Ortiz Named Red Sox Nominee For 2011 Roberto Clemente Award
BOSTON (CBS) – David Ortiz has been named the Red Sox 2011 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.
Ortiz 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. It is named for the 12-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.
Ortiz has long been committed to helping children in need of medical care through hospital visits, fundraisers and personal donations. In 2009, the Red Sox DH set up the David Ortiz Children's Fund, which raises funds to enable children in the Dominican Republic to have access to pediatric critical care. The charity has raised over $1.5 million and helped over 200 children receive life-saving heart surgery in both the Dominican Republic and Northeastern United States.
Read: Ortiz, Red Sox Start Homestand In State Of Panic
"I am honored to have been chosen as the Red Sox nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award," said Ortiz in a release. "I look forward to continuing to help even more children receive the medical care they need through my charity."
"David's big heart is something we have all witnessed on the baseball diamond during games and in the dugout with his teammates, but it extends far beyond that," said Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino in a release. "His compassion for children in need of medical care is something that is very important to him, and it is, perhaps, fitting that a man with such a generous heart would be committed to a cause that helps children fix their own. We applaud his charitable work, both in his native home in the Dominican Republic, as well as in his home here in New England."
Read: Dan Roche's Sports Blog
Wednesday is the 10th annual Roberto Clemente Day, when fans can log on to www.chevybaseball.com/clemente to vote for who they think should receive the award. The winner of the fan poll will receive one vote among those cast by the selection panel, including Clemente's wife Vera, Commissioner Bud Selig, and Roberto Clemente Award winners Cal Ripken Jr, John Smoltz, Al Leiter and Harold Reynolds.
Ortiz will be honored for his nomination during a pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park on Wednesday before the Red Sox square off against the Blue Jays.
Tim Wakefield won the Robeto Clemente Award in 2010.
