NewsSiblings honored as All-Stars Among Us
Brother, sister to represent Yankees at All-Star GameBy Tom Singer / MLB.com
06/29/09 5:14 PM ET
After thousands of nominees from across the United States and Canada were narrowed to 90 finalists, Major League Baseball and PEOPLE have announced the 30 winners of the "All-Stars Among Us" campaign, which spotlights people who have gone above and beyond to serve their communities.The New York Yankees' "All-Star" is the brother-sister tandem of Michael and Christina Pesci of Parsippany, N.Y., who were chosen by fans across the nation for their wide-ranging activist endeavors.
Christina is president of Bridging the Generation Gap, an outreach organization which promotes friendship between young people and seniors. Michael is the founder of Perfect Pitch, a nonprofit which has raised $175,000 for mentally and physically handicapped children and young adults.
Christina and Michael, along with the other winners, will be honored during the pregame ceremony at the 2009 MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis on July 14 on FOX, at which President Barack Obama will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. One club representative also will be featured in People Magazine.
Nearly three-quarters of a million votes were cast by fans across the nation in the All-Stars Among Us campaign to select the 30 "All-Stars Among Us" winners -- one per Major League team -- out of the pool of 90 finalists who are serving as leaders within their communities.
The other finalists for the Yankees were:
Farley Boyle of Little Silver, N.J., who founded CHASE for Life after her daughter Chase nearly drowned. The organization provides free infant and child CPR and has provided hands-on training to more than 4,000 people.
Tzirl Goldman of Brooklyn, N.Y., who started a program called the Friendship Circle, which pairs teens with special-needs children for fun and friendship. She's also run eight fund-raising concerts to help fund the program.
Meanwhile, vote for your favorite players with the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot at MLB.com and all 30 club sites.
The 80th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage.
Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
