The Knuckle Ball

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Common Questions

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The Knuckle Ball

April 28th - Minute Maid Park - 6:36PM

The 3rd Annual Knuckle Ball...A Pitch for Life took place on April 28th and featured athletes from all over the country, coming together to pay tribute to Joe Niekro and The Joe Niekro Foundation.

Chairperson: Natalie Niekro
Master of Ceremonies: Phil Niekro – Hall of Fame

Emcee: Jon Warden

Joe Niekro Humanitarian of the Year Award Recipient: Mr. J. Kent Friedman

Special Guest Appearances by Country Music Stars: Chuck Wicks, Trailer Choir and Keith Anderson

On April 28th 2012, athletes from all over the country came together at Minute Maid Park, in association with The Joe Niekro Foundation, to honor the beloved 13-year Houston Astros All-Star, Joe Niekro, at the 3rd Annual Knuckle Ball…A Pitch for Life. Major League baseball player Jim Bouton once said, “Me watching Niekro pitch was like a young artist inspecting his first Picasso.”

Since Joe Niekro’s tragic and sudden death as a result of a brain aneurysm, his daughter, Natalie, established The Joe Niekro Foundation, committed to the funding of aneurysm research and treatment.

Because of her father’s love for the Houston Astros and the city of Houston, it is only fitting that The Knuckle Ball be held in the city that gave the Niekro family their greatest memories. The Knuckle Ball events have raised over $700,000 toward aneurysm research, with increased goals for the years to come.

Thank you for joining us for this unforgettable black-tie evening which feateured a festive reception, silent auction, formal dinner, LIVE auction and the opportunity to mingle with some of baseball’s greatest legends. Master of Ceremonies for the evening was Joe’s brother and Hall of Famer, Phil Niekro who honored Joe Niekro, his baseball years and charitable work, all while raising funds to support brain aneurysm research and treatment. Plus this year's event included a special country music concert on the eve of Knuckle Ball. FIRST PITCH FRIDAY featured country music superstars Chuck Wicks, Keith Anderson and Trailer Choir. Many of you may have seen Trailer Choir lead singer, Vinny as he competed in the most recent NBC hit show The Biggest Loser, finishing in the top 5 and losing 285 pounds! Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar housed this country music extravaganza with all proceeds benefitting The Joe Niekro Foundation and brain aneurysm awareness. Check out the photos from the show here.

As many as one in fifteen Americans will develop a cerebral aneurysm; 10-15% of these individuals will die before reaching the hospital and over 50% will die within the first thirty days after rupture. Of those who survive, over half suffer permanent neurological deficit. Thank you for supporting our efforts to raise the awareness of this devastating condition and advance seminal research, while celebrating the life of Joe Niekro, a truly remarkable citizen, pitcher and Astros player.

Stay tuned as the 4th Annual Knuckle Ball date will be announced shortly and a very special thank you to our 2012 Knuckle Ball partners listed below.

Sincerely,

Natalie Niekro
Founder
The Joe Niekro Foundation

The MLB Honorary Host Committee
NFL Honorary Host Committee
NBA Honorary Host Committee
Honorary Medical Committee
Host Committee

MLB Honorary Host Committee

Carlos Alfonso
Bob Aspromonte

Ken Aspromonte

Kevin Bass
Dave Bergman

Craig Biggio

Bret Boone

Byron Brown

Bill Buckner

Enos Cabell
Bert Campaneris
Bill Dawley
Jeff DeWillis
Larry Dierker
Jim Foor

George Foster

Phil Garner
Darryl Hamilton
Ed Herrmann
Art Howe

Mike Huff
Monte Irvin

Feguson Jenkins

Tommy John

Jay Johnstone
Deacon Jones

Dave Kingman

Bob Knepper

Frank LaCorte

Mickey Lolich

John McLaren

John Mayberry

Roger Metzger

Omar Moreno

Lance Niekro
Phil Niekro

Gaylord Perry
Terry Puhl
Craig Reynolds
JR Richard

Ron Robinson

Nolan Ryan

Joe Sambito

Mike Scott

Duke Sims
Billy Smith
Lee Smith
Ozzie Smith
Tal Smith
Dave Stewart

Daron Sutton

Don Sutton
Bobby Tolan

Bill Virdon

Jon Warden

Carl Warwick

Glenn Wilson

Willie Wilson

Jimmy Wynn

NFL Honorary Host Committee

Mike Barber

Gregg Bingham
Dave Casper

Doug Dawson

Ted Hendricks
Robert Hubble

Syd Justin

Derek Kennard

Greg Koch

Lynn Larson
Dan Pastorini
Art Still

Spencer Tillman

Vernon Wells, Jr.

NBA Honorary Host Committee

John Egan

Elvin Hayes

Aaron James
Kevin Loder

Ricky Pierce

Robert Reid

Isaac Stallworth

Honorary Medical Advisory Committee

Gavin Britz, MPH

Robert D. Brown, Jr., M.D., MPH

Orlando Diaz, M.D.

Robert G. Grossman, M.D.

Hani Haykal, M.D.
Richard Klucznik, M.D.

Michael Ulrich, M.D.

Italio Linfante, M.D.

Kristin Mascotti, M.D.

Peter Nakaji, M.D.

Nedaa, Skeik, M.D.

Ronald E. Woosley, M.D.

Jonathan Zhang, M.D.

JNF Host Committee

Natalie Niekro - President

Kari Ulrich - Vice President

Dave Bergman - Treasurer

Janie Schaeffer, CPA - Secretary

George T. Baylor

Enos Cabell

Jess Fields

Daniel C. Glazer

Lance J. Niekro

Barbara Nivala

Frances Saplis

Lawrence A. Simon, CPA

Gary Simms

Dolores Stargell

Luke Woosley

HCA Gulf Coast Houston

Kingwood Medical Center

THE KNUCKLER - $25,036 – 10 Seat Table

Eight (8) guest seats at a premier reserved table at The Knuckle Ball
The athlete of your choice and their guest at your table (honored in order requested)
Eight (8) passes granting access to the VIP Knuckle Ball Reception
Four (4) autographed baseballs and four (4) autographed baseball bats signed by Knuckle Ball attending athletes
Company name/logo recognition on all television advertisements
Your company name recognition in the invitation
Your company logo on the back cover of the evening’s souvenir program
Your company name and/or logo displayed on the scoreboard in center field throughout the evening
Sponsorship recognition with link on this website, www.joeniekrofoundation.org
Name recognition on the Houston Astros website, www.astros.com
A full page advertisement in the event program
Sponsorship mention the evening of the event
Eight (8) VIP tickets to the First Pitch Friday country music concert on April 27th at Dan Electro's Guitar Bar, featuring Chuck Wicks, Trailer Choir and Keith Anderson

THE KNUCKLER SUPPORTED BY:

THE NO-HITTER - $15,036 – 10 Seat Table

Eight (8) guest seats at a premier reserved table at The Knuckle Ball
The athlete of your choice and their guest at your table (honored in order requested)
Four (4) passes to the VIP Knuckle Ball Reception
Two (2) autographed baseballs and two (2) autographed baseball bats signed by Knuckle Ball attending athletes
Your company name recognition in the invitation
Your company logo on the back cover of the evening’s souvenir program
Your company name and/or logo on the scoreboard in center field throughout the evening
Sponsorship recognition with link on this website, www.joeniekrofoundation.org
Name recognition on the Houston Astros website, www.astros.com
A 1/2 page advertisement in the event program
Sponsorship mention the evening of the event
Four (4) VIP tickets to the First Pitch Friday country music concert on April 27th at Dan Electro's Guitar Bar, featuring Chuck Wicks, Trailer Choir and Keith Anderson

THE NO-HITTER SUPPORTED BY:

ePlus Technology, Inc.

NWN Corporation

SHI

WWT, Inc.

THE SHUT-OUT - $10,036 – 10 Seat Table

Eight (8) guest seats at a reserved table at The Knuckle Ball
An athlete and their guest at your table
Two (2) passes to the VIP Knuckle Ball Reception
One (1) autographed baseball or one (1) autographed baseball bat signed by Knuckle Ball attending athletes
Your company name recognition in the invitation
Your company logo on the back cover of the evening’s souvenir program
Your company name and/or logo on the scoreboard throughout the evening
Sponsorship recognition with link on this website, www.joeniekrofoundation.org
Name recognition on the Houston Astros website, www.astros.com
1/4 page advertisement in the event program
Sponsorship mention the evening of the event
Two (2) VIP tickets to the First Pitch Friday country music concert on April 27th at Dan Electro's Guitar Bar, featuring Chuck Wicks, Trailer Choir and Keith Anderson

THE SHUT-OUT SUPPORTED BY:

Computex, Inc.

Ms. Barbara Mackey

Natalie Niekro and Luke Woosley

THE FAST BALL - $5,036 – 10 Seat Table

Eight (8) guest seats at a reserved table at The Knuckle Ball
An athlete and their guest at your table
Your company name and/or logo displayed on the scoreboard in center field throughout the evening
Sponsorship recognition with link on this website, www.joeniekrofoundation.org
Your company name recognition in the invitation
Your company logo on the back cover of the evening’s souvenir program
Sponsorship mention the evening of the event

THE FAST BALL SUPPORTED BY:

Budweiser - Anheuser Busch

Mr. Ty Buthod

Doeren Mayhew

ExxonMobil Chemical

Friedman Foundation - Ann and J. Kent Friedman

Harris County - Houston Sports Authority

Haynes and Boone, LLP

HCA Gulf Coast Division