 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Major-leaguer, hometown hero
By CAREY FREEMAN © St. Petersburg Times, published December 18, 2000 CRYSTAL RIVER -- It's a simple story of hometown boy makes good. Only, in the case of Citrus County's Mike Hampton, there is a little more to the story. Hometown boy makes good -- both for himself and his community. On Saturday, Citrus County residents took a little time out of their holiday schedules to pay tribute to their favorite son, who just weeks ago signed one of the most lucrative deals in Major League Baseball history. Hampton, an All-Star left-hander who earned MVP honors in last year's National League Championship series, recently signed an eight-year, $123.8-million deal to play for the Colorado Rockies. At the same time, Hampton took time away from his hectic schedule to give back to the community where it all began, hosting the second-annual Mike Hampton Family Day Camp at Bicentennial Park, then finishing off a long day with the inaugural fundraising auction for the newly formed Mike Hampton Foundation. The event was held at St. Michael the Archangel Greek Orthodox Church in Lecanto. "This is our first event, and we're going to continue to make it bigger and better every year," Hampton said in a short address to the crowd at Saturday's charity dinner and auction. "I think we've gotten off to a great start. But next year, I think we'll do a barbecue. I see a lot of people in ties, and memories of Citrus County are not wearing ties all the time. So I think next year we're going to be out at Rock Crusher (Park) and have a barbecue. Hopefully, we'll have to shut down the county for three days." Given the turnout for both events, Hampton may be on to something. According to estimates, he was able to raise in excess of $30,000 for charities, including the primary beneficiary of Saturday's events, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Citrus County. More than 1,000 people turned out for the day camp in Crystal River, including more than 300 kids who turned out for the baseball clinic given by Hampton and former major-leaguers John Hudek, Sean Berry and Marty Malloy. From 10 a.m. until around 12:30 p.m., Hampton and his friends instructed the kids on the arts of hitting, catching, throwing and pitching. Hampton then signed more than 2,000 autographs, pausing to be in several pictures with fans, over the next two hours. In all, the Boys and Girls Clubs estimates it generated more than $10,000 from the event. "We had a very good crowd and we're very appreciative . . . especially of the weather," said Ann Pope, president of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Citrus County. "The camps were organized very well and everything went smoothly." People with all kinds of different motivations showed up for the autograph session, including kids who wanted to get a close-up look at a major-leaguer, Mike Hampton fans and teammates from high school. "I've known Mike all my life," said Will Wilson, who played football with Hampton in high school and brought his son Austin to the event. "Actually, I think his success has changed him for the better. . . . He loves kids, and that's what this is all about." The theme was the same at Saturday's dinner and charity auction, where local businessmen and women, local politicians and lifelong friends of Hampton's showed up to pay tribute to their local hero and raise even more money for the Boys and Girls Clubs. Several items were put up for both silent and live auctions, including football helmets signed by University of Florida coach Steve Spurrier and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell; jerseys signed by Hampton, former New York Mets teammate Mike Piazza, Pete Rose and four-time Super Bowl winner Joe Montana; custom jewelry; and lunch with Hampton for one child and nine of his or her friends. The Montana jersey was sold for $3,250 -- the highest bid for any single item -- and two Hampton jerseys sold for $1,750 apiece. Rose's jersey went for $2,300. Though no official figures were available Saturday night, Mike Hampton Foundation Executive Director Tara Salute seemed overjoyed by the turnout and the fundraising effort. "Our goal was $20,000, and I have no doubt we met our goal," Salute said. "It was phenomenal. . . . (Mike) doesn't have to take his time out and come here, but he did, and I think that says a lot about Mike." That was the consensus among Hampton's longtime friends, former coaches and teammates that were in attendance Saturday night. Most were miffed by recent criticism of Hampton and his choice to play in Colorado by many in the national media. "It's really interesting to hear people's take on him that don't know him," said Dan Baldner, a high school teammate of Hampton's. "They say it's all about the money. But it's not with Mike. . . . He's very friendly and his success has never gone to his head. If anything, he shies away from it."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
Citrus Times |
