Shane Victorino Presented With 2008 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
If you saw the Phillies' win over the Mets yesterday, you no doubt missed that Major League Baseball was celebrating the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's historic farewell speech. Every player wore a commemorative patch, which despite the respect it showed the occasion, cluttered things up a bit considering the teams all had to wear that ridiculous merchandising scheme of a hat yesterday too.
Lou Gehrig has for decades been a legendary figure in baseball. His consecutive games streak, broken only by his severe illness, his epic speech that still echoes (in more ways than one), and now the fight against the disease that bears his name continue to keep Gehrig a prominent part of the game.
Each year, the Phi Delta Theta fraternity presents the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award to the player it believes "best exemplifies the spirit and character" of Gehrig both on and off the field; Gehrig was a brother in the fraternity. It's not often we hear about a frat giving an award to a professional athlete, and this one bears significance—it's the only award of its kind that is sanctioned by MLB, and it's been presented every year since 1955. The plaque of winners sits in Cooperstown.
And this year, the name that will be added is that of our own WFC, Shane Victorino. Here's the video that ran at the park yesterday:
Vic joins former Phillies Mike Schmidt (1983), Curt Schilling (1995), and Jim Thome (2004), as well as teammate Jamie Moyer, who won the award as a Seattle Mariner in 2003.
Victorino is the 4th Philly to win it...but the other 3 were Schmidt(83) Schilling(95) and Thome(04)
Robin Roberts was with Baltimore in 62 when he won it...
Posted by: K in South Jersey | Sunday, July 05, 2009 at 11:16 AM
very cool award by the way
Congrats Shane
Posted by: K in South Jersey | Sunday, July 05, 2009 at 11:17 AM
fixed, thanks Mark. the award's wikipedia page lists Roberts as the 1962 winner as a member of the Phillies, but yeah looks like he was gone after the '61 season.
Posted by: Matt P. | Sunday, July 05, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Dude, sooooo proud of Victorino. That is awesome. What an outstanding character.
Shaka, bra!!
Posted by: Brandon | Monday, July 06, 2009 at 12:52 AM