Balta1701 Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 White Sox Press release: Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of Major League Baseball, today announced that Hector Santiago was named the Chicago White Sox 2013 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Tomorrow marks the 12th annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente’s legacy and to officially recognize local Club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Santiago is one of the 30 Club finalists for the annual award, which recognizes a Major League Baseball player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement. The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet pays tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others. The 15-time MLB All-Star and Hall of Famer who died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. In 2012, Sox pitcher Hector Santiago developed “Santiago’s Soldiers,” a program that supports children and families dealing with illness by inviting them to games. The left-hander also supports a variety of White Sox Charities efforts, as he has volunteered for visits to Lurie Children’s Hospital and the Donnelly Armory, assisted in community service days, and was on-hand for Signing Day 2012, in which White Sox Amateur City Elite members signed their letters of intent to play college baseball. In January of this year, Santiago made a special visit to Newtown, Conn., where he spent time with children from the town after the December tragedy. He will be recognized tomorrow, September 17, in an on-field ceremony prior to the game vs. Minnesota. “Hector goes above and beyond with his involvement in the community,” said White Sox senior director of community relations Christine O’Reilly. “Not only does he actively participate in White Sox community efforts, Hector has taken the initiative to create his own program and made a tremendous impact.” “It truly is humbling to be the White Sox nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award,” said Santiago. “As a member of this organization, you have a responsibility to give back to the community, so awards are not why we do what we do. Yet to receive an award named for Roberto Clemente is a tremendous honor.” Beginning tomorrow on Roberto Clemente Day, fans are encouraged to participate in the process of selecting the national Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet recipient by visiting ChevyBaseball.com, which is powered by MLB Advanced Media, to vote for one of the 30 Club nominees. Voting ends on Sunday, October 6and participating fans will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to the 2013 World Series, where the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced. The winner of the fan vote will receive one vote among those cast by the selection panel. Clubs playing at home on September 17will recognize their local nominees as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies, while visiting Clubs will honor their nominees before another September home game. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and the official dugout lineup cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 (edited) Just for curiosity's sake, does anyone know why September 17th was chosen for Clemente Day? I know they weren't going to ever go the lengths of Jackie Robinson Day...nor should they...although they're definitely doing more to promote Roberto than any year in the past, from my perception. The problem is I went to wikipedia and his 3000th hit was recorded on September 29th, 1972. That was the only obvious link I could think of to the day/date September 17th. Nominees for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet were announced on Monday by Major League Baseball, in advance of Tuesday's 12th annual Roberto Clemente Day and the start of fan voting to help determine the recipient of this prestigious honor. Roberto Clemente Day was established by MLB to honor Clemente's legacy and to officially recognize 30 nominees, one for each club. The annual award, won last year by Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, goes to the player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement. The Roberto Clemente Award, presented during the World Series, pays tribute to the namesake's achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others. Clemente, a 15-time All-Star and Hall of Famer, died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. "It's an honor to be nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award," said Justin Masterson, the Indians' nominee. "So many people have been nominated in the past have done such great things. To whom much is given, much is required, and I try to live by that." "Look at Roberto Clemente, at what he did," Pirates nominee Andrew McCutchen said. "I don't want people to know me because I played baseball. I want people to know me for other things I did outside a baseball field. Yeah, Clemente was a great baseball player, but the things he did off the field said more about him. That's the person that I admire, and that's how I want to be." "Anytime you get mentioned for anything about the Roberto Clemente Award is a tremendous honor," said Hall of Famer Al Kaline, who received the honor in 1973. "Certainly after they renamed it and I was the first recipient, I was thrilled and honored." Willie Mays won the first of these honors in 1971, when it was known as the Commissioner's Award, to recognize community service around the game. He is one of 14 Hall of Famers on the distinguished list of recipients. After 1972, the award was dedicated in Clemente's name. The winner of the fan vote will receive one vote, with the rest cast by a selection panel that includes Commissioner Bud Selig; MLB Goodwill Ambassador Vera Clemente, Roberto's widow; FOX broadcasters Joe Buck and Tim McCarver; Hall of Fame Broadcaster and the "Spanish Voice of the Dodgers" Jaime Jarrin; Hall of Famer and TBS analyst Dennis Eckersley; TBS analyst Buck Martinez; MLB Network analysts and former Clemente Award winners Al Leiter and Harold Reynolds; Hall of Famer, ESPN analyst and former Roberto Clemente Award winner Barry Larkin; ESPN analyst and former Roberto Clemente Award winner Rick Sutcliffe; MLB.com senior correspondent Hal Bodley; and Chevrolet national promotions manager Mike Weidman. www.mlb.com Roberto Clemente Day was first celebrated on September 18, 2002. In the 8 years since Roberto Clemente Day was established, many Latin American baseball players and baseball fans have rejoiced in celebrating the life and contributions Roberto Clemente made to the sport of baseball.Roberto Clemente Day has been established to honor the memory of Roberto Clemente. In 2002, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said: "It has been almost thirty years since Roberto Clementes untimely death... ...He will be remembered as a great baseball player and humanitarian. To honor his legacy, we have designated this special day to not only remember Roberto, but to honor those players who have contributed so much to their communities." The Roberto Clemente Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team", as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media. It is named for Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente. Originally known as the Commissioner's Award, it has been presented by the MLB since 1971. In 1973, the award was renamed after Clemente following his death in a plane crash while delivering supplies to victims of the Nicaragua earthquake. And then the day of the award was changed from the 18th to the 17th...hmmmm. Edited September 16, 2013 by caulfield12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigEdWalsh Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 (edited) They should throw out the fan vote. That'll just be popularity vote. What do most fans know about anything related to what makes any player worthy of this award? It's ridiculous to even involve fans. That said, everything I've ever read about Hector indicates he's a guy very deserving of nomination. Edited September 16, 2013 by BigEdWalsh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Caulfield: In 2010, it was on September 8, I don't think the day has any significance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 16, 2013 -> 07:17 PM) Caulfield: In 2010, it was on September 8, I don't think the day has any significance. I don't think so either. I think it's just something at the end of the year when there will be home games left where they can honor the player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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