The way the Angels have been playing so far this season, they could use a Timmy Salmon, Troy Percival and especially Darin Erstad in their primes. At least Ersty is giving something back to fans and the Orange County community–including one of his Gold Gloves, a bat used in the World Series and an autographed 2002 World Series ball.
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That is, he and his wife Jessica Erstad are donating the items to be auctioned off for the Child Abuse Prevention Center, a resource for at-risk children and families that has served more than
200,000 Orange County residents since its 1983 founding.
“My wife Jessica believes very strongly
in the Prevention Center,” Erstad says in a statement released by the center. “I have seen her passion
with her golf event and was trying to find any way to help. What
better way than to tie it together with baseball and the All Star Game
in Anaheim this year. I want to thank all the players and coaches
from across Major League Baseball who have so generously helped!”
“We have received such great support throughout our
time in Orange County, it's nice to be able to give back to the
community,” adds Jessica Erstad, whose 7th annual “Not So Serious” Women's Golf Outing is June 21 at Black Gold
Golf Club in Yorba Linda.
Some of the items being auctioned online are shown below:
This 2002 World Series baseball set features autographs by each of the champion Angels.
Erstad's Gold Glove Award, which he signed.
Albert Pujols signed these game-worn batting gloves.
Other unique items include a
2002 World Series program autographed by Erstad and Barry Bonds; Salmon and Adam Kennedy bats; Derek
Jeter, Joe Mauer and Mariano Rivera jerseys; tickets to the All-Star Game and Home Run
Contest.
The online auction, hosted by eBay, has 100 percent of sales going to the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center. Staggered bidding began May
24. Go to ErstadCharityAuction.org to participate.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.