darren Carrington: Played safety for eight seasons in the NFL. He started in Super Bowl XXIX for the San Diego Chargers and was the Denver Broncos kick returner in Super Bowl XXIV. He finished Super Bowl XXIV with six kickoff returns for 146 yards, including a 39-yard return that set up the Broncos only touchdown of the game. His best season was in 1993 when he intercepted seven passes and returned them for 104 yards.
  
• Dave Scott: KUSI Meteorologist who has been nominated for more than two-dozen Emmy’s, and has won several Associated Press and Emmy awards for his feature story work. He is the yearly host for the Jerry Lewis Telethon.
• David Frost: Major League pitcher played for six years with the Chicago White Sox and California Angels.
  
• Dokie Williams: His game was as exciting as his name. Williams was known for his explosive speed and his big game play-making ability. A member of the Super Bowl XVIII winning team, his presence on the field was a threat to secondaries around the league. Williams played for the Raiders from 1983-87, and helped establish some of the most prolific offenses in Raiders history.
• Ed Herrmann: Major league Baseball catcher played for 11 years and was an All-Star in 1974. Teams he played for include: Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, California Angels.
• Felix Giles: Felix "Nighthawk" Giles is the first Black American in history to race the world famous and extremely treacherous Baja 1000 Endurance Desert Race in Mexico. He was also the first to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
  
• Gene Locklear: Major League Baseball Player played for five years for the San Diego Padres, Yankees, and Cincinnati Reds. World renowned artist of Sports and Native-American art. Highlights include: Exclusive Artist—San Diego Host Super Bowl and NFL Artist for the Pasadena Super Bowl.
• Henry Tillman: Heavyweight Boxing Champion—won the Heavyweight gold medal for the United States at the 1984 Olympics.
• Jim Anderson: Played Major League Baseball for six years. Played on the Anaheim Angels during the 1979 American League Champion Series, and also was on the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers.
• Jim Weatherley: NFL Player with the Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins and the Atlanta Falcons
• Mike Merriweather: American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and Green Bay Packers
• Pete Shaw: American football safety who played eight seasons for the San Diego Chargers and the New York Giants. He played college football at Northwestern University and was drafted in the sixth round of the 1977 NFL Draft.
• Randy Jones: Major League Baseball pitcher for 10 years. He was the 1976 Cy Young Award Winner and played for the Padres and the Mets.
  
• Rashard Cook: Former NFL Player with the Eagles.
  
• Sam Scarber: Played with the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders. Has had feature film work including; "Against all Odds," "All in the Family," "My name is Earl," "Family Matters," "The Shield," "Amen," "Desperate Housewives," "Jag," "Over the Top," "Karate Kid," "Cheers," "Barbershop," "Cold Case" and many, many others.
• Stan Miller: Stan Miller is an Emmy award winning San Diego Newscaster having anchored the popular KUSI Morning News as well as the KFMB Evening News. He is also an ordained Baptist minister and regularly preaches at churches across San Diego County. Stan also founded and holds a yearly motorcycle ride to raise funds for Camp Hope, a summer camp for severely abused children and teens in Ramona.
  
• Willie Buchanon: NFL Football Defensive Back played for 11 years. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro. He played for the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers.
• Zack Jones: Former NBA player for the Nets and Cavaliers, CBA player, SDSU player, High School McDonald’s All-American and Liberty University Asst. Coach. Head Coach for 11 years for San Diego City College.

The tournament will be held on Aug. 20 at the prestigious Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club in North San Diego County. Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club is part of the Christian Music Award festivities being held at The Rock Church on August 22nd. The tournament is co-sponsored by United One Productions, who is putting on the award ceremony.

In addition to raising funds for BBNBTL, the tournament will benefit the Rock Golf Ministry to reach out to foster youth and inner city children in the San Diego area.

Green Fees for the event are $250 per player or $800 per foursome.

"Please contact me if you have any interest in entering the event as a single or getting your company to sponsor a foursome", explains Herrmann. "This will be an awesome golf tournament to play on a gorgeous course.

"It's a great way to meet and mingle with some celebrities for a good cause."

Registration is a 10:30 a.m. with an 11 a.m. Celebrity Clinic, with Tee Off scheduled for 1 p.m. Teams will consist of five-somes with one celebrity per team. A sit down dinner, raffle, silent auction and raffle prizes will top off a great day of golf.

Todd Civin is a freelance writer who writes for the Bleacher Report and Seamheads. He can be reached at toddcivin1@aim.com with comments or story ideas. He is also a supporter of "A Glove of Their Own", the award winning children's book that is capturing the heart of the nation. For more information visit the site at www.agloveoftheirown.com and purchase under today's donor code NYP212-New York PD Baseball.