Texas Rangers baseball players put on quite the show off the field. The 15th annual Park Place Dealerships – Texas Rangers Triple Play Game Show Spectacular, held recently at the Hilton Anatole Dallas, gave fans a chance to get up close and personal with their favorite players and coaches.
The annual event is the Foundation’s largest fundraiser, raising more than $610,000 for the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation this year. “Park Place Dealerships is proud to be part of this worthy endeavor,” said Jordan Case, president of Park Place Lexus. “The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation touches the lives of thousands of kids across our community, and that’s the real reason behind this fun evening.”
The “Big Top Bash” theme featured circus acts and carnival games such as the strongest man, ring toss, and a fire breather. The Triple Play event also featured live and silent auctions, giving fans opportunities to get unique sports and entertainment memorabilia or even secure a seat on the Rangers team plane to Seattle in August, or a trip on the owner’s private jet to Los Angeles to see the Rangers face the Dodgers.
The highlight of the evening was players going head to head in game show-style competitions. You’d think a championship series was on the line the way these guys battle each other in the fun games.
The fan favorite Fielders Feud pitted infielders Elvis Andrus, Adrian Beltre, Adam Rosales and Prince Fielder against outfielders Shin-Soo Choo, Leonys Martin, Carlos Peguero, and Mitch Moreland. The Outfielders were victorious this year.
The Rangers added Win Lose, or Draw to the lineup with hilarious interactions between Anthony Bass, Robinson Chirinos, Carlos Corporan, Ross Detwiler, Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, Nick Martinez, and Shawn Tolleson.
The entire Texas Rangers roster attends the event to chat with guests, sign autographs, and take pictures with fans. Each year, guests remark how much they enjoyed the personal interaction with players and coaches.
The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of children in need and provides funding for youth in crisis, youth health initiatives, youth baseball programs, and youth education. Celebrating its 24th year, the Foundation has given back more than $13 million to help area children.
Following are some of the organizations that benefited over the past year:
o Constructed a custom-designed ball field for the Southlake Miracle League for children with special needs.
o Provided equipment and uniforms for more than 3,000 kids to play baseball in the Rangers RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) programs in Dallas, Arlington, Lancaster, Austin, and Fort Worth McKinney Little League Baseball program.
o Keller Sports Park after vandals damaged the ball fields by driving vehicles across the park.
o Donated $10,000 to Celeste High School to help install lights on the baseball field.
o The Globe Life Texas Rangers Baseball and Softball grant program.
Ken Schnitzer founded Park Place Dealerships in 1987 with a single Mercedes-Benz dealership on Oak Lawn. Today, Park Place Dealerships employs more than 1,700 people and operates 17 full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Infiniti, Volvo, smart, Jaguar, Lotus, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, McLaren, and Maserati. Park Place is currently building a new Mercedes-Benz dealership in Arlington, scheduled to open fall 2015. For more information about Park Place Dealerships, visit parkplace.com.