By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com
There is no doubt Steelers players are competitive and that spirit came out in full force at In The Pocket With Charlie Batch, an event that benefits the Best of the Batch Foundation.
Guests were able to compete against players in a several activities and the players did not want to lose to those who cheer them on every Sunday.
"We have such a competitive team and I wanted to do something fun like this," said Batch. "I wanted people to take off their ties and have fun. I wanted the fans to be able to come compete against their favorite player for bragging rights while raising money for a good cause."
James Harrison and Justin Hartwig were taking their game of ping pong against fans very seriously, while on the other side of the room Casey Hampton, Orpheus Roye, Arnold Harrison and Larry Foote were among those who were focused on their pool game.
"It shows how competitive they really are with each other, like who is going to get bragging rights in the locker room," said Latasha Wilson, the foundation's executive director. "They were talking about you can't beat me in ping pong. It was funny to hear the big linemen talking about ping pong. It's fun to see a different recreational side of them and not just the professional side. No matter what, it's always a competition between them."
The event also include a silent and live auction, featuring such unique items as two pool tables signed by the Steelers players who were on hand at the event. Also auctioned off as a package each were the autographed jerseys of the starting offense and defense.
The proceeds go towards helping the foundation's reading and computer literacy program, which is one of the strongest programs that they support.
"It gives us an opportunity to do our small part to help raise the reading levels across the state," said Batch. "If we can start here small in the city of Pittsburgh and other people can build off of what we do, it will help a bunch of kids."
