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Community Corner

Local High School All-Stars Set to Play at Busch Stadium on June 8

Before the Cardinals took on the Giants this past Sunday, representatives of Delta Dental of Missouri and the St. Louis Cardinals organization took the field during the pregame ceremony to announce the 2014 roster for the Delta Dental High School All-Star Baseball Game. Each of the 32 players named are graduating seniors from public high schools throughout St. Louis City and St. Louis County. This all-star lineup is set to play at Busch Stadium on Sunday, June 8. Gate 3 opens to the public at 10:30 a.m., followed by a pre-game Homerun Derby at 11 a.m. and the first pitch at noon. The game is free and open to the public.

 

Each of the chosen athletes was pre-selected by their school’s coaching staff and assigned to one of the two all-star teams. The "All-Star Blue Team” will be coached by former Cardinals third baseman Scott Cooper, a St. Louis native who played high school baseball for the Pattonville Pirates, spent seven seasons in the major leagues and was a member of the American League All-Star team in both 1993 and 1994. The “All-Star Green Team” will be coached by former Cardinals outfielder Kerry Robinson, who is also a St. Louis native. Robinson was a three-sport athlete for the Hazelwood Spartans and went on to play for the Tampa Bay Rays and was a Cardinal from 2001 to 2003, appearing in the post-season in 2001 and 2002 (See the attached for a complete listing of selected players and team allocations).

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“We are excited to set the stage for the area’s elite ballplayers to showcase their talents,” commented David Haynes, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Missouri. “But, the mission behind the game is so much more. Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. According to the Surgeon General, teenagers who smoke are three times more likely to use alcohol, eight times more likely to smoke marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine. And, chewing tobacco comes with its own alarming statistics. We cannot end the tobacco epidemic without focusing our efforts on young people. We are looking to raise awareness and help create a tobacco-free generation of healthy kids.”

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Haynes added, “Delta Dental is hosting the All-Star Game in conjunction with its Tobacco-Free Nation campaign. All players will be helping to promote the importance of making smart decisions on and off the field by signing a tobacco-free pledge and advocating for no-smoking and no-chewing lifestyle choices.”

 

As part of the Tobacco-Free Nation campaign, Delta Dental will also be raising funds to help support select children’s charities through specially priced St. Louis Cardinals tickets. Those interested can log on to www.cardinals.com/deltadental to purchase $13 loge-level tickets for the games on June 2, July 22 and/or Aug. 18, and be entered into a drawing to win an autographed Adam Wainwright jersey.  Delta Dental will also hold in-stadium raffles at the June 3 and June 16 games for a chance to win an autographed Adam Wainwright jersey at each game. 

 

To learn more about the Delta Dental High School All-Star Baseball Game, the Tobacco-Free Nation project, specially priced St. Louis Cardinals tickets and the supported children’s charities, visit www.tobaccofreenation.org. To learn more about Delta Dental of Missouri, find them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter @deltadentalmo or join the conversation at #TobaccoFreeNation.

 

Delta Dental is the dental benefits leader in Missouri and the U.S. Ninety-six percent of Missouri dentists participate in a Delta Dental network and 4 out of 5 dentists participate nationally. Delta Dental of Missouri serves more than 1.5 million members in over 1,800 companies, large and small. Nationally, nearly 1 in 3 families with dental benefits choose Delta Dental - 56 million members from nearly 96,000 companies. Delta Dental is also committed to improving the oral health and overall health of the children in our community and therefore proudly supports the Delta Dental Health Theatre, Give Kids A Smile and Delta Dental’s Land of Smiles educational touring theater program.

 

Cardinals Care was established to give fans a way of teaming up with Cardinals players and the organization to help children in our community – both on and off the baseball field. Since it was established in 1997, Cardinals Care has distributed nearly $20 million to support St. Louis area non-profit youth organizations and built 21 youth ball fields in local disadvantaged neighborhoods. 2014 marks the 11th year of Cardinals Care’s innovative Redbird Rookies program, a free baseball league for kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play. In addition to providing all the uniforms, gloves, bats, balls and other equipment needed for each team, Redbird Rookies also provides extensive off-field support in the areas of health, education, mentoring and the cultural arts for each of the nearly 4,500 kids who participate in the program each year.




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