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| Laurence Segal © Rilwan Ameen, 2013 |
It was an ideal evening for baseball at NBT Bank stadium, with clear skies and 79 degree weather. The Syracuse Chiefs split a doubleheader with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The first was the continuation of a rain delayed July 12th game. The second, which followed after the makeup game was a 3-2 Chiefs win.
Walking about the stadium during the third inning of the doubleheader's second game; enjoying America’s pastime took on a whole new perspective.
A pink cart was centered at the main level of the stadium concourse, diagonally across from the pitchers mound. A man was passionately pointing in the direction of many items on the stand, including his shirt which said "Hope is the new pink." Mothers primarily stopped to approach the cart with their children to see what the items represented.
The cart had a wide array of paraphernalia, such as flip flops, mugs, cups and stickers hanging from its sides.
There stood Laurence Segal, a 36 year-old Syracuse resident who is an operations manager for the Syracuse Chiefs and volunteer for the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund.
He says the pink cart began to be sighted at NBT Bank Stadium three years ago. One call and one invite later to a breast cancer gala at Turning Stone Casino, led the Research Fund to form a relationship with the Chiefs in 2010.
“I called over to Wendy Shoen of the Syracuse Chiefs…she donated many items and said why don’t you guys come get more involved at the stadium,” Segal said. “We started out with a few tables at ladies night, with a few pink items and table cloths… before you know it, we were here at every home game with a pink cart.”
From there Segal joined the Syracuse Chiefs organization, where he plays a dual-role in day-to-day life at the home of the Chiefs.
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| Chiefs GM John Simone © Rilwan Ameen, 2013 |
Coordinating events has become a big part of his life since 1996, when he began working for the Baldwin research fund as a volunteer. In that time, Segal says the Baldwin Fund has pledged to increase funds towards finding a cure for the disease.
“In that time we’ve raised over four million dollars for breast cancer research at SUNY Upstate… we’ve also given another six million dollars at SUNY Stony Brook,” he continued.
Passion for the Baldwin Fund runs deep for Segal, as many in his family have been personally affected by breast cancer.
"My mom had a double mastectomy in 1981, she caught it early on and took the necessary steps to fight it," Segal said.
Segal implores not only Chiefs fans who come out to NBT Bank stadium, but everyone living in Syracuse to get involved with the Baldwin Fund.
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| Syracuse Chiefs Memorabilia © Rilwan Ameen, 2013 |
The pink cart has now become a part of NBT Bank stadium tradition.
“There’s something about being here at this ballpark, that makes us stick out like a sore thumb with a giant pink cart,” Segal said. “It makes people aware yeah… life is fun, baseball is fun, life is good…but we have to win against this disease. It’s the ultimate game of our life.”
On Saturday August 10, the Chiefs hosted their third annual Breast Cancer Awareness Night as they played the Pawtucket Red Sox at NBT Bank Stadium. Chiefs’ players and coaches wore pink jerseys, cleats and hats. Chiefs and Red Sox players also hit with pink bats during each plate appearance, honoring those fighting Breast Cancer.
Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund of Central NY
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