DIAMONDBACKS HONOR FATHER-SON DUO,
FITNESS PIONEER AT MDA-ALS AWARENESS NIGHT

TUCSON, Ariz., May 4, 2006 — For baseball fans, May 2, 1939, will always be remembered as the day that Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig ended his 2,130 consecutive game-streak.

Sixty-seven years later, Stuart and Andrew Nichols of Houston ended a streak of another kind: they attended a game at Chase Field in Phoenix, the final stop on their 16-year odyssey to attend a game at every Major League Baseball team’s home field.

Diamondbacks first baseman Conor Jackson serves as honorary chairman for Augie's Quest. From left: Diamondbacks General Partner Jeff Moorad, Panda Express President & COO Tom Davin, Conor Jackson, Augie Nieto, Stu Nichols and Andrew Nichols.

Stuart Nichols received a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in January 2004. ALS is the same disease that took Gehrig out of the game, and ultimately ended his life. The grim prognosis the disease carries also forced the Nichols to expedite their tour that began in 1990. They attended 12 games in the last two years.

The evening game, an emotional, but upbeat finale for their odyssey, put a national media spotlight on the Nichols journey, and drew dozens of the duo’s friends and family to mark the occasion in two suites provided by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks launched ALS Awareness Month for MDA at the game, highlighted by a special pre-game ceremony that honored the Nichols, Gehrig’s legacy and “Augie's Quest,” a special fund-raising campaign for aggressive ALS research being captained by Augie Nieto, co-chairperson of MDA’s ALS Division. Andrew Nichols tossed the game’s ceremonial first pitch to Diamondbacks first baseman Conor Jackson, the honorary chairman of “Augie’s Quest.”

“What an amazing night. It was gratifying for Andrew and me not only to finish this great journey, but to also help educate people about ALS and MDA’s effort to find a cure,” Stuart Nichols said.

“The Diamondbacks are proud to bring awareness to this disease by not only educating our fans, but honoring a few special people who are living with ALS, Stu Nichols and my very dear friend Augie Nieto,” said Diamondbacks General Partner Jeff Moorad.
Nichols, who is on medical leave from his position with Exxon-Mobil, lives in Kingwood, Texas.

The Augie’s Quest team, Stuart Nichols, Augie Nieto, Andrew Nichols and Jeff Moorad, unite in the Diamondback’s dugout to commemorate ALS Awareness Month for the Muscular Dystrophy Association at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Nieto is known as a fitness revolutionary, pioneering the way people work out today. He is the co-founder and former president of Life Fitness, which created the first indoor cardio equipment.

Every fan who entered the park received a red “Augie’s Quest” wristband courtesy of Panda Express, and information about MDA’s effort to cure ALS. As for action on the field, the Diamondbacks beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-8 in a come-from-behind victory that included a grand slam in the fifth inning by Arizona’s Chad Tracy.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat ALS and more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. For more information on “Augie’s Quest” or ALS, visit www.augiesquest.org or www.als-mda.org.