Cancer telethon has Selig 'speechless'

LOS ANGELES -- Major League Baseball helped actors, actresses and entertainers "Stand Up to Cancer" in a telethon that was simulcast on Friday night on CBS, NBC and ABC. The hour was so emotional it left Commissioner Bud Selig, well, somewhat speechless. "You guys know I'm not speechless very often," Selig said afterward. "But tonight was a very, very emotional night." Selig then stopped for several seconds to reflect. "You always hear and read about the negative, and I'm not just talking about baseball," Selig added. "You go through your tough moments and your moments of questioning things, but it's moments like this when you realize what you should do, what you can do and you're grateful that you had the opportunity to do it. That's what a night like this means to me. "It was the most memorable evening of my life." From a baseball standpoint, Selig was hugely supported by members of ownership and many of their spouses: Jamie McCourt of the Dodgers, Arte Moreno of the Angels, Jeff Moorad of the Diamondbacks, Lewis Wolff of the A's, Jerry Reinsdorf of the White Sox and Mark Attanasio of the Brewers. "The whole thing was fabulous," Reinsdorf said. "I thought Buddy did a great job." They were all sitting in the first three rows of Hollywood's Kodak Theater when Selig was introduced about 15 minutes into the simulcast by comedian Billy Crystal. Crystal said he was speaking as a former player, a reference to his recent Spring Training appearance for the New York Yankees. Crystal was signed to a one-day contract, struck out against the Pirates and was released the next day, on his 60th birthday. Selig, before asking the television audience to call a star-studded phone bank and donate money to the cause, said he would do everything he could to help extend Crystal's playing career. "We didn't rehearse that part of it," Selig said. "That was totally off the cuff. [Crystal] said later that he hoped he hadn't thrown me off. I said, 'Don't worry -- I've done this before.' He laughed and got a kick out of it. He loved it. I thought it came across great." MLB officially joined the new "Stand Up To Cancer" initiative created by some of the best and brightest producers in the television business on May 28 and has already provided an initial contribution of $10 million. All summer, public-service announcements have been played on the video boards of the 30 Major League ballparks, and fans attending games have been asked to "Stand Up To Cancer" by texting a $5 donation from their cell phones. Friday night's show, which was months in the planning, is not the end of it for MLB regarding the cause, either, said Selig, who is a survivor of a stage four skin cancer and still goes for head-to-toe checkups several times a year. "I've been talking to them," Selig said. "This is something we're going to stay involved with for years to come." Added Attanasio: "That doesn't surprise me. I know Bud is very passionate about this." "Stand Up To Cancer" is a program devised by the non-profit Entertainment Industry Foundation. It was established by media, entertainment and philanthropic leaders, who have borne the brunt of cancer in life-altering ways. The goal is to bring people, TV and the Internet together to generate uncommon awareness about the disease and various screening devices, which, if utilized early enough, can be life-saving. The show was produced by Laura Ziskin, a breast cancer survivor, and it opened with a shot of Lance Armstrong in front of a full house at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field. With the crowd standing, Armstrong asked every other person to sit down. That's how dramatically cancer will affect the overall community during the next year. There are 300 forms of the disease that are now categorized as cancer, and in its various forms, it kills more than a half-million Americans each year and more than 2 million people worldwide. It touches everyone, Moreno said, whether it's a friend, a relative or one's self. "My [real estate] partner, Billy Levine -- we've been together for many, many moons," Moreno said. "He lost his wife to brain cancer about five years ago. I have another of my very best friends -- Tony Brown, a former NFL player -- who was diagnosed with colon cancer two months ago. It's just wonderful how these [television] people have put this together. I was here for the kickoff, and it's just a very emotional thing." Moorad, the managing partner and chief executive of the D-backs, said he's proud that baseball is involved in the effort to get people tested early for breast, colon and prostate cancer, among others, and fund researchers to finally find a cure for all forms of cancer. "Whether it's the result of a personal experience or whether it's a commitment to ridding our society of cancer, these are the kinds of events that draw appropriate attention," Moorad said. "Hopefully, it'll add additional focus on finding a cure. I'm just thrilled to be part of MLB's efforts. And I'm proud of Commissioner Selig in that regard." For his part, Selig was ecstatic with the show, which mixed human interest and research pieces presented by the network anchors: Katie Couric of CBS, Charles Gibson of ABC and Brian Williams of NBC. Musical sessions were also spotted throughout the non-commercial 60 minutes of programming, with one of the highlights being an acoustic duet by James Taylor and Sheryl Crow of the old Taylor-written hit "Fire and Rain." "It's a privilege to do something like this -- I don't know how else to put it," said Selig, growing somewhat speechless again. "It's a real privilege. The evening was remarkable. And the cause is extraordinary. I'm glad that we jumped on this so early. It's one of the best things as far as baseball is concerned, and for me personally, that we've ever done."