New York Post

BUBBA MAKES IT FUND FOR ALL

By MARK HALE

"It really wasn't something I had to weigh. It seemed like it was a pretty easy decision."

Bubba Crosby on spending extra time at telethon.

This past Sunday in Albany, Bubba Crosby was helping out at a telethon for the Center for Disability Services. After signing autographs for several hours, the Yankee outfielder was supposed to fly to Newark, where he had a connecting flight back home to Houston.

But when he got to the airport, Crosby found that weather was holding up his flight to Newark. And at that point, since flying home that night wasn't going to happen, Crosby — who had already given more to the telethon that day than was required of him — opted to give even more than that.

Crosby headed back to the telethon, just to help out further.

Crosby said he had enjoyed his time there so much and believed it was such a worthy cause, it was a no-brainer.

"It really wasn't something I had to weigh," Crosby said in a phone interview this week. "It seemed like it was a pretty easy decision."

After his return, according to Anne Schneider Costigan, deputy executive director of the Foundation at the Center for Disability Services, Crosby did interviews, pitched for the charity and also spent between 11/2 and two hours answering phones, as people called in to donate money.

If you want an idea of how much Crosby was committed to helping out, try the fact that according to Costigan, an 8-year-old boy called a few times, but Crosby didn't happen to take his call. Crosby then used someone else's cell phone to call the boy himself.

"He is an incredible human being," said Costigan of Crosby.

Crosby, who hit .276 in 98 at-bats with the Yankees last year, also put in overtime during the first half of his day at the telethon. He was scheduled to sign autographs for three hours, according to Costigan, but she said Crosby ended up helping out for 20 or 30 minutes past his scheduled time, taking photos and talking to fans as well as signing.

It was the 46th year that the Center for Disability Services held the telethon and the fourth year in which a former or current Yankee helped out, with big names like Goose Gossage, Jorge Posada and Joe Girardi doing the honors recently. But with the 29-year-old Crosby's help on Sunday, this year's fund-raiser resulted in $1,684,418, a figure that according to Costigan, ranks as the telethon's best total.

Said Crosby, "[It was] just a great experience overall."


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