HUB’S GOOD SPORTS REACH OUT
Talk about your sportsmanlike conduct: Our city has been teeming with local athletes who’ve been getting active in the community over the past few days. So we’re giving you a play-byplay of some big names in Boston sports, past and present, who’ve been making the charitable rounds.
The Pan-Mass Challenge got its 39th ride rolling this weekend, and among the pack of participants taking to their bikes was Patriots legend Troy Brown. The former NFL star may have three Super Bowl titles to his name, but this was his first time pedaling with PMC. Brown started his inaugural ride off on the right foot, joining Billy Starr, founder of the Pan-Mass Challenge, during the opening ceremonies in Sturbridge on Friday. The pair put the 6,300 cyclists in proper spirits before they began their wheeled journey across the state, with the goal of raising $52 million for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
It was all fun and fitness games for Red Sox left fielder Steve Pearce as he helped out with New Balance’s Fitness Challenge at Harvard’s Cumnock Fields on Friday amid his home-run-filled stretch vs. the Yankees. Along with fellow Team NB athletes Scotty Rodgers and Liz Costello, the baseball player captained the complimentary event that had local kids aged 6 through 13 work up a sweat through outdoor activities. The group snuck in cardio, strength and flexibility exercises as they engaged in some good, oldfashioned activities like relay races and dodgeball.
Speaking of Red Sox, Brock Holt recently made a special stop at Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic. The player, who also serves as a Jimmy Fund captain, paid a visit to the pediatric patients and their families, played games, signed autographs and worked to get the word out about the 17th annual WEEI-NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon that’s taking place on Aug. 21 and 22 at Fenway Park.
The Revolution had a ball as it hosted its fourth annual Bowl for a Goal event at Splitsville Luxury Lanes in Patriot Place. The soccer team, which raised $75,000 for Special Olympics Massachusetts through the pin-packed party, hit the lanes with their coaches, Special Olympics athletes and fans. But the real entertainment for the evening came when the Revs rocked out to a little karaoke. We’re told that defender Andrew Farrell belted out Britney Spears’ “… Baby One More Time,” goalkeeper Matt Turner wowed the crowd by singing ’N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye,” while forward Teal Bunbury and club ambassador Charlie Davies gave a groovy rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.”