Former St. Louis Cardinal Rick Ankiel will be the guest speaker for the 6th Annual Steak and Burger Dinner hosted by the Boys and Girls Club of Poplar Bluff. The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Black River Coliseum.
Boys and Girls Club Director Chris Rushin said Ankiel, who retired from baseball in 2013 and now serves as an analyst on Fox Sports Midwest and who wrote the New York Times best seller "The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips, and the Pitch that Changed My Life," has a great story about never giving up that he hopes will resonate with the club's young members.
"Rick was a kid who came right out of high school and went straight to the majors," Rushin said. "Here's a guy who absolutely lost it, his control, on baseball's biggest stage. A lot of people will never forget where they were watching the game when he couldn't hit the catcher's mitt. But the guy was able to go back to the minors and ultimately reinvent himself.
"What an incredible story to share with our kids - if something gets you down like that, instead of just packing it in and giving up, he went down, worked his tail off, got back to the major leagues and was a very good outfielder for the Cardinals."
This year's event is sponsored by Southeast Health, Southern Bank, Butler County EMS and Luecke Distributing. All proceeds from the dinner directly benefit the children who attend the Boys and Girls Club of Poplar Bluff, which currently has more than 900 registered members.
"It's very critical we have a big night," Rushin said. "Right now, we have 49 kids on the waiting list at our middle school unit alone. That's 49 kids who, when 3 o'clock hits, have nowhere to go except home when there's nobody there and nothing to do when instead, they could be here in a positive environment every day."
Brock Littles, president of the Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors, said he is thrilled Ankiel agreed to speak at this year's event.
"He battled through a lot of adversity during his career and I have a lot of respect for the way he carried himself through it all," Littles said. "As a fan, it was difficult to watch unfold, just feeling bad for the guy. But, he gave up pitching and made himself into a quality major league hitter. It's a great story."
Previous guest speakers include Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny, former Cardinals player Jim Edmonds, pitcher Michael Wacha, and Broadcaster Mike Shannon.
The Steak and Burger Dinner features Boys and Girls Club members mingling with guests who arrive planning to eat a burger, and then auctioning off a steak to the highest bidder at their table. The event will also feature a live and silent auction.
Tickets can be purchased online at bgcpb.org, the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Black River Coliseum Box Office. For more information call 573-776-1690.