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The Rumble

Hope & glory

Yanks’ initiative inspires hope and glory

This is what Yankee Hope Week is all about: a happy-go-lucky 5-year-old boy who braves oculocutaneous albinism, which affects approximately 40,000 people around the world, comes to Yankee Stadium Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. to meet his new friend, Andy Pettitte.

Little Andy Fass first met his new pal when Pettitte walked over to where the Fass family was sitting by the bullpen before his April 25 start at Trenton and handed Fass the baseball he used during warmups.

“We have a picture of him staring at the baseball and eating a hot dog,” the boy’s mother, Jill Fass, told the Rumble.

The condition, which is genetic (for more information, please visit http://www.albinism.org), has left little Andy legally blind and without pigment in his skin.

“He’s a regular kid,” Jill said. “He just can’t see too good. We have to lather him up in sunscreen. He has to wear sunglasses out a lot. Direct sunlight will hurt his eyes. If he has one eye squint, he has to put sunglasses on.”

None of it has deterred little Andy from suddenly wanting to play baseball, and it was after his T-ball class Wednesday night when a DVD on which Pettitte invited the boy to the Stadium was shown at the YMCA in Hamilton, N.J.

“Andy got inches from the screen to watch it,” Jill said.

When Pettitte started at the Stadium on Mother’s Day, the Fass family as there — little Andy, 7-year-old sister Katie, Jill and husband Marc. Little Andy calls the press box “the ice cream box” because of the hospitality he received there.

“He likes giving high-fives,” Jill said. “I’ll go to the deli and he’ll hug the person who cuts the meat.”

Yankees communications director Jason Zillo organized Hope Week, which springs eternal when the object of little Andy’s affection is Big Andy.

“We told him we get to go to Yankee Stadium for the day,” Jill said. “He wants to see his buddy Andy Pettitte now.”

‘Big Daddy,’ stars hit links in benefit

Rich “Big Daddy” Salgado, life and disability insurance advisor for stars of the sports and entertainment worlds, will host the first Big Daddy Golf Classic today at the Oheka Castle in Huntington (L.I.) to benefit a new children’s aneurysm center at North Shore LIJ Hospital, and it will be a knockout affair now that Mike Tyson and Bernard Hopkins are the headliners.

Other A-listers include Michael Strahan, Muhammad Wilkerson, Amani Toomer, Ronnie Lott, Gary Sheffield, Marshon Brooks, Ken Daneyko, Kevin Weekes, Tiki Barber, Christian Peter, Billy Jaffe, Scott Ferral, Jay Glazer, and Adam Schefter

“I am an aneurysm survivor,” Salgado told the Rumble. “There needs to be more awareness of this disease. North Shore is one of the top places in the country for this and it just needs a little bit of an upgrade.”

Salgado was 43 when an MRI exam revealed a brain aneurysm that necessitated an 8 1/2-hour surgery at North Shore Hospital.

“It was very scary,” Salgado said. “Even though I feel like I have the whole world as a support system, I felt alone. It was such a personal thing, I didn’t share it with a lot of people.” Why not? “It wasn’t like I won the lottery,” Salgado said.

Following a brief recuperation period, Salgado was back at work at Coastal Advisors LLC, which serves more than 350 current and retired athletes and coaches from all the major professional sports leagues.

“We educate and we protect clients’ families and their families,” Salgado said.

For tickets for the 6 p.m. celebrity party and live auction, visit http://www.bigdaddygolfclassic.com.

Johan, Mets help 9/11 foundation

The Johan Santana Foundation has made a $10,000 donation, which was matched by the Mets Foundation, to the 9/11 organization, Tuesday’s Children. Both donations are ticketed to help Hispanic families and Hispanic first responders who suffered losses in the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

“What people forget that even though it’s been over a decade, these families still need help,” said Amy Wright of Tuesday’s Children. “Since Johan and the Mets got involved, we already have registered over 150 individuals to make them aware of the services we offer. We are also in the process of implementing many new programs for the Hispanic community.”

Santana is happy to help.

“I was at an event and met some of the families,” he said. “ It’s obvious that the hurt is still there. It’s a great cause.”

PBA tour bowled over by Jersey girl

Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., the first woman to win a PBA tour title, is looking to spare no one at the U.S. Women’s Bowling Open, which concludes Wednesday night. Kulick was the first woman to win a PBA tour title.

“Women’s bowling keeps growing in popularity, which has been so great to be a part of,” Kulick told the Rumble. “Hosting the U.S. Women’s Bowling Open last year at Cowboys Stadium was an incredible milestone and this year we’re breaking new ground by holding the competition outdoors under the famous Reno Arch. But given I’m a Jersey girl, I’d really love it if MetLife Stadium played host to the Open in the future.”

Buck talks about dad on ‘Stage’

Joe Buck remembers a special road trip with late father Jack Buck on YES’ “CenterStage” on Thursday night.

“I used to love going on trips to Dodger Stadium because my dad would take me to Vegas on the way back to St. Louis,” Joe says. “We’d leave the charter, stop in Vegas and he’d shoot craps all night, so … I was like … the little rat kid that was hanging around the casino … as my dad rolled craps and I played Donkey Kong and then went to bed. Then he’d come back in the morning and be like, ‘Well, we worked for free this week, Buck …’ And we’d get on the plane and go back to St. Louis.”

Cyclones tap WWE to scare off bullies

In partnership with the Brooklyn Cyclones, WWE superstars Mark Henry and Zack Ryder, WWE diva Natalya, WWE personality Lilian Garcia and WWE executive VP of creative Stephanie McMahon will be on-hand to promote anti-bullying and tolerance as part of anti-bullying night Wednesday night at MCU Park. … Mark Teixeira has helped launch SportsYapper, a first-of-its-kind second screen social sports app in which he is a partner. “SportsYapper will change the way people watch sports,” Teixeira said. “It’s great for me because I’m often watching games alone while on the road. Rather than trying to text with five buddies at once, SportsYapper gives me one place to stay connected to family, friends and other fans while I’m watching a game.” … Phiten, the innovator and original maker of the titanium necklace and precious metal-infused sports accessories, has given all MLB players a special Stars and Stripes Tornado titanium necklace to proudly show off Team USA on July 4. Tornado necklaces http://www.PhitenUSA.com. are one of the most popular Phiten accessories and are regularly worn by Justin Verlander, Curtis Granderson, Yu Darvish, C.J. Wilson.

Oh, ‘Mercy!’ 100 years of Bosox

Noted baseball author Curt Smith has penned a new book on Fenway Park, called “Mercy!,” which celebrates the team’s centennial via the reflections of the Red Sox announcers through the years — Ned Martin, Curt Gowdy, Ken Harrelson, Dick Stockton, Sean McDonough and more. The jacket cover contains testimonials from George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis — presidential opponents in 1988. … Former Giants Amani Toomer, O.J. Anderson, Bart Oates, Joe Morris, Jeff Feagles, Rodney Hampton and Stephen Baker will headline the inaugural New York Giants Run of Champions 5K road race today at MetLife Stadium. … Steve Nash again will host his Soccer Showdown to benefit The Steve Nash Foundation Wednesday night at Sarah D. Roosevelt Park in Chinatpown. (http://stevenash.org/showdown/). … Beginning today through Friday, the Harlem Wizards are offering fans the opportunity to participate in the Harlem Wizards Basketball Camp at the Minerals Resort and Spa at Crystal Springs Resort in Vernon, N.J., the official training facility of the Wizards. … Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation is hosting a PACE panel discussion on concussions in youth sports on Tuesday night with Drew Brees, Carl Banks, soccer’s Briana Scurry and Dr. Mark Lovell at the New York Institute of Technology.