The Pittsburgh Penguins Wives Association held their second annual “Pens and Pins” fundraiser for the Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia Make-A-Wish Foundation last night at the Crafton-Ingram Bowling Lanes. 85 Make-A-Wish donors and 11 Make-A-Wish children bowled alongside Penguins players at the event, which raised about $35K. The page linked above has a link to video of the event, any you may view a photo gallery from the event here.

This South Carolina-based report notes that Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson will host a bowling event Saturday at the Southgate Bowling Center in Florence (near Myrtle Beach) as part of his weekend to benefit his C.A.T.C.H. (Curing Autism Through Change and Hope) Foundation.

This press release announced that New Orleans Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic will host his third annual “Charitabowl” on Thursday, Dec. 17 at the All Star Lanes in Kenner, LA to benefit his “Courts For Kids” program. The event will stream live worldwide on Stojakovic’s website.

This Minnesota TV station site notes that the Twins’ Joe Mauer, recently named American League MVP, hosted a bowling event for the Highland Friendship Club, which provides life skills development for disabled teens and young adults.

The Washington Post’s sports blog noted that the NHL’s Washington Capitals recently rented out the Lucky Strike Lanes in New York City for a bowling outing on a recent road trip.

The Boston Fox affiliate noted that Celtics captain Paul Pierce hosted his annual charity tournament, “The Truth Strikes Again,” last night at Kings in Dedham. The event benefited “The Truth on Health” and FitClub34 by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Pierce’s initiative to get children in the Boston area physically active. The article notes that “Sugar” Ray Allen was the team’s best bowler.

The Fox affiliate in Philadelphia notes that Phillies pitcher Ryan Madsen and Brent Celek of the Eagles will participate in the 10th annual “Philly Athletes Bowling for Variety” event on Wed. Nov. 18 at Pinsetter Lanes in Pennsauken, NJ. The event benefits programs supporting children with disabilities and special needs in the Delaware Valley.

This motor sports site notes that NASCAR driver Sam Hornish Jr. will host his fifth annual celebrity bowling tournament on Thursday at the Main Event in Grapevine, TX. Many of the Sprint Cup drivers will participate, as will Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle and Texas Rangers pitchers Jeff Russell and Jose Guzman (among others). The event benefits the Texas chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities.

Metro News out of Canada reports that, in a practice common among NBA teams, Toronto Raptors head coach Jay Triano took his squad bowling instead of having a practice yesterday. Italian newcomer Marco Belinelli, in his first-ever exposure to the sport, bowled a 157 game…maybe he should quit basketball to try to develop a bowling career.

NHL.com notes that the Columbus Blue Jackets will be part of a bowling event in February that will benefit the foundation of a 19-year-old fan who succumbed to a rare form of muscular cancer last spring and had his last wish (seats to the first two home playoff games in Blue Jackets history) granted by the club.

This article in the Newark Star-Ledger notes that New York Jets receiver David Clowney will hold his charity bowling night next week in Linden, NJ.

According to this press release, New York Jets safety Kerry Rhodes will have a bowling event connected with his Kerry RHODES Foundation Celebrity Events night on Monday, November 2. The bowling portion of the night will be held at the New York Lucky Strike Lanes.

Consider this post the official return of the “Cross-training” feature. 😀

The New Orleans Times-Picayune noted that New Orleans Hornets players participated in a bowling outing in Lafayette, LA as part of their training camp. The players competed as teams of four, but there is no word on whether Chris Paul’s team won.

The Dallas Morning News notes that Texas Rangers reliever CJ Wilson will be hosting a tournament on Thursday at Splitsville Lanes in Arlington to benefit the sports medicine program at Children’s Medical Center at Legacy in Plano.

The Bleacher Report site noted, as part of the weekend for his Wade’s World Foundation, Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade held a bowling event in his native Chicago on Friday night.

Indianapolis Colts superstar quarterback Peyton Manning held his 7th annual “PeyBack Bowl” celebrity tournament on Monday night, as WISH reports (via WOOD in Grand Rapids, MI). The event raised $450K for Manning’s PeyBack Foundation. Peyton named Reggie Wayne and Dwight Freeney as his team’s two best bowlers.

MLB.com noted that the Texas Rangers participated in reliever Eddie Guardado’s “Celebrity Bowl” event at Splitsville in the Arlington Highlands last night after their game against the Boston Red Sox, which they won 4-3. The tournament benefited Ava’s Friends (after Eddie’s daughter), an organization that supports families with autistic children.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s Seahawks blog notes that receiver Deion Branch will hold his annual “Charitabowl” tournament on Sept. 9, which will benefit his charitable foundation in support of meningitis research.

Just for my home-area readers…

About.com notes that the third annual “Beckett Bowl,” hosted by Boston Red Sox Cy Young Award candidate Josh Beckett, will take place on Sept. 10 at the Lucky Strike Lanes on Ipswich St. in downtown Boston, with an after-party at the Boston House of Blues. More information in the article linked above.

According to the Bleacher Report site, James Loney of the LA Dodgers will host a tournament at the LA Lucky Strike Lanes tomorrow to benefit the Dodger Dream Foundation.

This Scout.com report on the Green Bay Packers notes that the team canceled their afternoon minicamp practice yesterday in favor of a team-building bowling outing at a local center.

The Wichita Eagle noted that first-year Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley also treated his team to a bowling excursion as a break from the ordeal of OTAs and mini-camp.

This Scout.com item on the San Diego Chargers notes that coach Norv Turner took the team bowling on Monday to celebrate the last week of OTAs and minicamp. Scott Mruczkowski had bragging rights for the team w/ a 224 game.

I have made it no secret to my online friends that New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul is my favorite pro athlete not playing for a Boston team because of his position as a USBC spokesperson, and bowling continues to be a part of his charity work, as the Winston-Salem Journal notes that there will be a “Friends and Family Bowling Night” on Sept. 25 as part of Paul’s Winston-Salem Weekend fundraiser for his CP3 Foundation. Additionally, I’d like to note that the PBA has scheduled another Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational for Feb. 7., which should also benefit the CP3 Foundation.

This Jacksonville TV station report notes that Atlanta Falcons linebacker Mike Peterson, formerly of the Jaguars, will host a celebrity bowling tournament in Gainesville on the weekend of June 26.

The DeSoto (MS) Times Tribune notes that Hernando natives DelJuan Robinson of the Houston Texans and Kevin Dockery of the New York Giants will have a bowling night at Cotton Bowl Lanes on the night before their football camp and picnic on June 27.

As Dan Steinberg notes in his Washington Redskins blog, the Redskins did likewise. Three members of the team had games of 200 or better, including Fred Smoot with a 212. Smoot said he has pro tour aspirations, but some of his teammates doubt the seriousness of this claim.

This Pennsylvania newspaper report notes that Mike Tomlin, head coach of the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, took his team bowling yesterday rather than put them through a scheduled OTA.

This web site report notes that Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Raheem Brock will return to his native Philadelphia for his third annual celebrity weekend, which will include a bowling tournament and benefit the Brock’s Kids Foundation. More information on the event can be found on Brock’s web site.