ZITO PITCHES IN FOR TROOPS HURLER'S PROJECT MAKES FOR MEMORABLE DAY.Byline: Erik Boal Special to the Daily News Barry Zito Barry William Zito (born May 13 1978 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He previously played seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics. has enjoyed plenty of memorable nights at McAfee Coliseum For other uses, see Coliseum. • • during his six-year career with the Oakland Athletics “Philadelphia Athletics” redirects here. For other uses, see Philadelphia Athletics (disambiguation). The Oakland Athletics are a professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. . Perhaps none as meaningful as Monday's game against the visiting Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are a professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida, Florida. The Devil Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Devil Rays have played in Tropicana Field. . Zito didn't pitch Monday, but the former Pierce College In 2006 the Library won a national Excellence award. Academics Pierce College offers associate's degrees, mainly in the arts and sciences. There are also certificate programs in early childhood education, social services, dental hygienist, and others. and USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. standout was a strong presence on the diamond as part of the organization's Memorial Day celebration. The evening was an emotional one for Zito, who delivered a brief postgame speech to the crowd about supporting ``Strikeouts for Troops,'' the national program started by the 27-year-old left-hander less than two months ago. He has committed $100 for every strikeout he records during the 2005 season. In 68 2/3 innings, Zito (1-6, 4.85 ERA) has 45 strikeouts, including a season-high seven in six innings in Thursday's 4-1 loss at Cleveland. With the assistance of his father, Joe, and Danville-based public-relations professional Kathy Jacobson, Zito developed ``Strikeouts for Troops'' not only to honor U.S. service members following their time in Afghanistan, Iraq and other locations, but to benefit troops who are being treated at Walter Reed Noun 1. Walter Reed - United States physician who proved that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes (1851-1902) Reed Army Hospital in Washington, Bethesda (Md.) Naval Hospital and other military hospitals. The project also was created to help provide clothing, meals and entertainment for wounded soldiers and establish funds for travel and lodging expenses for soldiers' families. ``Many of our war-wounded are recovering in hospitals far from home and family, and `Strikeouts For Troops' will help them to know we support and believe in them,'' Zito posted on the organization's Web site, www.strikeoutsfortroops.org. ``We hope to make their stay in the hospital more comfortable and show we all are grateful for their courage and sacrifice. ``I am so proud that my team is supporting 'Strikeouts for Troops' to make a difference in the lives of our wounded soldiers, the true heroes in uniform.'' The program has raised $15,000. In addition to Zito's donations, every fan who made a contribution of $50 or more received two upper-level tickets to Monday's game, which was attended by personnel stationed at Travis Air Force Base Travis Air Force Base (IATA: SUU, ICAO: KSUU) is a United States Air Force air base in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Travis Air Force Base is located within Fairfield, Calif, in the northeast part of town. in nearby Fairfield and featured a 21-gun salute, along with a fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to show that followed Zito's speech. ``He really has tremendous pride in this program,'' Jacobson - who has worked with Zito for the past three years - said in a phone interview from Oakland. ``With Barry, it's the little things that make a difference. It's the little things that really matter to him.'' Zito's commitment to supporting troops also has been recognized by officials at the Pentagon, who invited the 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner to participate in a special behind-the-scenes tour at Arlington (Va.) National Cemetery when the Athletics visit the Washington Nationals for a three-game series beginning June 7. Erik Boal, (818) 713-3607 erik.boal(at)dailynews.com |
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