Jeffrey Osborne Celebrity All-Star Softball Classic - Sunday, August 10 at McCoy Stadium
The Pawtucket Red Sox are pleased to announce that they will host The Jeffrey Osborne Celebrity All-Star Softball Classic, featuring Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, at McCoy Stadium on Sunday, August 10 at 6:05 pm. Gates will open at 4:30 pm and the game, between the Magic Johnson/Jeffrey Osborne All-Stars and the New England Patriots Alumni Celebrity All-Stars, will be played at 6:05 pm. All ticket proceeds will benefit the Jeffrey Osborne Foundation and the Pawtucket Red Sox Charitable Trust. Post-Game Fireworks presented by T-Mobile, Elmwood Sports Center, and Barrington Printing.
Expected to attend and play in this charity game are NBA Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, along with other former Los Angeles Lakers star James Worthy. Others from the world of entertainment who plan to be in attendance include Smokey Robinson, Claudia Jordan, and several others. The West team will face a "who's who" of former Patriot and Red Sox players who will comprise the East team led by former Patriots standout QB Steve Grogan and center Pete Brock, Ty Law, Roland James, Jermaine Wiggins, Patrick Pass, and Sammy Morris. Former Red Sox pitcher and Oil Can Boyd are slated to take part. Providence College head basketball coach Ed Cooley will be there. Further additions to the list of those appearing include NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen and current LA Clipper and former Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers with more sure to be added. Please see complete updated list of expected attendees below.
Tickets for the event are on sale at the PawSox Box Office at McCoy, on-line at www.pawsox.com, or over the phone by calling (401) 724-7300. All tickets will be priced the same as regular-season PawSox tickets which are $12 for reserved box seats and $8 for general admission ($5 for children aged 12 & under and senior citizens). There will also be a special deal to include a pre-game meet and greet barbecue with the celebrity All-Stars and a ticket to the game for a donation of $50.
Those planning to attend the event (as of July 29, 2014)….
Jeffrey Osborne Grammy-nominated R & B musician, singer-songwriter, and lyricist born and raised in Providence, RI
Magic Johnson NBA Hall of Famer, 5-time NBA Champ, 3-time NBA MVP, 3-time Finals MVP, NCAA Champ, currently head of ownership group for the LA Dodgers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar NBA Hall of Famer, 6-time NBA Champ, 6-time NBA MVP, 2-time Finals MVP, NCAA Champ, all-time NBA leading scorer (38,387 points)
James Worthy Current basketball commentator, television host, and analyst. "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star, a three-time NBA champion and the 1988 NBA Finals MVP
Otis Thorpe NBA All-Star (1992) and NBA Champion (1994), Providence College star (1980-84), 1st round pick of KC Kings
Michael Carter Williams Barrington, RI Native, currently plays for NBA Philadelphia 76ers, NBA Rookie of the Year (2014)
Dave Stewart He currently works as a sports agent in San Diego. A 20-game winner for four consecutive years, Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher, Three-Time World Series Champion, 1989 Word Series MVP
Smokey Robinson R & B and pop singer-songwriter, record producer, Rock n' Roll Hall of Famer (1987)
Perry "Tiny" Tavares started performing in 1959 in the band Chubby and the Turnpikes. In 1973, they had changed their name to Tavares and scored their first R&B Top 10 (Pop Top 40) hit with "Check it Out" that same year, along with other hits such as: "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel" (1976), "Don't Take Away the Music" (1976), and "Whodunit."
Earl Bryant has enjoyed a long career in the music business with a good many years related to artists within the Motown family. As a concert manager, Earl has worked with Smokey Robinson for many years
Cedric the Entertainer is an American actor, comedian, director, and game show host. He was originally the host on It's Showtime at the Apollo. He is best known for co-starring with Steve Harvey on the sitcom The Steve Harvey Show and starring as Eddie in Barbershop
Sinbad is an Americanstand-up comedian and actor. He became well known in the 1990s from being featured on his own HBO specials, appearing on several television series, and starring in the films Necessary Roughness, Houseguest, First Kid,Jingle All the Way and Good Burger.
Salli Richardson is an American television and film actress. Richardson is best known for her role as Dr. Allison Blake on the Syfy comedy-drama series Eureka.
Claudia Jordan Providence-born and raised TV and radio personality, Miss Rhode Island 1997, model on Deal or No Deal and appeared on Seasons 2 & 6 of Celebrity Apprentice
Steve Grogan New England Patriots Hall of Fame Quarterback (1975-1990), uniform #14 retired
Pete Brock Played every position on New England Patriots offensive line (1976-87), President of NE Patriots Alumni
Garin Veris Former New England Patriot defensive end (1985-91), member of Patriots Super Bowl XX team
Roland James Former New England Patriot defensive back and punt returner, played entire career with Pats (1980-90) after being a 1st round pick out of the University of Tennessee (#14 overall)
Steve Nelson was selected by the Patriots in the 2nd round of the 1974 NFL Draft and missed only three games during his 14-year NFL career in which he was named team MVP twice. He was selected to the Pro Bowl three times in 1980, 1984, and 1985 and his #57 jersey was retired by the Patriots. He is credited with helping the Patriots reach Super Bowl XX versus the Chicago Bears.
Jim Bowman was drafted in the second round of the 1985 draft by New England and stayed with the team through the 1989 season. On Sundays when the Patriots are playing at Gillette Stadium, he is the NFL Uniform Program Representative.
Jermaine Wiggins New England Patriots tight end (2000-01) and member of Super Bowl XXXVI champions, East Boston, MA native is now a member of Boston sports media
Patrick Pass New England Patriots running back (2000-06, 2009) and Three-time Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX)
Joe Andruzzi New England Patriots offensive guard (2000-2004) and Three-time Super Bowl champion (XXXVI,XXXVIII, XXXIX)
Ty Law He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. Law is a two-time All-Pro, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, a Pro Bowl MVP, and has won three Super Bowl Championships with the Patriots (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX). His 53 career interceptions rank 22nd all-time. He is also widely regarded as one of the best Patriots defensive backs of all time.
Sammy Morris He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Played for Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys.
Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd Boston Red Sox pitcher from 1982-89, Montreal Expos (1990-91), and Texas Rangers (1991)
Ed Cooley Current Head Coach of the Providence College Men's Basketball team. In his third season at Providence in 2013-2014, Coach Cooley led the Providence Friars to their second Big East Tournament Championship
Tim Welsh Former Providence College Men's Basketball Coach and current analyst for ESPN and Comcast Sports NE
Joe Hassett Former Providence College basketball star, NBA Champ (1979), NE Basketball Hall of Famer, current PC basketball radio analyst
Kevin Stacom Former Providence College basketball star, played six seasons (1974-1979; 1981-1982) in the NBA as a member of the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks.
Jim Garrick Led the UCLA Bruins to the NCAA Division 1 Championship in 1995. Coached the University of Rhode Island Men's Basketball team for two seasons
Johnny Gill Singer, songwriter, actor and member of R & B group New Edition
Jay Harris ESPN SportsCenter anchor since 2003
Doris Burke Sideline reporter for NBA on ESPN and ABC, Color Analyst for ESPN College Basketball
Frank Carpano joined NBC 10 in 1980. He has been sports director and primary sports anchor since 1984. Carpano is a 10-time National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters "Sportscaster of the Year" winner.
Joe Kayata is a native of Cumberland and graduated from Cumberland High School. Currently the Sports Anchor/Reporter at WJAR-TV NBC 10 Providence.
Patrick Little anchors Eyewitness News This Morning on WPRI and FOX Providence and is also the co-host of the Rhode Show on Fox Providence.
Roland Martin is an American journalist and syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate and author. He is a commentator forTV One and the host of News One Now, a one-hour weekday morning news show on the network.
Demetruis "Boo Boo" Andrade Providence-born professional boxer, U.S. Olympian in 2008, World Boxing Organization Light Middleweight Champion
Eddie Levert Lead vocalist of soul/funk/R & B group The O'Jays
Bobby Farrelly Cumberland, RI native, film director, screenwriter, producer, There's Something About Mary, Dumb & Dumber
Mike Tollin is an American film director and film/television producer. His career highlights included Radio, Coach Carter and Varsity Blues.
Tiny Tavares Lead singer of Tavares (Tavares Brothers)
Mike Woodson Former NBA guard/forward, Head Coach of Atlanta Hawks (2004-2010) and New York Knicks (2012-14)
Rick Barry NBA Hall of Famer, 8-time NBA All-Star, NBA Champ & Finals MVP (1975), only player to ever lead NCAA, ABA and NBA in scoring in a season Seema Sadekar Professional Golfer (LPGA Symetra Tour) and Fashioniste. Cast member of Big Break Sandals Resort on Golf Channel
Michelle Kwan Two-time Olympic figure skating medalist (silver in 1998 and bronze in 2002), 5-time World Champion, 9-time U.S. Champion
Seema Sadekar LPGA Golf Professional, started playing golf at the age of 11 years old.
John Tudor Pitched for the PawSox from 1977-80 and the Red Sox from 1979-83, Went 21-8 with a 1.93 for St. Louis in 1985 leading the Cardinals to the World Series, was a World Series champ with the LA Dodgers in 1988
Tom Songin Norwood, MA native who played hockey for Mount Saint Charles, Boston College, and the Boston Bruins (1978-81)
Dondre Whitfield was featured on the sitcom The Cosby Show as Robert Foreman. Since then, he has appeared in many television series, including The Jamie Foxx Show, Martin and Girlfriends
Jeffrey Osborne is a Grammy-nominated R& B musician, singer-songwriter, and lyricist who was born and raised in Providence. He became close friends with Magic Johnson during the Lakers' glory days when Jeffrey was often a "good luck charm" as the national anthem singer before Lakers' games at the Forum and later at the Staples Center.
"The PawSox welcome Jeffrey Osborne and his star-studded guests to the city of Pawtucket and McCoy Stadium for a great cause," said PawSox president Mike Tamburro. "We know our fans will be excited to see many of the legends who will appear at this charity event and we look forward to everyone enjoying a memorable evening at McCoy."
"I'm truly blessed to have so many close friends and colleagues who have joined me in support of the Celebrity Softball Game at McCoy Stadium as well as the Jeffrey Osborne Celebrity Classic," said Jeffrey Osborne. "It is through these efforts that we can continue to provide support to music and the arts, as well as to non-profits who provide a safe-haven for families in need."
"The Patriots Alumni are extremely excited about being part of this special event to raise funds for charities throughout Rhode Island," said Pete Brock a member of the New England Patriots Alumni Club. "We are especially pleased to be associated with the Jeffrey Osborne Foundation and the PawSox Charitable Trust."
"It is an honor and pleasure to come back to Rhode Island to help out my good friend Mr. Jeffrey Osborne at McCoy Stadium in his Celebrity Softball Game where we will have tons of fun," said Magic Johnson. "So come on out and hang with the Magic Man!"