Major League Baseball and Chevy announce national nominees for the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy
Albert Pujols, Jimmy Rollins, Brandon Webb and David Wright among 30 finalists for award recognizing community service excellence; Chevy to donate $285,000 in honor of Roberto Clemente to charities around the country
Major League Baseball and Chevy, the official vehicle of Major League Baseball, today announced the names of the 30 Club nominees who are finalists for the prestigious 2008 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy. The national award is given annually to the Major League Baseball player who combines outstanding skills on the baseball field with devoted work in the community. Tomorrow will mark the seventh annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball in 2002 to honor the legacy of Roberto Clemente and to officially recognize local Club recipients of the Roberto Clemente Award.
The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy is named for the 12-time 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. The award perpetuates Clemente's legacy and character by recognizing current-day players who truly understand the value of helping others.
Fans can once again participate in the selection process of the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy. From September 3rd through October 5th, fans are encouraged to log on to
www.chevy.com/clemente and vote for one of the 30 Club nominees.
"I applaud the 2008 Club winners of the Roberto Clemente Award for their performance on the field as well as their commitment to the community," said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. "For the second season, Chevy will join us to remember the life and work of Roberto Clemente, and recognize this group of 30 players who represent the game of baseball, both on and off the field, in the spirit of this Award."
"Roberto Clemente was an amazing player on the diamond, and an even better man off the field. Chevrolet is privileged and honored to sponsor the award that bears his name, and on behalf of our 3,900 dealers, we congratulate all of this year's award winners. These 30 leaders help to keep Roberto's legacy alive by selflessly giving back to their communities in so many ways," said Ed Peper, GM North American Vice President of Chevrolet.
The 30 Club recipients of the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy are:
Arizona Diamondbacks - Brandon Webb
Atlanta Braves - Tim Hudson
Baltimore Orioles - Melvin Mora
Boston Red Sox - Kevin Youkilis
Chicago Cubs - Ryan Dempster
Chicago White Sox - Jermaine Dye
Cincinnati Reds - Brandon Phillips
Cleveland Indians - Grady Sizemore
Colorado Rockies - Jeff Francis
Detroit Tigers - Magglio Ordoņez
Florida Marlins - Luis Gonzalez
Houston Astros - Lance Berkman
Kansas City Royals - Mark Teahen
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - Justin Speier
Los Angeles Dodgers - James Loney
Milwaukee Brewers - Jeff Suppan
Minnesota Twins - Michael Cuddyer
New York Mets - David Wright
New York Yankees - Johnny Damon
Oakland Athletics - Mark Ellis
Philadelphia Phillies - Jimmy Rollins
Pittsburgh Pirates - Jack Wilson
St. Louis Cardinals - Albert Pujols
San Diego Padres - Trevor Hoffman
San Francisco Giants - Kevin Frandsen
Seattle Mariners - Raul Ibaņez
Tampa Bay Rays - Carlos Peņa
Texas Rangers - Kevin Millwood
Toronto Blue Jays - Vernon Wells
Washington Nationals - Joel Hanrahan
Chevy will donate $30,000 and a Chevy vehicle to the national winner's charity of choice and an additional $30,000 will be donated by Chevy to Roberto Clemente Sports City, a not-for-profit organization in Carolina, Puerto Rico, designed to provide recreational sports activities for children.
Additionally, Chevy will donate $7,500 to the charity of choice of each of the 30 Club recipients. The fan vote winner will be tallied as one vote among those cast by the selection panel, which includes Vera Clemente, wife of the late Hall of Famer, and Commissioner Selig. Participating fans also automatically will be registered for a chance to win a trip to Game Three of the 2008 World Series where the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy will be announced.
The national celebration of Roberto Clemente Day will take place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL prior to tomorrow night's game between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. Roberto Clemente Jr., son of Roberto Clemente, and Carlos Peņa, the Rays' recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award, are scheduled to participate in a pre-game ceremony. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases, commemorative home plates and the official dugout lineup cards.
All Clubs playing at home tomorrow will acknowledge their local recipients as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies. Visiting Clubs will honor their local Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy recipients during an upcoming homestand.
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Originally Posted by BB Report
