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Health & Fitness

Orioles Legend and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson to Throw Ceremonial First Pitch at President's Cup Championship Game

Council President Young said he could hardly contain his excitement when he learned that Mr. Robinson would be attending the championship game.

Two Baltimore high schools will compete on Saturday for the title of best in baseball as the champion of the 2nd annual President’s Cup tournament is crowned at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The game will start at 1 p.m., when the Gilman School faces Mount Saint Joseph High School. Admission and parking are free. Fans and media are encouraged to park in Lot A and enter the ballpark through the Home Plate Plaza entrance.

Mr. Frank Robinson, a Hall of Fame baseball player and two-time World Series champion with the Baltimore Orioles, will meet with public and private high school baseball players who participated in The President’s Cup prior to the start of Saturday’s game. He will also throw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch.

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Mr. Robinson, who currently serves as senior advisor to Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. “Bud” Selig, said he was excited to return to Baltimore to help promote positive youth activities through City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young’s President’s Cup tournament.

“I love going back to the City of Baltimore where I spent many wonderful years as a player, manager, executive and World Series Champion,” said Robinson. “I am very proud to be representing Major League Baseball at the President's Cup, which is a fine example of inclusion and opportunity, two principles very important to Commissioner Selig and myself. This speaks to the city’s joy for the game, and I am truly looking forward to attending the championship game.”

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Council President Young said he could hardly contain his excitement when he learned that Mr. Robinson would be attending the championship game.

“Having a national icon like Mr. Robinson at the championship game speaks to the commitment of Commissioner Selig and Major League Baseball to Baltimore’s youth,” Council President Young said. “Meeting Mr. Robinson will be something these players will never forget, and I think they’ll each pull something tangible from the experience that will serve them well into adulthood.”

The President’s Cup aims to unite Baltimore’s youth by using baseball to bring together groups of high school students from different backgrounds that normally would not compete with one another. Tournament play kicked off Saturday, March 31, 2012, when 16 schools – nine public and seven private – competed in the 2nd Annual President’s Cup. The President’s Cup also represents an exciting new addition to the Council President’s ongoing P.L.A.Y. (Productive Lives, Active Youth) campaign. P.L.A.Y. provides Baltimore’s youth with a wide range of opportunities to strengthen their self-confidence, develop leadership skills, learn from positive role models, and be rewarded athletically for their academic achievements. P.L.A.Y. encourages them to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

New to this year’s event is Growing the Game, a major financial campaign to help provide Baltimore City youth with an opportunity to play on safe, well-maintained baseball fields. Already the campaign has raised more than $166,000, thanks in large part to a matching gift of $83,000 from Orioles’ Principal Owner and Managing Partner Peter Angelos.

All proceeds from this campaign will be used to help renovate and maintain city ball fields and to ensure that children have a safe place to play in their own neighborhoods. Council President Young is encouraging Baltimore residents and businesses to support Growing the Game by visiting baltimorepresidentscup.com/growing and contributing to the fund.

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