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Jim Sedlak, an American Life League vice president, cuts a sheet of patches, one of the items sold in the Stafford-based pro-life group's catalog. The league is raising $1 million for a new headquarters. |
Sal Bando was an All-Star third baseman known for his clutch hitting. Now, the former Major Leaguer is testing his pitching skills.
Bando, who splits his time between Wisconsin and Arizona, is chairman of a fund-raising effort for the Stafford County-based American Life League.
The fund-raiser, dubbed "Battin' 1000," seeks to raise $1 million for the preliminary planning of a national educational center for ALL--an organization based on Catholic teachings and aimed at ending abortion. The center would be on a 73-acre parcel ALL bought in early 2001, just west of Interstate 95 off Courthouse Road.
Currently referred to as "Campus for Life," the center would include a research component and training aimed at equipping people to spread the anti-abortion message either one-on-one or through mass-media approaches.
It would also include information on international reproductive-health issues and address education and healing related to people who have had abortions.
The idea for the campus originated with ALL President Judie Brown in the late 1990s. The campus would also serve as the new headquarters for the organization founded in 1979.
It is envisioned as a place people would visit for a week or weekend of training on everything from basic reproductive information to topics such as stem-cell research and human cloning, ALL Vice President Jim Sedlak said.
"Our goal is to provide detailed and current education in all of the issues that get involved in the pro-life movement," he said.
Bando, who is Catholic, said he and his wife, Sandy, have long been active in the abortion fight, participating in Wisconsin Right to Life over the past decade.
"We just believe in the sanctity of life. We're not anti-anything," Bando said in a recent telephone interview from his Phoenix home. "We think the sanctity of life is probably the biggest and greatest moral value that we have in life."
As chairman of Battin' 1000, the 59-year-old father of three grown sons not only helped organize the baseball-themed fund-raiser but also recruited support from current and former Major League players, managers, owners and announcers.
He said about 90 players responded when he approached them through individual letters and newsletters distributed by two nondenominational groups geared to players of faith.
Among the players agreeing to take part are Hall-of-Famer Robin Yount, who played for the Milwaukee Brewers; Gary Gaetti who spent half of his 20-year career with the Minnesota Twins; former Atlanta Braves third baseman Terry Pendleton and Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Buddy Groom.
Former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, former Detroit and Cincinnati Manager Sparky Anderson and former Los Angeles Manager Tommy Lasorda also agreed to support the effort.
Their role is to lend their names and agree to autograph memorabilia used in the fund-raising.
"The idea is not the organization," Bando said. "The pro-life theme is what's important here."
Both he and Sedlak pointed out the fund-raiser is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
Bando said he's not heard of any of the participating players suffering repercussions for their involvement in an issue that has engendered intense debate.
Some questioned using Bank One Ballpark, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, for the fund-raiser's kick-off in February. But Bando said the group rented space in the stadium just as any group could.
The goal of Battin' 1000 is to get 1,000 people to donate $1,000 each. The program allows donors to give in recognition of their favorite team, and results of the fund-raising are posted by city on ALL's Web site (all.org).
The drive will run through the baseball season and wrap up at the end of October, Sedlak said.
Bando said finding players interested in participating wasn't difficult.
"I think baseball--all sports--are somewhat sheltered from issues of our society," he said. "All of them have feelings, but they rarely are asked. All I did was ask."
