Get up close and personal with famous faces from Hollywood, the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, MLS and more at the family-fun (and affordable!) Seventh Annual Reebok Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game on Saturday, June 28, at the Dr Pepper Ballpark (7300 Rough Riders Trail) in Frisco.Superstars like Mike Modano, Brenden Morrow, Michael Irvin, Dario Sala, Jason Terry and DeMarcus Ware will join TV and movie stars galore to “play ball” for a cause! Money raised will benefit the children’s charities of The Heroes Foundation YOUniversity Program and The Mike Modano Foundation.

NEW THIS YEAR! Big name power hitters have been added this year to battle it out in the Baylor Medical Center at Frisco Celebrity Home Run Derby, plus a 10-minute fireworks show sponsored by Baylor Medical Center at Frisco will illuminate the skies for the post-game finale!

Two baseball teams, the Red Socks and the Black Socks, each made up of 12 celebrity players and 12 amateurs will play "hard-charging, umpires umping, trash-talking, uniform-wearing, managers managing, base-stealing, home-run hitting, nine innings, authentic BASEBALL!" New this year will be pitchers (no pitching machines)!

The teams will be managed by Baseball Hall of Famers Fred Lynn (nine-time All-Star responsible for the only Grand Slam ever hit in a MLB All-Star Game, American League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in 1975) and Wade Boggs (former third baseman for the Boston Red Sox and five-time American League Batting Champion with 12 straight All-Star appearances).

Here are the stars picked to play in this year’s game (MORE TO COME):

• Mike Modano, Dallas Stars center and NHL All-Star

• Brenden Morrow, Dallas Stars captain

• Michael Irvin, Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer and current 103.3 FM ESPN Radio host

• DeMarcus Ware, Dallas Cowboys linebacker and NFL Pro Bowler

• Jason Terry, Dallas Mavericks guard

• Dario Sala, FC Dallas goalkeeper from Argentina

• Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner

• Donnie Nelson, Dallas Mavericks president

• Dave Annable, TV series Brothers & Sisters

• Bryan Greenberg,TV series October Road

• Samuel Page,TV series Shark

• Geoff Stults, TV series October Road and soon-to-be-released movie The Express

• George Stults, TV series Seventh Heaven
  
  
• Kevin Kiley, 103.3 FM ESPN Radio host

• Joe Trahan, WFAA Channel 8 sports anchor

Singing the National Anthem will be the young, incredibly talented Cactus Cuties (www.thecactuscuties.com/) from Lubbock, TX!

Game goers are encouraged to come out for the tailgating party, sponsored by 103.3 FM ESPN Radio,in the parking lot at 2 p.m.ESPN Deportes 1480 will also be on site with a variety of activities, prize giveaways and interactive games for the whole family.

With baseball hard-hitters added to the mix, the Baylor Medical Center at Frisco Home Run Derbypromises more homers and excitement than ever!The celebrity players will take the field at 4 p.m. to display their athletic prowess among former major leaguers Orestes Destrade (former MLB first baseman from Cuba), Kevin Bass (former MLB outfielder and National League All-Star), Brian McRae (former MLB centerfielder with 1,336 career hits and son of former MLB All-Star Hal McRae), Jack Clark (aka “Jack the Ripper”, former MLB player, four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner) and Wade Boggs.

At 6 p.m., the Reebok Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game gets underway as the all-stars vie for the game trophy and coveted MVP award won in past years byDallas Cowboy DeMarcus Ware, Desperate Housewives actor Josh Henderson, NBA player Kenyon Martin, Chris Kirkpatrick of N’Sync, former NHL All-Star Brett Hull, NBA player Marquis Daniels and amateurs Troy Haugen, John Trabold and Richard Barge.The big weekend also includes “little-league” action on Friday, June 27, beginning at 3 p.m. when the Little Heroes Baseball game gets underway at the Whataburger Little Heroes Field (2807 Harry Hines, Dallas, TX 75201). The All-Star kids (ages 9-11) will be selected from the Heroes ILB program to play and will attend the Celebrity Baseball Game the following day.

Throwing out the first pitch will be honored U.S. Soldiers and Purple Heart recipients from the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, who will be honored during the game courtesy of WBAP 820 AM.

Tickets and more information

Tickets are $5, $7, $12 and $15 and are on sale now at Ticketmaster (214-373-8000), online at www.Ticketmaster.com or at the Dr Pepper Ballpark Box Office during office hours. For more information, visit www.heroesbaseball.org

North Texas children to benefit from baseball weekend

The Heroes FoundationYOUniversity Program provides constructive opportunities through all of its programs for at-risk inner-city youth to learn the finer points of team sports and participate in educational and cultural curriculums that build self-esteem and give them hope for a much brighter.More than $3 million has been raised to fund the programs for Dallas’ inner-city kids, including the Whataburger Little Heroes Baseball Field, which opened March 2005 at Dallas’ historic Pike Park adjacent to the American AirlinesCenter.

Proceeds also go to The Mike Modano Foundation, dedicated to raising funds to improve the lives of at-risk and under-served children in theDallas area, specifically children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected.In addition, the Mike Modano Foundation provides funding for organizations whose purpose is to offer education to children and families suffering the devastation of abuse to help break the cycle of abuse.

In September 2003, the Mike Modano Infant and Toddler Cottage at Jonathon’s Place opened its doors to help at-risk children who have been removed from their homes by Child Protective Services. For more info, visit www.mikemodano.com/foundation_home.php

Sponsors

Baylor Medical Center at Frisco is the presenting sponsor of the Celebrity Home Run Derby. Media sponsors are WFAA Channel 8, 103.3 FM ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes 1480, The Big 96.3 KSCS, Radio Disney and WBAP News/Talk 820.

For more information about the 2008 Reebok Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game and Weekend, go to www.heroesbaseball.org

Chillout, featuring an unplugged performance by Lifehouse, on tap Friday night at The Palladium

The Reebok Heroes Celebrity Weekend kicks-off Friday night (June 27) with Chillout, featuring a special unplugged acoustic performance by American rock band Lifehouse (www.lifehousemusic.com/). Beginning at 8 p.m., VIP ticket holders can enjoy cocktails while mingling with celebrities playing in Saturday’s game.

Chillout is presented by the Heroes Foundation and sponsored by The Joule, A Luxury Collection Hotel.Ticket packages are available to the public and includeVIP floor access passes, open bar from 8 p.m.– 1 a.m., performance by Lifehouse at 10 p.m. and an exclusive after-party at 11 p.m.Starting at $1,000 for two tickets and $2,000 for eight tickets, all proceeds benefit the organizing foundations. To purchase, contact Lara Beth Seager at 770-898-4510 or lbseager@heroesbaseball.org.