First Annual “Toast to the Team,” a fundraising event sponsored by CBS Radio featuring the Philadelphia Eagles

A few Eagles took time out of their busy schedule last Tuesday to attend the first annual “Toast to the Team,” a fund raising event sponsored by CBS Radio – the radio home of the Philadelphia Eagles – with proceeds benefiting the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Since it was sponsored by CBS radio it made sense that there wasn’t a lot of press releases out there for me to read beforehand as I wanted to know what to expect.

What I did know was that for only a $100 ticket, fans could mingle with the players in the ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton in Center City while sampling food from some of Philadelphia’s finest restaurants (Kendra was nowhere to be found)

Chef Joseph Poon prepares a little something for the huge crowd
Bill Bergery does MC host with a Q&A of Quintin Mikell
Michelle DiPietro and Lisa Masino of Meritage Restaurant at 20th & Lombard. I asked Quintin Mikell for a photo, and it was hard to convey to him that 1)I needed the shot to promote this event 2) I had no idea who he was 3) I was not a fan planning to hang his picture with this strange women on my wall, at my office or in my locker. “You want me to pose alone”, me: YES: YES, but he grabbed this lady to be in the photo with him. I thought to myself OK won’t be sending that to my agency in NYC.
It happened again with Isaiah Ike Reese and he grabbed Brooke Honeyford, Public Relations Manager, Pennsylvania Ballet and had her pose with him, sweet as she is again I was irritated because normally when someone walks around with an 8lb camera people generally know I must be a news photographer. Finally I pulled him aside

and told him I was national press and needed to shoot him alone. He got it, and then Karma would have me get this shot – LOL
A friend with Joseph Kotarski and Lisa Gaudio
Trevor Laws says that for most games he has a pretty similar routine. He eats big the night before the game, watches a few hours of movies in the hotel. For breakfast he makes a big cup of coffee. Then has the same pregame meal every game; pancakes with peanut butter and honey on them.

Butcher & Singer was in the house. I was just there last night for dinner, yummy. I had the a Prime Rib and the potato pancake infused with sour cream, yummy. Mom had the halibut, at a steak place. She raved about it. Dad was a sports fisherman, so mom knows a thing about fish or two, so if I were you I would get both the prime rib and the halibut. I had the chocolate cake for desert, mom and the lemon merange. We both love the lemon merange. The cake was good, but is it possible it had too much chocolate. Now it did come with cherries soaked in brandy and well I don’t drink, but after accidentally eating one I thought I would need a designated driver and would have to start my sobriety count over – NOT. Randi Sirkin, Jeanna Chandler, George Waldie and Chef Shane Cash.

CBS folks Nicholas Coffey, Molly Keegan and Michael Braunstein. (Where the heck has he been lately?)
Of all the players at the event, Dawkins’ line for autographs was understandably the longest. He had to be moved out from the center of the room and put at a table to accommodate all of his adoring fans.
he posed with the fans no matter how awkward the shot might appearThe Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has a special place in Dawkins’ heart. Prior to the 2007 season, Dawkins and his wife gave birth to twin daughters Chionni and Cionni, who were hospitalized for 17 days after being born prematurely (I saw Mr & Mrs Dawkins at the Marian Anderson Awards on Monday night, grooving to Rev. Kirk Franklin, they were no more than 7 feet from where I was standing). The doctors at CHOP saw the family through. (This shot was in Michael Klein’s INQlings on 11/15/08 and can be found online in the Sunday column 11/16/08; sometimes if I get a really great shot of something ie Brandy, on Friday night, I bump my own photos out of the Sunday paper. Sometimes he puts both in, I never know)

Tina Pyne brought out her whole family to support a cause that is near to their hearts, buying 5 arm lengths of raffle tickets at $20 a pop. Her favorite player of the night Brain Dawkins, she wishes he was single cause she has a special place in her heart for him. With her is Jennifer Turbett-Leighton, Pat Turbett, Bill Turbett and Liam Turbett; and in the back is Ian White and Brooke Honeyford.

Max Jean-Gilles poses with Abbey Greenberg of the Flour Pot Cookies, which are delicious. This week the Flour Pot Cookies have a special celebrating Madonna’s Sticky and Sweet Tour stopping in Philadelphia

BTW welcome to winter. Last week I was out at Tinicum Park and saw a woolly little Caterpillar with a thick mane of a coat. Looks like I am going to have to get used to this weather.