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Don Zimmer attracted a long line of autographs seekers, young and old, during a benefit bowl for a local youth baseball club at Liberty Lanes on Sunday night. You could tell by his trademark smile he enjoyed the attention.
Zimmer, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' senior baseball advisor, is enjoying a second life with the Rays after years of bedevilment with the New York Yankees.
Tampa Bay administrators, coaches, players and other VIPs were the main attractions, aside from the often hilarious on-lane efforts of those who rarely touch a bowling ball.
It was heaven for the youngsters.
Instead of leaning over the rail at Tropicana Field waiting for a player to drop by, all they had to do was hand over a bat, ball, T-shirt or baseball card. And, the kids even got to bowl with the players.
The St. Petersburg Stingers 12-and-under AAU squad needed travel funds for its week-long American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame competition in Cooperstown, N.Y., next month.
Cheryl LaMar, wife of Devil Rays general manager and senior vice-president of baseball operations Chuck LaMar, volunteered to manage the event. It was a huge success, raising enough to finance the team's trip.
The Rays were fresh off a morning win over Colorado on Sunday, and the benefit was a welcome break before they headed West for a nine-game road trip.
Julio Lugo, Rocco Baldelli, Fred McGriff, Toby Hall, Chad Gaudin, Rob Bell, Victor Zambrano, John Halama, Carl Crawford, Brook Fordyce and Seth McClung signed autographs and fired the ball toward the pins. Tom Foley, Matt Sinatro and Billy Hatcher were among coaches joining the fun.
McClung was the best of the players with a 247 game. Sandy Grumblatt, co-owner of Dunedin Lanes, rolled the night's high series (629).
Dick Crippen, the Devil Rays' director of community affairs, took a tumble on the lanes, then joked: "The last time I bowled, they had wooden lanes and rubber balls."
ABC UPDATE: Clearwater's Top of the Line Pool Service heads the Regular Division team all-events competition, but it fell to third in the standings.
Fox Bowl No. 1 of Glenn Ellyn, Ill., dropped Top of the Line with its 3,206, three pins ahead of the Clearwater squad.
Tampa's Don Yoshihara remains second in all-events behind Winter Haven's John Janawicz and third behind Janawicz in singles.
The tournament ends June 28.
GAMES UNDER WAY: More than 160 competitors and 14 teams from the Tampa Bay area are in the 25th Sunshine State Games in Tallahassee.
Competition is in 23 sports, and there are more than 7,000 amateur athletes. Bowling drew seven entrants, none from Pinellas County. AROUND THE LANES: High scorers - James Croy, 300-765, Greg Ickes, 300-770, Kevin Krauss, 300-735, Mike Waddell, 300, Phil Kroll, 300, Chris Springstead, 299-708, and Herman Jones, 299-770, at Seminole; and Chris Holly, 299-741, Dunedin. ... Pinellas County High School League officers meet at 4:30 p.m. July 8 at Twedt's Lanes. Coaches and interested parties are urged to attend. ... Dunedin Lanes offers a 100-and-over doubles tournament July 17 with a $40 per duo entry fee and $310 to the winner, based on 36 teams. ... Results are being tabulated for the Champion of Champions team tourney Sunday at Sunrise.
- Phil Gulick can be reached at xerxes8@msn.com