CHUCK LAMAR'S MERCURY GRAND SLAM CELEBRITY FISHING TOURNEY

[Bilge Master]

WILL RAISE MONEY THIS FALL FOR KIDS' CANCER RESEARCH
CONTACT: HERMUN PURI AT 813-269-0955


The 7th Annual Tourney Named for Devil Rays' GM & Avid Angler is Tampa Bay Catch & Release Pro-Am to Benefit Pediatric Cancer Foundation
St. Petersburg, FL -- March 10, 2004 -- Anglers and celebrities will pair up this November in another first class pro-am catch and release fishing tournament in Tampa Bay, to raise money for The Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
The 7th Annual Chuck LaMar’s Mercury Grand Slam Celebrity Fishing Tournament will take place November 12-14, from the Renaissance Vinoy Resort Hotel in St. Petersburg. Sports and entertainment celebrities will join avid fishermen in their quests to hit a grand slam for snook, redfish and trout, while raising money to help "Reel In The Cure" for childhood cancer.
This event is named for avid angler Chuck LaMar, the general manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball club; as well as for its title sponsor, Mercury Marine, worldwide builder of Mercury Outboards.
Among the early confirmed celebrity entrants are: current and former Major League Baseball managers and players Wade Boggs, Doug Creek, Dennis Rasmussen, John Cerutti, Gene Lamont, Billy Koch and Jimy Williams; former NFL players including Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks, Mark Cotney, Mark Cooper, and Tim Irwin; national TV fishing show hosts Stu Apte, Roland Martin, Jose Wejebe, Shaw Grigsby, Mark Sosin and Blair Wiggins; two-time NASA shuttle astronaut Bruce Melnick; Secret Service hero Eric Littlejohn, actors Brett Cullen of "Apollo 13," James B. Sikking of "Hill Street Blues," and Ed Marinaro of "Hill Street Blues".
Event highlights include Friday, November 12th's "Casting For A Cure" shootout in the morning; followed by The Steve Yerrid Kid's Fishing Derby, in which children with cancer learn the sport, fish, then share lunch with tournament celebrities.
Friday evening is the Fishermen's Ball presented by Mercedes-Benz USA. This tropical fiesta, complete with dinner, entertainment, and live and silent auctions, will be held at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Tickets for the evening are $125 for individuals or a Table of Hope is $1,250. For more information, call Hermun Puri at The Pediatric Cancer Foundation at (813) 269-0955.
A field of 50 boats is expected to participate in the two-day tournament, departing from the Vinoy Yacht Basin, and taking place in Tampa Bay tributaries for redfish, snook and trout. Each boat will carry a pair of anglers who will fish along with a celebrity and professional fishing guide. Sponsorship and angler entries for the tournament are still available by contacting The Pediatric Cancer Foundation at 813-269-0955. Coastal Conservation Association officials will provide judging, and their organization will partially benefit from event proceeds.
New this year will be an Offshore Angler Division presented by Treasure Island Charities, exclusively for fishermen who would like to explore the waters west of the beach. Beginning at 12am on November 13th, following The Fishermen’s Ball, anglers in the offshore division will be able to leave their personal port. For the next 36 hours, the offshore anglers may roam the Gulf for the three species eligible for this division: Amberjack, Grouper and Snapper. The weigh-in will start at 10 AM on Sunday, November 14th, and all registered off-shore boats will need to return to the Vinoy dock by noon that day.


Chuck LaMar’s Mercury Grand Slam Celebrity Fishing Tournament

EVENT SCHEDULE



Friday, November 12, 2004
Casting For A Cure, Vinoy Basin

The Steve Yerrid Kid’s Fishing Derby, Renaissance Vinoy Resort

The Fishermen’s Ball, presented by Mercedes-Benz USA, Tropicana Field



Saturday, November 13, 2004

Fishing Day One, Inshore Event, Vinoy Basin

Fishing Day One, Offshore Event

Flats Chat Cocktail Reception, Renaissance Vinoy Resort



Sunday, November 14, 2004

Fishing Day Two, Vinoy Basin

Fishing Day Two, Offshore Event

Awards Banquet, Renaissance Vinoy Resort



The Pediatric Cancer Foundation is a nonprofit, Tampa-based charity, dedicated to funding research to eliminate childhood cancer worldwide. It was formed in 1991, when two Tampa mothers met while their infant daughters were undergoing cancer treatments. Their children beat the odds and are healthy young women today.
The foundation has granted $2 million to researchers at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Tampa, All Children's Research Institute in St. Petersburg, and Shand's Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
For more information on Chuck LaMar’s Mercury Grand Slam Celebrity Fishing Tournament contact The Pediatric Cancer Foundation at 813-269-0955, or visit their Web sit at www.pcfusa.org.