Story by
Dallas Cowboys' Micah Parsons joins Aaron Jones to seek softball game redemption
- Story by
- Dallas Cowboys' Micah Parsons joins Aaron Jones to seek softball game redemption
In lighter moments, Aaron and Alvin Jones joke that their A&A All the Way charity softball game is about family bragging rights.
They always say that with big smiles on their faces, making it obvious what their Thursday night event at Southwest University Park is all about.
Advertisement
"We want to come back and show El Paso a lot of love and give back to our community," said Aaron Jones , a Burges and UTEP alum who is the starting tailback for the Green Bay Packers . "We wanted to show off our community (to the celebrities, they've been enjoying it, they've been enjoying El Paso. We also want to show the kids, 'Hey, it's attainable, you can put your eyes on it, you can reach it.'
"This is special, I'm super excited."
The A&A All the Way Foundation hosted its second annual charity softball game which included a vast amount of celebrities at Southwest University Park on June 29, 2023.
Alvin echoed that.
"El Paso is home to us," Alvin said. "No matter where we go in life, this is home. We'll always be here with our softball game, it means so much to us. It just gets bigger every year and we can't wait to see what's next."
Advertisement
Bringing the power with Dallas Cowboys Micah Parsons
Alvin's Team Vino All-Stars won this game last season, which has motivated Aaron to get some revenge. To that end, he brought the muscle in Micah Parsons, the all-pro linebacker/edge rusher for the Dallas Cowboys.
"I'm bringing in the power," Aaron said. "I took the L last year so I'm loading up, bringing the power. Hopefully, he'll come out with bats blazing and be aggressive on the diamond as he is on the field."
Everything started out that way, with Parsons delighting the crowd by winning the home run derby, including launching one that not only cleared the temporary softball wall, but also the regulation wall in left-center - a blast of about 370 feet. He then gave his winning bat to a young fan in a Parsons jersey.
Advertisement
Then Parsons, after searching for a suitable replacement bat, led off the game with an inside-the-park home run that slipped past the centerfielder, Arizona Cardinal and former Miner Will Hernandez . In the second inning he blasted one out of the park to left field as Aaron's Showtyme opened a big lead.
Still, Aaron couldn't resist pointing out he's had some huge games against Dallas.
"I know there's a huge Cowboys demographic out here," said Aaron, who was part of that demographic before being drafted by the Packers (Alvin was historically a Seattle Seahawks fan). "That's why I have to do that to the Cowboys every year."
Aaron, though, doesn't have a monopoly on trash talking in the family. Referring to the trophy that goes to the champion, which for a year now has been Alvin, Aaron said, "He doesn't talk about it every day, but out of 356 days, he talks about it 300."
Advertisement
Aaron, who promised he was going to hit a home run, later hit an inside-the-park homer off the glove of Hernandez.
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons has 26.5 sacks in his career.
Getting Ricardo Pepi for charity softball game
The other big get was PSV Eindhoven star Ricardo Pepi, and while the Jones brothers didn't know Pepi well when the game started coming together months ago, they caught up with him quickly.
"Instagram. I didn't have Ricardo's number before this, but we always follow each other," Aaron said. "We support each other. Any athlete, musician, if you're coming out of El Paso you have our support. It's a small big city, not a lot of people make it. I want to support those who do and he's the same way.
Advertisement
"We all want the best for each other ... He has two weeks off all year and he's here in El Paso. That speaks volumes to who Ricardo Pepi is."
Ricardo Pepi (9) celebrates with teammates after he scored a goal against El Salvador.
Where the money goes
Aaron Jones' involvement in the community now has him as the Packers' perennial nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. Alvin and Aaron's charitable foundation gives money to a lot of different places, including aiding military families like the one they grew up in.
Alvin also pointed out another place where a lot of the money they generate goes.
The A&A All the Way Foundation hosted its second annual charity softball game which included a vast amount of celebrities at Southwest University Park on June 29, 2023.
"Everyone has what they are interested in, what they are passionate about," Alvin said. "What we're really passionate about is shoes. If you go to my room, I literally have shoes and shoes and shoes everywhere. Aaron has his yards for shoes campaign: Every yard he rushes for is a pair of shoes for a kid.
Advertisement
"That's my favorite one, but also with the military families because that's where we came from: Both parents in Iraq or Afghanistan, all we had was each other."
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Aaron Jones excited to bring charity softball game to El Paso
