March 31, 2010

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Seminole Baseball team in conjunction with the Florida State University Department of Athletics and the ALS Association Florida Chapter is hosting ALS Awareness Night at the ball park on Wednesday, April 21 at 6:00 p.m., when FSU takes on Charleston Southern inside Dick Howser Stadium.

ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), or Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that affects motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, was first described in 1869 by the noted French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. Although the cause of ALS is not completely understood, the last decade has brought a wealth of new scientific understanding about the disease that provides hope for the future. At the present time there is no cause or cure for ALS.

Lou Gehrig first brought national and international attention to the disease in 1939 when he abruptly retired from baseball after being diagnosed with ALS. Most commonly, the disease strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, and as many as 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time.

Fans are encouraged to come and support the cause as proceeds from the event will go to supporting ALS research as well as the Florida Chapter ALS Association. Among many things surrounding the event, the game will feature a silent auction in which fans will be able to bid on a variety of items.

In honor of this special event, the Seminole players and coaches will wear special red jerseys for the game against the Buccaneers. Fans will then have a chance to bid on this authentic gear as the jerseys will be auctioned off for one week on Seminoles.com. The auction will begin Wednesday, April 21 at 3:00 p.m. and run through Wednesday, April 28 at 3:00 p.m.

Representatives from the ALS Association Florida Chapter will also be on hand to help raise awareness on April 21. For more information on ALS, please check out the Florida Association website at www.alsafl.org. For more information regarding the ALS Awareness Game at Dick Howser Stadium stay tuned to Seminoles.com

Silent Auction Items include:
* Autographed baseballs by Bryan Henry, Jimmy Marshall, Buster Posey, Jason Stidham and John Wasdin
* Autographed hat and bat by members of the Philadelphia Phillies - #26 Chase Utley, 2B; #8 Shane Victorino, OF; #19 Greg Dobbs, INF; #3 Ross Gload, OF; #37 Chad Durbin, RHP; #16 J.C. Romero, LHP; #23 Brian Schneider, C; #46 Ryan Madson, RHP
* Autographed hat by Buster Posey
* Gift basket provided by Peterbrooke Chocolatier
* Gift package provided by Hampton Inn & Suites (Thomasville Road & I-10)

The auction for all these items will close upon completion of the fourth inning. Winners will be announced in the sixth inning and winners must be present to accept the prize. All winning bids must be settled before the end of the event by cash or check.

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