Ebersol's son honored with ballfields

BOSTON -- On the day his son would have turned 16, NBC
sports chairman Dick Ebersol joined Boston dignitaries in a
dedication of three baseball fields as "Teddy Ebersol's Red Sox
Fields."

With his wife, actress Susan Saint James, by his side Saturday,
Ebersol thanked state officials and the Boston Red Sox for helping
honor his son, who died at age 14 in a plane crash in Colorado on
Nov. 28, 2004.

"The idea that for the rest of Susan's life, and the rest of
mine, we can come here and see children enjoying themselves on
these fields is incredible," Ebersol said.

Ebersol, the longtime head of NBC Sports, is an ardent New York
Yankees fan. His son was a rabid Red Sox fan. On Saturday, the
father paid tribute by donning a Red Sox cap and jacket.

"Other than his driver's license, Teddy would have wanted this
more than anything for his birthday," he said.

Dick Ebersol and another son, Charlie, survived the crash of an
executive jet during takeoff in light snow, fog and freezing
temperatures at Montrose Regional Airport.

The fields were built as part of a public-private partnership,
with the Red Sox paying the bulk of the costs. Ebersol said his
family will donate $500,000 to help maintain the new diamonds.

The project was the brainchild of Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, a
close friend of the Ebersol family, who noted that Teddy Ebersol
was buried wearing a Red Sox jersey. As recently as a week ago,
Werner said, a David Ortiz bobblehead doll adorned the boy's grave
in Connecticut.