SAN DIEGO —— A $70 picture turned into an $11,000 windfall Monday for the Rancho Buena Vista Little League.

They can thank Junior Seau for the huge profit.

Seau, the former Chargers linebacker now with the Miami Dolphins, held his fifth annual Teammates Luncheon on Monday. The event honored the Chargers' 1982 game against Miami, considered by many as the best game ever played.

More than 830 people attended the fete at the La Jolla Hyatt, including several members of the Rancho Buena Vista team that finished third at the Little League World Series last August.

The event serves as one of several major fundraisers for the Junior Seau Foundation, and Seau is not above getting the crowd involved, especially during a brief time where some special items were auctioned off.

For instance, a guitar autographed by the Rolling Stones fetched $10,000 for the foundation. A Lance Armstrong autograph jersey went for $7,500.

But there was one item that caught the fancy of everyone, a charcoal sketch of Williamsport's Little League facilities that was signed by the RBV team.

Rancho Buena Vista manager Marty Miller said the league purchased the hand-sketched prints to give out as thank-you gifts for the many people who supported the team.

"I think we bought about 20 of them for $70 apiece," Miller said.

The foundation asked Miller if they could auction one off, and he agreed.

When Seau held up the small, framed picture, he called on the RBV players to come up on stage to encourage the bidding.

Then, he got caught up in the moment and said, "I'll match any bid and all the money will go from my foundation to the Little Leaguers."

Suddenly, the bidding got a little more intense. And when it ended, Chargers team physician Dr. David Chao bid $5,500.

"All I did was grab a picture, and the wonderful people of San Diego responded," Seau said.

Not true. Without Seau's presence, this would have gone nowhere.

The $11,000, by the way, represents about one-third of the Rancho Buena Vista Little League's annual budget.

"I'm dumbfounded," said Miller, who had no idea any of this was going to happen.

Seau Foundation board member Annette Legaspi of San Diego bought a table at a cost of $550 and invited the team even though she had never met them.

"I knew we could have a team here, and I thought they played so well watching them on television," Legaspi said.

Assistant coach Randy Reznicek noted, "There are a lot of things our league needs and this will come in handy."

Miller said the league is hoping install some batting cages, but the league's board will decide exactly how the money will be spent.

Seau's drawing power as a fundraiser and his positive personality made this happen.

San Diego will always remember Seau as one of the toughest linebackers in the game, but he is also establishing a reputation for his philanthropic work through his foundation. According to foundation president Bette Hoffman, the foundation raised more than $900,000 last year, gave out $500,000 to various charities and endowed close to $300,000.

All because the people believe in what Seau is doing.

Seau, who turns 37 on Jan. 19, does not feel his pro football career is over although he played in only seven games before going on injured reserve with a calf injury on Nov. 24.

"The doctors thought I could have an Achilles' tendon injury, so we decided to shut it down," Seau said. "But I will be playing with someone next year."

Since going on injured reserve, Seau has moved to Oceanside, where he has bought a beach house.

"I'm going back home," said Seau, an Oceanside High grad. "This is where I want to be, and I'll do what I can to help the city become a place where everyone wants to live."

Steve Scholfield is senior sports columnist for the North County Times. He can be reached at (760) 740-3509 or stevescho@cox.net.