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Tuesday August 22, 2007

Southwest Ireland Charity Golf Tour Tees Up To Strike Out Prostrate Cancer

Celebrity Tours' Outing Will Benefit Ed Randall's Bat For The Cure

By John Mooney

Ed Randall's Bat For The Cure

Founded in December 2001 by sports radio personality Ed Randall and his long-time friend Tony Lacitignola, Ed Randall's Bat For The Cure is a dedicated to raising awareness for and promoting early detection and improved treatment of prostate cancer and providing financial support for its cure.
Randall is host of "Talking Baseball" on Sportsradio 66 WFAN in New York on Sunday mornings and "Under the Lights," a new show on MLB-Radio. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001. Since that time he has been open with his audience about his own battle against prostate cancer and encouraged listeners to visit their doctors and get checked.
Prostate cancer is a common form of cancer found in American men, second only to lung cancer. People at risk include men 40 or older and men with a family history of the disease. There are approximately 256,000 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in the U.S. annually, and about 33,000 men die from the disease each year.
This summer, Randall's organization partnered with Minor League baseball teams to organize "Bat For The Cure Prostate Cancer Awareness Nights" at ballparks across America. Participating teams provide health information to fans over public address systems, establish web site links to information on www.erbatforthecure.org, and donate items that can be auctioned off to benefit cancer research. The initiative is underwritten by Quest Diagnostics and Siemens Diagnostics, which are helping by distributing vouchers redeemable for complimentary screening tests.
"Prostate cancer is one of the slowest growing cancers, so proper screening and early detection can mean a cure," said Randall, who wants men to be as involved and as knowledgeable about their health as women are about breast cancer.
For more information, visit erbatforthecure.org

Sports legends from MLB, the NFL and NBA will tee up in Ireland to help raise funds to battle prostate cancer from September 17-23, 2007.

JP Cone of Celebrity Tours and John Pierse of South Kerry Regional Development have arranged for rounds of golf at some of Ireland's most scenic courses with sports superstars, including New York baseball heroes Jerry Koosman (Mets) and Goose Gossage (Yankees), and former All Stars Steve Garvey, Darrell Evans, and Vida Blue.

Four members of the Baseball Hall of Fame - George Brett, Steve Carlton, Fergie Jenkins, and Brooks Robinson - will participate.

NFL greats include former Giants Carl Banks and Jim Burt, former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, Heisman Trophy winners Tim Brown and George Rogers, and Garo Yepremian, kicker for the 1972 Dolphins, the only undefeated team in NFL history.

Proceeds from the tour, as well as all sponsored events, will go to Ed Randall's "Bat for the Cure" and directly benefit The Uroendocrine Research Lab at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital.

"We hope to make this an annual event," said Randall, the popular host of Ed Randall's "Talking Baseball" on Sportsradio 66 WFAN-AM and a prostate cancer survivor.

"I have not played golf in Ireland before, but visited Killarney and kissed the Blarney Stone," added Randall, who is not Irish, but has "12 years of education under the rule of Christian Brothers at All Hallows with the welts to prove it."

Celebrity Tours

The tour was organized JP Cone, his dad, John, and Darrell Evans, who hit over 400 home runs during his major league career. The Mount Kisco-based company has been in operation for four years and puts together golf, fishing, genealogy, and sightseeing tours of Ireland, Scotland, Italy, South Africa, the Caribbean and South America.

"People love the opportunity to spend a week with their sports idols while raising money for a great cause," said JP Cone, a native of Rostrea, Co. Tipperary. "Every celebrity on this tour is personable and delightful. It will be a unique experience in Ireland. Sky Sports has signed on to cover it."

"This tour coming to South Kerry makes a huge difference. It gets publicity for the area, brings money into the economy," said John Pierse, CEO of South Kerry Development partnership, which develops jobs, industry, and tourism while providing a range of other services.

"There are parts of the area where the Irish language is still spoken - it's the real Ireland. When you pass in a bus around the Ring of Kerry, you don't get that experience," added Pierse, whose organization has offices in Killarney, Kenmare, Sneem, Cahersiveen, and Killorglin, home of the famous Puck Fair. "This golf tour is terrific and will help spread the word about South Kerry."

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