DETROIT -- James McCann has made a living guarding the plate at Comerica Park for the last three seasons. Now he's offering a chance to share a plate with him at the lunch table for a good cause.
The Tigers are auctioning off a chance to eat lunch with McCann and other unforgettable fan experiences as part of Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings charity auction, which runs until Thursday at 10 p.m. ET. All 30 big league clubs are offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences and unique items to benefit a special cause close to the game.
Proceeds from this year's auction will support the Katharine Feeney Memorial Scholarship Fund, set up in memory of the late pioneering baseball executive whose career in the game spanned 40 years.
In addition to lunch with McCann, the winning bidder will receive four tickets to a game, four passes for pregame batting practice and parking in the Tigers garage.
Other items up for auction include:
• A ticket package with an opportunity to meet a Tigers player.
• A chance to meet a Tigers player on the field during batting practice as well as tickets and parking passes.
• An opportunity to be up close for the 50th anniversary celebration of the 1968 World Series championship team. The winning bidder will receive four tickets to the 1968 World Series team luncheon, four tickets to the Sept. 7 game against the Cardinals, batting practice and parking passes, and a meet-and-greet opportunity with a representative from the 1968 squad. Autographed copies of Al Kaline and Willie Horton books and baseballs are included, along with a complete set of 1968 Legends bobbleheads.
Bidding is live at MLB.com/wintermeetingsauction. The proceeds will help support an annual scholarship that will be awarded to a female student at the University of San Francisco who most exemplifies the character of Feeney, whose devotion to helping others and passion for the game of baseball inspired many from her position with the National League and later the Office of the Commissioner.