ALS Association Named as Official Charity of the Men's Senior Baseball League

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Jan 14, 2014, 11:06 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Men's Senior Baseball League/Men's Adult Baseball League (MSBL/MABL), the country's premier amateur baseball league for adults 18 years of age and older, has partnered with The ALS Association, in the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

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ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually, people with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. For unknown reasons, veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS as the general population. There is no cure, and only one drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) modestly extends survival.

As a new national partner, the MSBL says its organizational goal "is to tap the vast reserves of charitable good will from its leagues across the country to help speed scientific and medical advances in the fight against ALS." The organization will support various venues at The Association, specifically the Walk to Defeat ALS^®, which raises funds from Walk events across the nation to support patient care programs and ALS research. Association chapters will have the opportunity to collaborate with local MSBL leagues for Walks and other events. MSBL leagues will also have the chance to participate in third-party fundraising events at The Association, such as the One Dollar Difference.

"As we approach the 75^th Anniversary of Lou Gehrig's famous farewell to baseball, we felt the time was right for the nation's largest adult amateur baseball league to take up the fight against this horrible disease that is so closely linked to our sport," said MSBL Founder and President, Steve Sigler.

"The ALS Association is honored to be selected as MSBL's new national charity," said Jane H. Gilbert, President & CEO of The Association. "This partnership will absolutely help to spread ALS awareness in communities across the nation, which will help us to further advance our vision of creating a world without ALS."

The MSBL sponsors six national tournaments each year including its marquis events – the MSBL World Series in Tempe, Ariz., and the Fall Classic now held in Jupiter, Fla. The MSBL's World Series, which is held each October, began in 1988 with 38 teams and now regularly draws more than 300 teams and nearly 6,000 players per year in 10 age groups, including 18, 25, 35, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, and 75-and-over. The MSBL's World Series is held on major league spring training fields throughout Ariz., such as Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Mesa and beyond with the epicenter at Tempe Diablo Stadium – the spring training home to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The MSBL's Fall Classic tournament began in 1991 and averages about 120 participating teams per year. Held for years on the spring training diamonds in and around Clearwater, Fla., the tournament is now based in Jupiter and Port St. Lucie on Florida's East Coast – the spring training home of the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins, and New York Mets respectively.

About MSBL/MABL
The Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL)/Men's Adult Baseball League (MABL) is the premier amateur baseball league for adults 18 years of age and older. It began with four teams on Long Island, N.Y., in 1986 and has grown into the largest adult baseball organization in the country with about 325 local affiliates, 3,200 teams, and 45,000 members. For more information about MSBL, visit their website at http://www.msblnational.com/.

About The ALS Association
The ALS Association is the only national non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig's Disease on every front. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. For more information about The ALS Association, visit our website at www.alsa.org.

SOURCE The ALS Association