More than $12,000 raised for local police
By NATHAN MIXTER Sports Editor
Fred Cheshire, of the Hollister Fire Department, has dreamed of throwing former Raider wide receiver Cliff Branch a pass. He never expected it would be in a celebrity basketball game.
Cheshire, 43, got the ball and fired an outlet pass in the game Friday night at San Benito High that featured the Hollister Police Officer’s Association against former 49ers and Raiders players. But Branch, who arrived late because of a flat tire, was there to in intercept the ball.
Both Cheshire and Hollister Police Chief Bob Brooks had a chance to play with their sons for the first time in an organized game.
Although Brooks, at 46, was the oldest player in the game, he still was able to staty with the younger players. He even hit a turnaround jumper.
“I can’t remember the last time he was on the court,” his wife said after the game.
“It was fun to go out there,” Brooks said. “It was for a good cause. Their players are a real class act.”
The game raised more than $12,500 for the Hollister Police Officer’s Association, which supports numerous community activities. During halftime, autographed memorabilia was auctioned, and players signed autographs and took pictures with fans.
Dan Brooks, a 2003 San Benito grad who competed in track at Butte College, got the police officers fired up on the offensive and defensive ends to start the game .
“We just couldn’t keep up the pace,” Brooks said.
Many of the NFL players play together in other celebrity games and have somewhat of an idea how their teammates play.
“I love playing basketball,” said five-time Pro-Bowler Guy McIntyre. “I played both (basketball and football) when I was growing up. But I had to stick with what I could do. I tried to go out there as often as I could during the summer. But since football has started, I haven’t had many opportunities.”
McIntyre, who is the Director of Player Development for the 49ers, said he likes the outlook for San Francisco’s season.
“We got some good young guys, and that should help us to pull out some games early in the season,” McIntyre said. “We got a good punter, kicker and holder, and we have good special teams.”
The police built up an early lead in the loosely played game. There was plenty of hashing and slashing to go around.
Both teams were content to let members of the audience shoot free throws. After Nicholas Jackson, 6, made both his free throws, the police took a 12-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The NFL team drained several treys in the game. Rod Martin, a two-time Pro Bowler who played for both the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders from 1977-88, hit a 3-pointer in the second quarter to put the NFL up for good at 13-12.
From then on, the celebrities milked their lead and ran away with a lobsided 46-22 victory. Martin didn’t always get the calls he wanted. He volunteered to clean the referee’s glasses just in case it wasn’t his fault.
Several well timed 3-pointers put the game out of reach. Dana McLemore, who had a 28-yard punt return that set up a touchdown in Super Bowl XIX, hit back-to-back treys in the fourth quarter.
