Dan McDonald’s Golf Column: Housing Authority hosts Baseball Banquet tournament

February 27, 2009 Daily Advertiser

(Dan McDonald’s local golf column appears each Wednesday. Clubs, courses and individuals wishing to submit items may e-mail to danmcdonald@cox.net or fax to (337) 857-8763. Please include a return phone number.)

Some big names in the sports world, both locally and nationally, will tee it up Friday morning at The Wetlands to help some of Acadiana’s disadvantaged youth.

They’ll also provide local golfers with an opportunity to play along with some well-known sports figures taking part in this week’s Professional Baseball Banquet hosted by the Housing Authority of the City of Lafayette and the Opelousas Housing Authority.

The banquet’s 11th renewal is at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Hilton Lafayette, with the accompanying golf event set for an 8 a.m. shotgun start on Friday. The events are part of a full weekend of activities that will raise funds for youth programs in the cities’ public housing sector.

The baseball banquet originated from Housing Authority executive director Walter Guillory, a former New Iberia and UL baseball standout who also played four seasons in the Oakland A’s organization. Guillory enlisted friends in the pro baseball community, most notably former UL coach and athletic director and long-time major league personnel director and scout Mel Didier, and has since put on the annual banquet to provide funding for services not included in basic housing programs.

"Everything we raise goes into the youth programs," said Housing Authority assistant Lydia Bergeron, herself a former minor league baseball executive.

The golf tournament was an outgrowth from the original fundraiser, and Guillory again turned to friends and experts in their field. Todd Weber, a former UL baseball teammate of Guillory’s and a five-time winner of the City Golf Championships, agreed three years ago to help stage the inaugural tournament and is still actively involved.

"We don’t normally have a huge field," Weber said, "and a lot of that is just the time of the year and not knowing what the weather’s going to do. But the guys who do play get to spend a lot of time with all the sports celebrities. For sports fans, it’s a win-win deal."

Participants in the scramble include three former major league pitchers who have been inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame – Mansfield’s Vida Blue, Castor’s Lee Smith and Acadiana legend Ron Guidry. Baseball notables Dave Stewart, Carl Boles, Danny Ardoin, Ian Kinsler and Bob Didier, former NBA standout Gus Williams, ex-NFL player Steve Wallace, Olympic handball star Arthur Culbreath and UL assistant baseball coach Anthony Babineaux are also slated to take part.

Four-person teams will pair up with the celebrities for the scramble event. Team sponsorships are $600 including a team and celebrity partner. Other sponsorship packages are available, and information on the tournament is available from Weber at 278-1963.

Entries for the tournament, as well as information on all weekend activities including tickets for the Thursday night banquet, are available from Bergeron at 319-3166.