Monday, Jan. 28, 2008

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MLB outfielder to host charity poker tournament

By Sarah Polson

While other players may be enjoying some relaxation and recuperation during the Major League Baseball off-season, Geoff Jenkins is using some of his time to organize a charity poker tournament to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Phoenix.

Jenkins, who will begin his first season with the Phillies this spring after playing with the Milwaukee Brewers for the past 10 years, has been organizing what he hopes will be the first rendition of a yearly charity poker tournament.

The tournament will bring together about 60 players in Scottsdale, Ariz., today to play Texas Hold'em and raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Phoenix, according to a news story on MLB.com.

Jenkins sent out invites to friends, former teammates and other who live in the Phoenix area in order to generate interest in the tournament.

No prize money will be awarded to the participants in the tournament. Instead, donated prizes such as televisions, trips and other goodies will be given out to winners.

Some of the players planning to attend include MLB stars Jermaine Dye, Chris Young, Conor Jackson, Doug Davis, Eric Chavez, Jacque Jones, Justin Morneau, Paul Konerko, Bill Hall, J.J. Hardy and Grady Sizemore. There will also be a couple of National Football League players on hand, with Javon Walker and Larry Fitzgerald slated to play.

"It's going to be a fun little deal," Jenkins said in the MLB.com article. "We always wanted to put something together for charity, so we thought a poker tournament would be a good deal."

Jenkins is an avid poker player and considers himself to be a fairly adept at the game.

"I've played poker: I'm not Phil Hellmuth Jr. or anything like that, but I know what I'm doing," Jenkins said in the article. "On a scale of one to 10, I'm about a seven. Still, it's going to be a fun time to get money together for charity."

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