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Man to walk from Steinbrenner Field to Yankee Stadium for charity

Man to walk from Steinbrenner Field to Yankee Stadium for charity

While baseball fans anxiously await the day when their favorite team breaks camp and heads north, one man will be getting a head start when he begins a 1,200 mile walk from home plate at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., where the New York Yankees hold spring training, to home plate at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y.

Richard J. Albero, a former naval officer and retired teacher, will begin his journey up the east coast on Monday, March 2, at 10:00 a.m. and he'll be doing so primarily to honor his nephew, Gary Albero, who died in the Sept. 11 attacks in New York.

In conjunction with that effort, Albero also intends to raise $25,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project as a nod to Gary, who he describes as a charitable man who always put in the effort to raise awareness and funds for causes that were close to him.

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So far, he's off to a pretty good start, as he's already been able to raise $9,000.

There's a pretty cool twist to the donations too. Albero has them broken down into different levels using baseball terminology. The donation groups range from "Designated Hitter" to "Grand Slam." Under each level beginning at "Base on Balls," there's a list of former and current Yankees players with a mile marker attached to them. You simply pick out a name, and the corresponding mile is sponsored by you.

You can find more information on how to donate at Richard's Yankees Walk of Honor.

Of course, Albero didn't pick the Yankees by accident. He says Gary was a big Yankees fan, and their cooperation in this event has given it some extra special meaning for his family.

As for Alberto's game plan. At 65 years old, he knows he can't be too ambitious. Ideally, he'd like to average 20 miles a day, which would complete his journey in about three months. Looking at the Yankees schedule, maybe he'll be able to make his approach to home plate before a game when they host the Los Angeles Angels on the weekend of June 5-7. Mother Nature will have a say in that as well, but that seems like a reasonable goal.

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Albero will have support drivers following close behind to make sure he's not stuck in the elements for too long. So it addition to beeing creatively planned, the walk is sensibly planned as well.

To follow Richard Albero on his walk, follow him on Twitter @YankeeWalkWWP

To donate to help him cover other expenses, such as lodging, food and rental fees, visit his page on Go Fund Me.

Good luck, Richard. We're all rooting you on.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!