Baseball's Thanksgiving Menu

by Kelly Huffman and Chris Hansen

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble! That's the sound a turkey makes and plan of attack for most at the holiday dinner table. Thanksgiving is a time to eat too much, watch parades and football games, and of course, visit Fastball.com! For this edition of Off the Field, we wanted to give you and idea of how baseball teams, players and former players spend their holiday. Just like everyone else, they go home to see family and eat more than they should, but some contribute to charities to help others have a happy holiday. Here's a list of what those in baseball have done for past Thanksgivings as well as what they are planning for this year's holiday.

An Award-Winning Did you know ... Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tom Glavine devotes his time to many charities including the Georgia Council on Child Abuse, the Canine Assistants of Georgia, the Georgia Transplant Foundation, and the Braves' Reach Out, Be Our Guest program... AL Manager of the Year, Larry Dierker, and The Houston Astros teamed up with Houston-area high schools to provide early exposure for journalism students interested in sports media careers. More than 100 students and teachers representing 37 schools attended the press conference in 1997...When he was little, AL Rookie of the Year Ben Grieve's big-league idol was Dave Winfield. He also admires Ken Griffey, Jr....AL Cy Young Award Winner Roger Clemens and his wife, have four boys: Koby Aaron (12), Kory Allen (10), Kacy Austin (4), and Kody Alec (2). The K's in their names stand for strikeouts (their Daddy's business). Kacy had the last two letters (cy) for Cy Young added to his name.

Rangers second baseman Mark McLemore and his wife Capri distributed Thanksgiving dinner to 225 families at the Ripley Arnold, Cavile, Fair Park and Butler Apartments in Fort Worth on Monday, November 23. McLemore also provided tickets and school supplies to those families at the Ripley Arnold Apartments this past season. A number of Rangers players and other personnel will visit Children's Medical Center, Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas and Cook's Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth on Wednesday, December 9.

In Kansas City, the Royals help Harvesters-The Community Food Network to feed the hungry. Last June 28 at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals Wives' Food Drive collected more than 5000 pounds of food and more than 3000 dollars in cash for Harvesters. The ball club also teamed up with Harvesters and area Price Chopper supermarkets for the Royals Turkey Feast, where Royals players delivered Thanksgiving meals to area families in need.

The Yankees' players make sure to see their families for the holidays. Outfielder Bernie Williams always returns to Puerto Rico in the middle of November for a big holiday celebration that lasts through the January. Joe Girardi's spends his holiday with his wife Kim and his in-laws in Chicago. While they serve traditional items like ham and turkey, the Girardis' table also is filled with lots of pasta dishes and including tortellini soup. Darryl Strawberry has a big family gathering at his home in Rancho Mirage, California with the family. Just like the rest of us, he lays down on the couch after dinner and he is done for the day.

The Chicago White Sox, together with the Frank Thomas Charitable Foundation, The Sports Authority and StreetWise are hosting the "Helping the Homeless Clothing Drive." November 5 through November 29.

Last Thanksgiving, David Justice bought 300 turkeys from the Cleveland Indians corporate partner, Stop-n-Shop Supermarkets, and delivered the turkeys to four area churches that were serving holiday meals to families in the Northeast Ohio region.

The Dodgers help provide a Thanksgiving Renaissance Fair at Dodger Stadium for youth organizations for a day of fun, games and prizes. Last year, children were introduced to the Shakespearean era through theatrical pieces.

Former major leaguer Lloyd McClendon delivered 50 turkeys to Jefferson Elementary School on Gary Indiana on Monday, November 23. The turkey giveaway, which McClendon has done for the past 10 years, is part of the effort by McClendon's Athletes Against Crime Foundation. When asked about his good deed, McClendon said "This has always been a special holiday for me, because I have always been thankful for how people in my life have supported and motivated me."