GORDONSVILLE, VA - November 17,2003 - Mike Cubbage, third base coach for the Boston Red Sox announced that he and the Boston Red Sox have teamed up with the Islet Replacement Research Foundation to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. Mike, who has Type 1 Diabetes, will donate $5 for every run scored this season and the Boston Red Sox will match his donation.

Cubbage was raised in Charlottesville and lives here during the off season. "Islet cell transplantation has emerged as the most promising option for achieving restoration of normal blood glucose levels in people with Type 1 Diabetes. UVa's is on the forefront of this exciting research and a cure is close at hand," states Cubbage.

Mike was an All-ACC shortstop at the University of Virginia where he was the school's first recipient of a baseball scholarship. He also played QB for the Cavaliers and earned a degree in Education. Cubbage graduated from Lane High School in Charlottesville, where he was All-State in three sports. As a football quarterback he was All-State as a junior and senior, and helped lead Lane to a state-record 53 consecutive football wins. Mike was a 2nd-round pick by the Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers) in the 1971 June draft. Cubbage, who had an 8-year major league playing career joined the Boston Red Sox in 2001 as the third base coach. He was a coach for the New York Mets for seven seasons before joining the Houston Astros for five years.

"The Islet Replacement Research Foundation is honored to be a beneficiary of the "runs for charity" and I thank Mike Cubbage and the Boston Red Sox for their support of the Foundation," said Paul Manning, president of the Foundation. "Growing up in the Boston area, I have been a fan of the Boston Red Sox my entire life. This is a dream come to true to have baseball's greatest team supporting the Foundation and finding a cure for diabetes."

The Boston Red Sox believe in helping people. Each year they reach out to many organizations that help children and adults lead healthier, happier lives.

The Islet Replacement Research Foundation is a nonprofit grant maker and supporter of diabetes research. It funds dedicated scientists who support ambitious research projects to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. The Foundation raises funds through gifts from individual and corporate donors, special giving programs, events and grants. In 2002, the University of Virginia Health System established the Center for Cellular Transplantation and Therapeutics-the first islet cell isolation facility in the Commonwealth. The first islet cell transplant will take place in the near future. In the short-term, the University's goal is to provide a treatment for diabetic patients by replacing non-functional islet cells with healthy ones. Their long-term research is dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes.