MSN_011719

4 | January 17, 2019 | Malibu surfside news news
malibusurfsidenews.com
Celebrities throw support behind California Strong event
Game raises $1M
to support those
impacted by fires,
Borderline shooting
Barbara Burke
Freelance Reporter
Displaced by the fires
and appalled by the Thousand
Oaks Borderline
shooting, Malibu locals and
Milwaukee Brewers Ryan
Braun and Christian Yelich,
Major League Baseball
free agent Mike Moustakas
and LA Rams quarterback
Jared Goff brainstormed a
way to help victims of the
tragedies.
They never imagined
their idea would blossom
into the sold-out, star-studded
California Strong celebrity
softball game held
Sunday, Jan. 13, at Pepperdine’s
Eddy D. Field baseball
stadium. The event,
which Southeast Ventura
County YMCA helped coordinate,
pitted Team California
and Team Strong
against one another.
“I live in Malibu and,
like many people, I was
evacuated and did not
know for days whether I
had lost my home,” Braun
told Malibu Surfside News.
“This cause was particularly
close to our hearts
because we could see the
devastation firsthand and
we wanted to do what we
could to help.”
Other MLB stars, including
LA Dodgers players
Justin Turner and Joc
Pederson, joined TNT
broadcaster Reggie Miller
(a former Indiana Pacers
basketball player), UFC
heavyweight champion
Chuck Liddell, Cleveland
Browns football player
Baker Mayfield, and Volleyball
Olympic gold medalist
Dain Blanton. Entertainers
including Jamie
Foxx, Adam Sandler, Brad
Paisley, Charlie Sheen,
Rob Riggle and Patrick
Schwarzenegger joined in
the event, too.
Play ball!
After an honor guard ceremony
featuring the 146
Airlift Wings, Pia Toscano
performed a resounding
rendition of the national
anthem. Then, the loudspeakers
began to play
upbeat tunes such as The
Black Eyed Peas’ “Let’s
Get it Started” and Smash
Mouth’s “All Star.”
Nature cooperated and
participants played six innings
of humor-filled fun.
There were not a lot of
base hits because there
were too many outfielders.
Way too many outfielders.
At the top of fourth inning,
actor Jimmy Tatro
(“The Guest Book”), who
would later be named MVP,
scored for Team California.
At the bottom of the
fourth, Riggle scored for
Team Strong, tying the
game up at 1-1.
Team Strong took a 2-1
lead in the fifth when actor
Rainn Wilson (“The
Office”) got a piece of the
ball, hitting it against the
fence — no small feat when
playing softball in a huge
baseball stadium. Stats
were quite impressive,
with Team California having
one run, five hits and
one error and Team Strong
scoring two runs, six hits
and one error.
Singer Pia Toscano performs the national anthem.
Between innings, participants
played good oldfashioned
games, including
a frenetic scavenger hunt
and “dizzy bat,” an endeavor
where one twirls around
a standing bat at breakneck
speed, trying to outlast other
participants.
Spectators also enjoyed
flyovers by three World
War II T-6 Texan Condors
and gave a standing ovation
to show appreciation for
first responders and military
members.
After several teammates
hit impressive balls, actor
Jaleel White (“Family
Matters”) scored at the bottom
of the fifth, crossing
the plate after a few fielding
errors that rendered the
crowd in stitches.
With the game tied at
2-2, the crowd became animated.
Team Strong came on
strong and after several
teammates hit impressive
balls, actress Jaina Lee Ortiz
(“Rosewood”) crossed
the plate, sealing the 3-2
victory for Team Strong.
Beyond the game
Coordinators said the
softball game reached its
$1 million fundraising goal.
At the event, California
Strong presented $10,000
checks to five families affected
by the Woolsey Fire,
Camp Fire and Thousand
Oaks shooting. One such
check went to Brian Hynes,
owner of the Borderline
Bar & Grill.
Jeremy Seaman, one of
the check recipients, shared
that his family’s house on
Kanan Dume Road burned.
“It is awesome to receive
this help, and we are so
thankful for it,” Seaman
said.
Many of the players reflected
on personal ties to
Malibu, including Sheen,
who grew up in Malibu.
“It was devastating to see
houses on Point Dume that
I’d been in all my life go up
in flames and become entirely
unrecognizable,” he
said. “ ... I’m all in for anything
we can do to provide
relief for the stress experienced
by those affected by
Adam Sandler plays in a charity softball game, held in
Malibu, to benefit California Strong.
photos by rich Polk/Getty Images for California Strong
the fires and it’s wonderful
to give them even a moment
of solace.”
Malibuite Brandon Jenner
also reflected on the
meaning of the event.
“I grew up in Malibu my
whole life and I’ve seen a
handful of fires, but none
were so devastating as this
one,” he said. “This event
shows that the bigger the
tragedy, the bigger the humanity;
this community response
is vast.”
Jamie Foxx summed up
the purpose of the event.
“I’m here to support
those who lost everything
they’ve ever worked for in
the fires, as well as the families
who lost loved ones in
the Thousand Oaks shooting,
which was only seven
minutes away from where I
live,” Foxx said. “At times
like these, we need all
hands on deck.
“ ... This event has to be
just the beginning of our
supporting victims and, just
as athletes make adjustments,
people need to make
adjustments so things like
the shooting never happen
again. We all need to press
on as humans and recognize
that this is the greatest
place in the world and we
want to keep it that way.”
Braun agreed.
“The coolest part of what
we are doing is being able
to use our platform as professional
athletes to positively
impact other people’s
lives,” he told the Surfside.
“We envision this as an inaugural
event so that we
can keep the momentum up
and help Californians affected
by all disasters.”
Sheen noted that a new
tradition had been born.
“Based on the energy
today and the phenomenal
turnout, I think we’ve
tapped into a very good
thing,” he said.
Those looking to lend
additional support to cause
can visit www.ca-strong.
com, where an auction is
being held this week.