How about a happy little tidbit, just right for getting your day started off right? And yes, I admit I have been dying to find a way to use "Wakey, Wakey, eggs and bac-y" around here. It's the little things that make me happy.

You might have seen the Tim Wakefield Celebrity Golf Classic listed over in the sidebar calendar as coming up at the end of the month - but the Dec. 31st issue of Sports Illustrated had a small story in their Unknown Stories of the Year from baseball, that gives a lot more insight into what that tournament is all about:

Tim Wakefield was just a pitcher in the minors in 1992 when he made a major pledge to his friend Betsy Farmer, the cofounder of a cash-strapped, five-year-old preschool serving 30 children with special needs in Melbourne, Fla. "If I ever make it to the big leagues," Wakefield said, "I want to help you out."

The Pirates called up Wakefield that summer; a few months later the Space Coast Early Intervention Center was down to its final $51.12. "I was getting ready to close the school," recalls Farmer. But Wakefield, a Melbourne native, kept his word and used his new major league connections to organize an off-season golf tournament. It raised nearly $40,000, an amount matched by Wakefield, who was making $150,000. "We wouldn't be here if it weren't for him," says SCEIC executive director Sally Shinn. "It's that simple." The 16th annual Tim Wakefield Celebrity Golf Classic, held last January, netted more than $250,000.

The school, which now has 90 full-time students, will open a new, 15,000-square-foot facility on Jan. 7. "It's very important to reognize that children with special needs can function normally in society," says Wakefield, 41, whose knuckleball helped propel the Red Sox to two titles. His aid isn't just financial. A father of two, Wakefield regularly visits the school, sitting on the floor and playing with the children. "He'll go for the most severely challenged child, and he doesn't bat an eye," says Shinn. "He's got a great touch."

And the article is accompanied by the gosh darned cutest photo of Wakefield engulfed by a pile of happy kids. You can click the picture above to see the photo full-size. And I bet you dollars to donuts that if Wakefield sold those "Wakefield's Warriors" shirts online, he could make a ton of money for charity. Think about it, Tim!