LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- This year's Winter Meetings charity auction has special meaning for Giants fans and San Franciscans.
The auction, which is now live, is dedicated to the late Katy Feeney, the baseball executive whose career spanned 40 years.
Feeney, who was heavily involved in devising each year's regular-season schedule and National League-related publicity, was steeped in baseball by her father, Chub, who served as the Giants' general manager when they moved from New York to San Francisco in 1958. He became president of the National League after the 1969 season.
This year's auction will support the Katharine Feeney Memorial Scholarship Fund, which was launched in Katy's memory.
The fund will support an annual scholarship that will be awarded to a female student at the University of San Francisco who most exemplifies Feeney's character. Eligible candidates for the scholarship will be students who are pursuing a career in sports management and who also demonstrate a financial need to attain an advanced degree.
Given the attractive items being offered in the auction, expect the fund to receive a considerable boost. The catalog can be found at MLB.com/wintermeetingsauction.
The list of Giants-related items and encounters consists of:
• Baseballs autographed separately by the franchise's five San Francisco-era Hall of Famers -- Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda and Gaylord Perry
• An opportunity to watch the Giants take batting practice from field level at AT&T Park
• Getting up close with the Giants' famed announcers in an "Ultimate Broadcast Experience"
• A personal training session with Giants strength and conditioning coach Carl Kochan.