5th Annual Beckett Bowl

With two off days for the Boston Red Sox thanks to Hurricane Irene, the players took to the lanes to help out a worthy cause. The 5th Annual Beckett Bowl took place on Monday night at Lucky Strikes Lanes in Boston, across from Fenway Park. The star-studded event brought out Red Sox, Bruins, and New England Revolution players, as well as a few New England natives both inside and outside the world of sports. This annual fundraiser is organized by The Josh Beckett Foundation, which supports community-based programs that improve the health and well-being of children, especially those who are seriously ill, disabled, poor, or otherwise disadvantaged. All the proceeds from the event go to Children’s Hospital of Boston.

Pictures are courtesy of BoSox Injection photographer, Jonathan Ugol. 

The event began with a red carpet walk for all of the celebrity captains, who were escorted by patients of Children’s Hospital. The highlight of the evening was watching the players interact with the young children. They high-fived and hugged, showing the true meaning of a charity event like this one and displaying a side of their personality that most don’t often get to see. After all, this event is about those children and thousands of other children like them who benefit from the generosity of donors and are able to get the proper care as a result at Children’s Hospital.

Once inside, Beckett and one of the patients threw the ceremonial 1st ball and the event was underway. Some of the Red Sox players there to support their teammate and the cause were Adrian Gonzalez, Jason Varitek, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Daniel Bard, Jed Lowrie, Mike Aviles, Andrew Miller, Tim Wakefield, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz. Others included Bruins players Dennis Seidenberg and Daniel Paille, Revolution players Matt Reis, Kevin Alston, Zach Schilawski, and Darrius Barnes, NESN TV personality Heidi Watney, President and CEO of the Red Sox Larry Lucchino, and actor John O’Hurley. Every single person was there to support the cause and Beckett’s wonderful charity work.

The event also included a raffle to raise additional funds for Children’s Hospital. Raffle prizes included an authentic jersey signed by Beckett, two monster seat tickets from an upcoming game at Fenway Park, and the grand prize of a 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4-Door, fully customized by AFTER FX CUSTOMS.

With a big series beginning against the Yankees tonight, it was a thrill to see the players use their precious down time to give back to the community. Taking a break from the on-field drama and intensity is critical for these players down the stretch. For their sake, let’s just hope no one hurt their arm bowling.

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