Giving back to Bobby
Special Murcer memorial on River Ave.
A very special service to honor their hero Bobby Murcer was held Monday in the lot next to the bowling alley on River Avenue. It was conducted by Ray Negron, special adviser to George Steinbrenner, and attended by ex-Yankees Roy White and Chris Chambliss, dressed in Yankee uniforms, who delivered warm words. The service, which lasted approximately 30 minutes and was attended by an estimated 200 people of all ages, was held at the same time (noon EDT) as the Murcer family service in Oklahoma City. A shirt bearing Murcer’s No. 2 hung in the front for everyone to see. Murcer, who succumbed to brain cancer eight days ago, would sometimes venture into the neighborhood after games handing out baseballs and other goodies.
“This type of ceremony is as big as anything else that could be done for him,” said Negron, who was a Yankees batboy in the days when Murcer kept hope alive during those lean, pinstriped years. “Whenever Bobby went into the neighborhood, it was totally unexpected. It was like, ‘Here you go; here you go.’ ” The graffiti-filled Wall of Fame honoring Yankees greats on River Avenue will soon have a new member. “We’re having a ‘Murcer’ put right next to [Thurman] Munson,” Negron said. Negron will continue to raise funds for the DeWayne Murcer Foundation, which is Bobby’s charity, named after his brother, also a cancer victim.
No closing time at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Billy Wagner may never ever complain about a long day at the ballpark, an extra inning game or plane delays traveling to major league cities – not after what the Mets closer experienced at the White House this week after a special dinner with President Bush. Wagner received a special tour after dinner of the West Wing and the Oval Office, compliments of Josh Bolten, the President’s Chief of Staff and a close friend of Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. “Jeff sent Mr. Bolten a text message and told him I was coming,” Wagner said. “He was so nice to us. We didn’t finish the tour until almost 11 p.m., and he still had to go back and do a lot of work.”
So how was his meeting with the President? “When he saw me, he said ‘You’re still throwing the ball hard, Wags’ ” said the fireballing All-Star southpaw. “That made me feel great.”
LaDainian a fan in Darryl’s midst
Darryl Strawberry hosted an All-Star Game viewing party at Southern Hospitality on the Upper East Side, where he signed autographs for fans. There was one fan that stood out from the crowd – Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson, who ran to the eatery to join the festivities, feasting on ribs and fried chicken. LT chatted with Strawberry and posed for photos with fans. Tomlinson was overheard telling Strawberry that he is a huge fan, and even took career advice from the eight-time All-Star. . . . Ex-Yankee Phil Linz, who was fined by his manager, Yogi Berra, for playing “Mary Had A Little Lamb” on his harmonica on a bus in 1964 after Yogi asked him to stop, just bumped into Chris Seeger, the noted class-action lawyer. Seeger asked, “Do you still play the harmonica?” Linz laughed and replied, “Not when Yogi’s around.”
Kiki’s cousin an inspiration
Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe’s cousin, Haley Scott DeMaria, a former Notre Dame swimmer, has penned a new book, “What Though the Odds: Haley Scott’s Journey of Faith and Triumph,” which chronicles her triumph over tragedy after she was paralyzed in a 1992 bus crash that killed two of her teammates. Her spine shattered in the accident, Haley was told she’d never walk again. But Haley beat the odds, walking within two months of the crash. Less than two years later, she made her triumphant return to competitive swimming, winning her first race, just seconds off an Olympic qualifying time in the 50-yard freestyle. The book includes a foreword by former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz.
Bon Jovi eyes Philly freebie
Last week’s performance in Central Park may not be the last free concert of the year for Bon Jovi. On Feb. 29, Jon Bon Jovi, co-owner of the Arena Football League’s Philadelphia Soul, was asked on air by Nick McIlwain of Philadelphia’s WMMR if he would put together a free concert for WMMR listeners if the Soul won Arena Bowl XXI. “Deal,” Bon Jovi responded. Bon Jovi’s National Conference-champion Soul will meet the AFL’s defending-champion San Jose Sabercats for the league title next Sunday. . . . Not only did Henrik Lundqvist take in a Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band show this week in Stockholm, but before the concert, the Rangers goalie met his musical hero. “It was a great experience!” Henrik said.
Lee’s gift of Liberty
Knicks forward David Lee donated $5,000 and got corporate sponsors to kick in another $10,000 to purchase 1,000 tickets for last night’s Liberty-Fever outdoor WNBA game at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The tickets were bought for disadvantaged kids under the Garden of Dreams Foundation. . . . Knicks kids summer camp begins tomorrow in Pleasantville with guests this week including Allan Houston, Jay Williams and John Starks.
Kids’ new hear-os
Last Sunday, the Starkey Hearing Foundation in conjunction with MLB, gave state-of-the-art hearing aids to 120 kids, and a couple of parents of kids, from various Boys & Girls clubs in New York. Before the program at the InterContinental Hotel, Rollie Fingers and deaf Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin signed autographs for the kids. Rollie never had more than two or three kids on line for his autograph, and Matlin’s line extended out the room. She would sign – and sign language – with each kid. Fingers said he wasn’t upset by his B-list status. “She’s their hero,” he said. Fingers’ fellow Hall of Famers George Brett, Gaylord Perry and Robin Roberts and ex-Red Sox star Fred Lynn all joined the program, and stayed while the kids were having their hearing aids installed. In some cases, their voices were the first things these kids heard.