By Ray Cardello for December 18,2022 Season 15 / Post 8

People sometimes look upon athletes and actors as pampered individuals paid exorbitant salaries to play a game or fantasy characters and never give back. We are blessed that there are exceptions to this stereotype. The two men I write about today break the mold and are stepping up to work with one of my favorite charities, Tunnels to Towers. For what these two guys are doing to help our veterans and first responders who did their jobs and either came home broken or never came home at all, they share this week’s Sunday Spotlight.

Andy Pettitte played 18 seasons pitching for the New York Yankees. In an era where my Red Sox and the Yankees were the greatest rivalries in baseball, you were born in New England to hate any athlete who wore the pinstripes. Try as I might, I could never hate Andy Pettite. Pettite was not flashy, brash, or cocky. He went out every five days, took the mound, and gave his all in every game he pitched. He seemed like he owned the Red Sox for nearly two decades. You would check the lin-ups for an upcoming game, see Pettitte penciled in as starting pitcher, and know the Sox were in for a challenging contest. I cannot remember a game where the Sox slayed this big left-hander on the mound. You couldn’t hate him. You just had to respect him and hope tomorrow would bring an easier game.

Cole Hauser is one of those actors you watch and think is not acting. Their character is who they are. As one of the stars who portrays Rip Wheeler in the blockbuster series Yellowstone, Hauser looks totally natural in a cowboy hat sitting on a horse. He is one of the reasons we tune in on Sunday night. Hauser started his acting career in 1992, so he is not a newcomer to the screen, but his role in Yellowstone has been his most notable.

It is when athletes and actors leave their realm and use their notoriety for the benefit of others that we see their true value. These two men have joined forces and volunteered to help one of my favorite organizations Tunnels to Towers. It is not because it is my favorite, but because there may be no more worthy cause than to care for those who sacrificed their bodies or lives to protect us.

Both of these men remember well the fateful day in 2001 when fundamental terrorists attacked our country. These memories motivate them to step up and use their names and faces to aid Frank Siller in the mission of assuring that every man or woman who comes back from duty with a broken body has a comfortable home and every survivor of a First Responder has their mortgage paid in full.

It is my honor to feature these two men and to make them this week’s Sunday Spotlight.