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If you would like information about making a donation to the Fund - donations@mickeylionefund.org

The seventh annual Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine and Food Experience was held on January 12, 2009, including a roster of sports stars from New York teams.

Valentine, former manager of the New York Mets and a Stamford native, hosted the benefit at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich for the Mickey Lione Jr. Fund, named for the late Mickey Lione, a well-liked coach and Valentine's longtime friend. The fund awards scholarships to high school students and supports youth sports in Stamford.

More than 800 guests attended the event, including former Mets Steve Trachsel, Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Ojeda, who played for the 1986 world champion team.

"This is more like a homecoming event, being from Stamford," Valentine said. "It's about a community that cares so much and keeps coming back to make the Mickey Lione Fund everything it can be."

Valentine, now manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Pacific League, returned to Stamford about three weeks ago. He will begin his third and final season with the Chiba Lotte Marines in a few months.

Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman, Bobby Valentine, former Brooklyn Dodger Ralph Branca and actor Charles Grodin are among a group posing for a photo Monday during the seventh annual Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine and Food Experience at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich.

Dan Grimaldi, who played identical twins Patsy and Philly Parisi in "The Sopranos" (left), talks to scholarship winners Andrew Massi (center) of Westhill High School, Dan White (right) of Stamford High School and Brian O’Neill of Trinity Catholic High School, during the event.

The 6th Annual Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine & Food Experience took place Monday, Jan 14 at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich. Over 900 people attended the event, which benefits the Mickey Lione Jr. Fund, which provides college scholarships to Stamford high school students and supports youth sports organizations in Stamford. Thousands of dollars were raised at the event. 
 
Valentine, the former major league baseball player and now current manager in Japan, hosted the event that featured a fabulous selection of wines and showcased Lower Fairfield County's finest restaurants.  
 

Prior to the main event a VIP reception was held, sponsored by Tradition Financial Services, Fuji Medical Film USA, Resource Management Group, Lee Hecht Harrison and Burke & Associates.

We wish to thank all the great restaurants and wineries listed below that donated their food and wine to the event.

The 5th Annual Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine & Food Experience was held January 15th at the Greenwich Hyatt. Nearly 900 people attended the event, which raised thousands of dollars for the Mickey Lione Jr. Fund.

Highlights of the evening included live auction item trips to Japan to spend time with Bobby V, Italy and Mexico, and the end-of-the-night raffle for the BMW Z-4 Roadster. There was also a wide selection of sports memorabilia and other great items available at the silent auction.

This year's event had one of the highest turnouts of sports and entertainment personalities, and local and state dignitaries, including:

Joseph Abboud - World Renowned Men's Clothier/Designer
Billy Baldwin - Veteran Actor in both Movies and Television
Jim Bouton - Former NY Yankees Pitching Great
Ralph Branca - Former Brooklyn Dodgers Pitching Great
Maria Conlon - Former UCONN Lady Huskies Basketball Star
Gerry Cooney - Former Heavyweight Boxing Contender
Ari Fleisher - Former White House Press Secretary
Nick Giaquinto - Former Washington Redskins Running Back
Mark Johnson - Former NY Mets 1st Baseman/OF
Sean Landeta - Former NFL All-Pro Punter / Member -1986 Super Bowl Giants
Tony Lip - The Soprano's - Role of "Carmine Lupertacci"
Dave Maloney - NY Rangers Radio Analyst/Fmr. NY Rangers Captain
Lee Mazzilli - Mets Studio Analyst - SportsNet NY - Fmr. MLB Veteran -Mets/Yankees
Don McPherson - Former NFL and Syracuse University QB
Omar Minaya - General Manager - New York Mets
Karl Nelson - Former NY Giants Offensive Lineman - Member 1986 Super Bowl Giants
Bob Ojeda - Former MLB Pitcher - Member NY Mets 1986 World Series Champs
Chaz Palmentieri - Award-Winning Actor
Frank Ramppen - Coach - Chiba Lotte Marines
Chris Russo - Co-Host - WFAN's Mike & the Mad Dog
Billy Sample - Host - MLB.com Internet Radio - Fmr. MLB 11-yr. Veteran
Travis Simms - WBA Super Welterweight Boxing Champion
Dana Tyler - News Anchor - WCBS - Channel 2 - 6pm and 11pm
Wesley Walker - Former NY Jets All-Pro Wide Receiver
Rita Williams - Former UCONN Lady Huskies Basketball Star
Jeff Wilpon - Senior EVP & Chief Operating Officer - NY Mets
Immaculee Ilibagiza - Rwanda genocide survivior and author of Left To Tell

Dignitaries:
Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy
Lieutenant Governor Mike Fedele
CT Attorney General Richard Blumenthal
Speaker of the House - State Rep. (Milford) Jim Amann
State Rep. (Stamford) Carlo Leone
Representative Christopher Shays
Bishop William Lori

Guests at the event were treated to the best wines, champagnes and liquors throughout the night, while dining on superb cuisine from the area's finest restaurants. The always popular seafood bar set up by the Cingari Family's Super Grade A Shop Rites and Grade A Markets was another big hit with party goers.

We would like to thank the restaurants and wineries listed below for their donations of their time, talent, and product to this year’s Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine and Food Experience.

Raffle Highlights – Our winner drove home a brand new 2006 BMW X-5. Second prize was a 60" Sony XBR LCD Flat Screen TV just in time for Super Bowl viewing.

Auction Highlights – This year’s live and silent auction will be an affair to remember! Sports memorabilia from your favorite players are always a staple of this event.

This years host of celebrities included - RALPH BRANCA – Brooklyn Dodgers Great, DONNA de VARONA – Olympic Swimming Gold Medalist/TV Sports, ROD GILBERT – NY Rangers Great – Hockey Hall of Famer, GAIL GOODRICH – LA Lakers Great – Basketball Hall of Famer, COLLEEN HEALY – Former UCONN Lady Huskies Basketball, MARK JOHNSON – Former NY Mets/Pittsburgh Pirates 1B/OF, ALAN KALTER – Announcer – The Late Show w/David Letterman, PHIL LINZ – Former NY Yankees Supersub, DANNEL MALLOY – Mayor – City of Stamford, LEE MAZZILLI – NY Yankees Bench Coach, SUE MERZ – Olympic Women’s Hockey Gold Medalist, KARL NELSON – 1986 Super Bowl NY Giants – Offensive Tackle, WOODY PAIGE – Sports Columnist – ESPN Contributing Reporter, ED RANDALL – Baseball Broadcaster – MLB Radio/WFAN Radio, FRANK RAMPPEN – Coach - Chiba Lotte Marines, BENNETT SALVATORE – Veteran NBA Official, MICKEY SHERMAN – Attorney, TV personality, TRAVIS SIMMS – WBA Super Welterweight Champion, RENALDO SNIPES – Former Heavyweight Boxing Contender, STEVE TRACHSEL – New York Mets Pitcher, WILLIE UPSHAW – SF Giants Coach/Former Toronto Blue Jays 1B, DOUG VAN HORN – Former 11-yr. Veteran NY Giants Offensive Lineman, CHICO VEJAR – Former Welterweight Professional Boxer, WESLEY WALKER – Former New York Jets All-Pro Wide Receiver, JIM AMANN – State Representative - Speaker of the House, and RICHARD BLUMENTHAL – CT Attorney General.

We would like to thank the restaurants and wineries listed below for their donations of their time, talent, and product to this year’s Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine and Food Experience.

Auction Highlights – This year’s live and silent auction was an affair to remember! 2005 Harley Fat Boy donated by Fritz’s Harley Davidson of Stamford - Sports memorabilia - Baseball fantasy trip to Japan – FRONT ROW Yankee Tickets – Yankee baseball package – and more!

Raffle Highlights – Our winner drove home a brand new 2005 BMW X-5. Second prize was a 60” Sony Flat Screen TV!

Bobby was joined by a host of celebrities - NY Giant Tiki Barber, Michael Bolton, Charles Grodin, U.S. Women's Soccer Team Gold Medal Winner Kristine Lilly, NBA Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich, former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca, NY Mets general manager Omar Minaya, Armen Keteyian of CBS Sports, Ed Randall, NY sportscaster, YES broadcaster Michael Kay, Dana Tyler of WCBS-TV, former MLB player Willie Upshaw, and more…Travis Simms, Tony Lip from the Sopranos, US Olympic Gold Medal Hockey Team member Sue Merz., former NFL player Bruce Harper, Karl Ravech, WFAN's Chris Russo, former NY Met Art Shamsky and Baltimore Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli. Also seen at the Westin were former boxing great Gerry Cooney, Greg Buttle, Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling, Billy Sample, CBS Sports commentator and former NY Giant Phil Simms, John Starks, Gus Williams, NY Islanders' Coach Steve Stirling, Jeff Wilpon, heavyweight great Renaldo Snipes, former middleweight champion Vito Antofuermo, and Hall of Famer Andy Robustellli. Dignitaries attending were CT Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Bishop Lori, Cathy Malloy, and House Speaker James Amann.

Pari Kreutter of Saks Fifth Avenue, Stamford joined Bobby Valentine and Jerry Lione as co-hosts of this year's event.Pari served as Honorary Chairwoman.

The famous FLAIR Bartenders put on a show worthy of their Las Vegas roots. 3 CLASSIC TOP bartenders from Las Vegas, members of the United States Bar Tenders Guild, "Red Jackets", winners of many National and International bar tending contests, prepared, with” FLAIR”, a series of Pisco Cocktails.

Pisco Barsol and Pisco Mendiola, sponsors of the cocktail event, are two of the oldest of the Pisco brandies made since the 1500's. They are produced by one of the oldest makers of Pisco Brandy in the Americas, Bodega San Isidro.

If you want more information about this or future events:

tickets@mickeylionefund.org

We would like to thank the restaurants and wineries listed below for their donations of their time, talent, and product to this year’s Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine and Food Event. Click on the links provided to learn more about these fine establishments.

The Mickey Lione Fund would like to thank the sponsors of this event.

The 2nd Annual Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine and Food Experience

The 2nd Annual Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine and Food Experience took place on January 19th, at the Stamford Marriott. Following a well attended celebrity event earlier in the day, hundreds of supporters bundled up against the cold entered the grand ballroom Monday night, enjoying the chance to sample a fabulous selection of wines and food from Fairfield County's finest restaurants and wineries. As the evening progressed, the crowd grew larger, bidding on sports memorabilia , mingling with celebrities from the world of sports, entertainment and fine dining, and enjoying the sounds of the Chris Coogan Quintet. The event was this year’s premier fundraising event for the Mickey Lione Fund.

One of the highlights of the night was the live auction, led by MLF’s own Bobby Valentine.  The bidding was spirited on such items as a travel package to Japan to see the NY Yankees open their season against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays including the chance to see Bobby Valentine's Lotte Marines open their Japanese baseball season. Also auctioned was a stay in Rome at a luxury villa and  once in a lifetime trip to Napa Valley with tours of Opus One, and Mondavi Vineyards along with a barrel of 2001 signed by the three generations of Mondavi's - Robert, Michael and Rob!

Bidding was swift at the silent auction with a selection of over 50 sports memorabilia items; autographed photos, balls and jerseys from many of New York's favorite sports teams, as well as great tickets to sports events, dinners, and designer clothes.

This year's raffle featured a BMW 525i, Harley Davidson Fat Boy and a vacation package for two to LaRomana in the tropical Dominican Republic.

 Among the many celebrities who attended the event from the sports world are baseball's Ralph Branca - former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher,  NY Mets pitcher Steve Trachsel, and former NY Met Keith Hernandez.  Boxing champions Travis Simms and Renaldo Snipes and NBA Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich also plan to attended as well as Greg Buttle -former NY Jets, former NY Rangers goalie Gilles Villemure, former running back Steve Thurlow, and NFL Hall of Famer and former NY Giant Andy Robustelli..

Actors Kevin Dobson and Charles Grodin were on board along with broadcast celebrities Chris Berman and Karl Ravech of ESPN, Dana Tyler from WCBS News,  and radio personalities Ed Randall and Chris Russo of WFAN.  Author Roger Kahn also lent his support.

If you are a wine aficionado, this was your night to speak with Mary Gallo of the Gallo Wineries, Leonardo Lo Cascio, President & CEO of Winebow, and Jim Allen of Sequoia Grove Winery.

Fashion designer Joseph Abboud, who attended last year, joined us again as well as Stamford’s Mayor Dannel Malloy and Bishop William Lori..

The night was a huge success, and we would like to thank each and every one of you who made this possible. 

The First Annual Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine & Food Experience

The First Annual Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine & Food Experience took place last year at the Stamford Marriott.

Guests mingled with many sports celebrities like former heavyweight champion Gerry Cooney, Yankees coach Lee Mazzilli, Mets pitcher Al Leiter, and artist Leroy Neiman while sampling gourmet food and wine from the area's best restaurants and wine shops.

The event was a success as evidenced by the smiles on the faces of over six hundred attendees and the over $300,000 that was raised for the scholarship fund.

Bobby Valentine Summer Classic Golf Tournament

The Bobby V Summer Classic was held on a beautiful July day at the Country Club of Darien. The tournament, organized by former New York Mets Manager, Bobby Valentine, benefits the Mickey Lione, Jr Fund for Youth Excellence. The Mickey Lione Jr. Fund has become one of the Stamford, CT community's largest scholarship providers.

This year's event found many celebrity golfers including ex-Dodger Ralph Branca, ex-Mets Mark Johnson and Joe Pignatano, ESPN's Karl Ravech, WFAN and YES sportscaster Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, NBA referee Bennett Salvatore and New York Knicks assistant coach Herb Williams out enjoying a day of golf while supporting a good cause.

Donations

If you would like information about making a donation to the Fund - donations@mickeylionefund.org

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