Ray Negron's Playball Weekly Blog

A-Rod Brings His A-Game to Charity

It’s no coincidence that Alex Rodriguez is having the kind of season that he’s having this year.

As the great George Steinbrenner used to say, “when you give, you get” and that’s exactly what A-Rod has done this year. He has given to all sorts of youth groups not only in the city but also in his hometown of Miami.

This past Friday on 9/11, A-Rod lead an onslaught of stars including hockey legend Mark Messier and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the annual charity day at Cantor Fitzgerald.

As usual, he showed up elegantly dressed in classic Sinatra suit and tie and took his time to express the importance and dedication of the day. So as you see it is no coincidence that he is having a truly fine season and is helping to keep the Yankees in a very exciting pennant race.

Ironically that same afternoon the animated film “Henry & Me,” that Alex participated in (and I stupidly took him out of when he was going through his troubles) was being shown at a local Bronx YMCA. Many of these kids who can’t afford to attend baseball games are gaining a true appreciation and understanding of how beautiful the game of baseball and the Yankee universe can really be.

A thank you to the ownership team of the Scranton Wilkes Barre Yankees baseball club. They sponsored a large contingent of underprivileged kids to play at their baseball facility against a top caliber baseball team from the Scranton area. It was a wonderful day for the kids who got to play the game that we all love — the Yankee way.

 Rumors have been circulating that my radio show may be moving from WPAT 930 AM to AM 970. When you can produce guests such as Frankie Valli, Richard Gere and Reggie Jackson, I can understand why other networks find this show attractive. Stay tuned.

Ray Negron is a sports executive with over 40 years of experience in baseball. His first job came from a chance encounter with George Steinbrenner as a youth. He has become an American film producer, a best-selling author, and a philanthropist. His memoir is entitled, “Yankee Miracles: Life with the Boss and the Bronx Bombers.” For more of his reports, Go Here Now.

Hey! Are you enjoying NYCTastemakers? Make sure to join our mailing list for NYCTM and never miss the chance to read all of our articles!