News
Braden giving back this Thanksgiving
A's southpaw donates ton of food to hometown of Stockton
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
11/29/09 10:00 AM EST
OAKLAND -- When someone asks A's left-hander Dallas Braden what he did to give back to his community this Thanksgiving, he can say "I donated a ton of food."Some might hear that and take it figuratively.
The reality: He'll mean it literally.
Not satisfied with the roughly 850 pounds of food he solicited and matched in donations to St. Mary's Interfaith Community Services in his beloved, but downtrodden hometown of Stockton, Calif., last November, Braden this year launched "Operation Ton of Food for The 209."
As usual, when it comes to his altruistic works, Braden succeeded. More than 2,000 pounds were provided for Stockton's less-fortunate Wednesday, with Oakland's Opening Night starter as the star server.
For weeks leading up to the event, Braden visited Stockton restaurants, asking -- then matching -- food donations such as ribs, steak, turkey, ham, salad, pizza, tacos and beverages for the holiday meal.
Local merchants such as Bottley's BBQ, Richard Eales Home of Stockton, El Super Mercado Mexican Meat Market, Fat's Sports Bar and Grill, Gaines Liquor, Gians Deli, Graduate of Stockton, John's Incredible Pizza, Octavio Cruces Casa Flores, Michaels Pizza & Ginas Café, Pepsi and Whirlow's were happy to help.
"I'm in a little bit better [financial] situation than I was a year ago, so naturally I want to do more," Braden told MLB.com this week. "We've got 800 pounds in ribs alone this year. We've got 100 large pizzas, 50 big trays of lasagnas. People are going to be able to eat and eat and eat some more. It's like 'Field of Dreams.' If you build it, they will come. Last year, we built it and they came, and this year it's going to be more than double.
"It's pretty big-time. All of the places that I've had a relationship with since I was young, from patronizing their establishments, everyone stepped up again."
Walking the talk
Stepping up for Stockton is nothing new for Braden, whose body is adorned with various tattooed tributes to the city in which he was raised.
When an athlete hits the big time after surviving an upbringing under dire circumstances, in an area known for crime, gangs, poverty and desperation, the first thing he or she usually does is bail that area as quickly as possible.
For good. Usually with family and a few friends in tow.
By now, though, A's fans know that pretty much everything about Braden is unusual, including the fierce loyalty and devotion he shows to "The 209."
That's the area code for Stockton, which Forbes Magazine in February placed atop its annual list of America's Most Miserable Cities.
Braden, who cemented his status with the A's pitching staff by claiming the No. 1 spot in the starting rotation last spring, long ago cemented his status as Stockton's favorite son.
He still lives there, in the same hardscrabble neighborhood that served as his stomping grounds while being raised by a single mother, Jodie Atwood, who died of cancer when he was a high school senior.
And he doesn't just live there in the offseason. Braden, a 25-year-old left-hander, lives there year-round, making the 90-minute drive -- when he doesn't hit traffic -- to and from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum whenever the A's are at home.
"I get to sleep in my own bed more than any baseball player I know," he says proudly. "Why wouldn't I live there?"
Um, the crime? The gangs? The poverty? The desperation?
"I'm staying because I want to try to help change all that," he explains.
He already is. Last Thanksgiving, Braden rallied and matched local merchants who donated food and supplies that allowed him -- wearing an A's cap and a yellow football jersey with large green 209s on the front, back and each sleeve -- to help dish out some culinary kindness to about 450 Stockton residents who, like Braden not long ago, were down on their luck and needed a helping hand.
"Ideally, the number [of people in need of help] would be zero," Braden says. "But realistically, times are tough, and I just want anyone who's in need of a hot meal to come on down and do their thing."
'It takes a village'
Known for his colorful quotes, clubhouse pranks and heavily tatted skin (he has a huge 209 inked across his midsection), Braden is serious, earnest and intense when explaining that his motivation to succeed in baseball is tied with heartstrings to his motivation to make a difference in Stockton.
"It's all about giving back for me," he says. "They say it takes a village to raise a child, right? Stockton is my village. It's a rough village, but it helped raise me."
In turn, Braden wants to help Stockton rise up, even if he has to do it one child at a time. That's the message he sent in June, when he hosted nearly 600 Stockton residents for the finale of a three-game Interleague series against the Rockies.
As part of Little League Day at the Coliseum, Braden invited all 271 players from his former youth league -- Hoover Tyler Little League (HTLL) -- and one guest of each player, for the formal announcement of his latest altruistic effort.
Beginning this year and "every year for as long as I live," Braden says, he'll sponsor at least one child each season from the HTLL who is being raised by a single parent.
As a sponsor of this child or children, Braden picks up the costs associated with the Little League season, including cap, jersey, pants, equipment costs, league fees and photo package. He's also convinced Mizuno, the equipment maker with which Braden is under contract, to provide new gloves for the program.
"[Having been] raised by a single parent," Braden says, "I realize and appreciate all of the sacrifices that are made and hardships endured just to keep a family afloat, let alone accommodating a child's wants and needs. By creating a way to provide some sort of relief for a family, my goal is to alleviate some stress, bring a family closer together and to allow a dream to be realized, all the while trying to bring our community together.
"The little things in life can go unappreciated at times, but can also go a long way. Giving a new ball glove to a child not only can keep a dream alive, but also bring a smile to a face and a tear to an eye."
There were plenty of moist pupils in the house in June, when Braden introduced the first recipients of his "baseball scholarship." Camron and Mitchell Alexander, brothers who are being raised by their mother, Tami, are ages 9 and 8, respectively.
"The mom is doing an amazing job," says Braden, who asked the HTLL board of directors to select the recipient(s) each season because it has a better handle on each child's needs. "Both of the boys are on the honor roll at their school, and the mom is going to Sacramento State to get her Master's degree.
"That's some serious juggling and dedication. Just like my Mom did for me."
Baseball second
Braden this year posted a 3.89 ERA in 22 starts before being placed on the disabled list with a rash that became an infection and eventually forced him to concede that his season was over. But it's what he has done off the field that makes him most proud.
In recognition of his community work, Braden was named by his teammates as Oakland's nominee for the MLB Players' Association's 2009 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award.
"Nobody does stuff like this to get recognized," Braden says. "That's not what it's about, obviously. And I'm certainly not alone on this team in helping people. But if someone hears about what I'm doing [through the recognition I get for it] and decides, 'Hey, I want to help out, too,' then awesome.
"The ultimate goal is to keep love and hope alive in 'The 209' through baseball and community appreciation."
To ensure that love and hope stay alive in Stockton, Braden says he'll never leave -- even should he land a hefty seven- or eight-figure contract down the road.
"Then I could live in my house during Spring Training, too!" he says enthusiastically, laughing at the notion of commuting to Arizona via private jet.
With similar zeal, Braden explained his ideal life once his playing career comes to an end: pitching coach of the Minor League Stockton Ports and mayor of Stockton.
"City Council meetings are on Thursday," he says. "Trust me, I know."
This is why Braden's friend recently called him "Robin Hood."
"Then," Braden says, "he said, 'Only you ain't robbin' the 'hood.'"
Quite the opposite. And getting a ton of satisfaction in return.
"I know it's cliche," he says, "but it's true: If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
