Star Pitch for Charity Should Be a Hit

Think of it as a second-string Farm Aid, with baseball gloves and bats instead of Willie Nelson and his friends saving the heartland. Or Band-Aid, without Bob Geldof and U2.

Think of it as anything except professional baseball when members of bands such as Pearl Jam, Dramarama and Stone Temple Pilots go far afield of their usual activities to play a few innings of softball this weekend.

Stop smirking, now, it’s for a good cause.

And this is one of the few times one can actually go star-gazing in Long Beach, which might be fun, if you like sweaty musicians.

This weekend’s game is scheduled as the final event of the weeklong Rock ‘n’ Charity Celebration, put together by the T.J. Martell Foundation, to raise money for research and treatment of leukemia, cancer and AIDS.

The only part of the shebang open to the public, said spokeswoman Suzan Crane, is the big, final party: the Celebrity Softball Games at noon today at Blair Field in Long Beach.

One team will be the Rockers, the other team will be called the Rollers. Cute, huh?

We can’t tell you who’s on first because no lineup was available at press time for either team. But we can tell you who is playing: Pearl Jam guitarist Jeff Ament; Young M.C.; singer Donny Vie and bassist Chip Z’Nufffrom, of course, Enuff Z’Nuff; Melissa Etheridge, who will also sing the national anthem; and bassist Chris Carter from Dramarama. Better yet, drummer Randy Guss from Toad the Wet Sprocket will be there and will need a designated runner from the audience because of an injury.

To the musicians, mix in a few actors, including Tracy Reiner from “A League of Their Own,” and professional athletes and it may be a pretty good game.

Last year, the week of events raised nearly $500,000 for the foundation, even though few people wanted to go to the ball fields at USC so soon after the Los Angeles riots.

The T.J. Martell Foundation was founded in 1975 and has raised nearly $65 million for research laboratories around the world. It also supports treatment of pediatric cancer and AIDS patients in Los Angeles County through its association with Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

The Rockers vs. Rollers games will be preceded by two other games featuring teams from Los Angeles radio stations KLOS, KIIS and KNAC.

Tickets are $20 reserved and $10 general admission and are available through Ticketmaster outlets or by calling (213) 480-3232.