Clemente Award goes to Rizzo
“Baseball awards are amazing, but to be able to be a part of this type of award is something else.” ‘ Really emotional’ to be honored for work with cancer patients, he says
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo will have no All- Star appearance or World Series parade to show for his 2017 season. But on Friday, he took home what he considers one of the biggest honors of his career: the 2017 Roberto Clemente Award for his work with pediatric cancer patients and fundraising for cancer research and family support.
“It’s insane over the past few years how many people tell me we helped someone out, and it makes me so happy,” said Rizzo, a cancer survivor who, in 2008 as a Red Sox minor- leaguer, was diagnosed with limited- stage classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Rizzo, 28, regularly visits hospitals, befriending young patients and their families, offering support and sharing his experiences, along with the occasional autographed photo, ball or jersey.
“To touch lives like that, it’s something you can’t really explain,” said Rizzo, who does much of his work through the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation.
Rizzo tweeted about the loss this week of one of those young patients, a little girl named Mia. “You will be missed but never forgotten,” he wrote in the tweet.
“Mia has been there since the beginning,” he said. “Every time I saw her, she was a breath of fresh air. Last time I saw her, she was atWrigley. She wasn’t looking too good. But I saw her smile.”
“Going through this over the past six years, there’s been a lot of good times, but when you lose kids that are the base of the foundation, it’s not easy.”
Originally called the Commissioner’s Award, the award was renamed in 1973 to honor Clemente, who was killed in a plane crash the previous New Year’s Eve attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. The award goes to the player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.” Fans and media vote from a list of 30 nominees, one fromeach team.
“When I found out, itwas really emotional for everyone involved in the foundation andmy life andmy team,” said Rizzo, who donated $ 3.5 million from his foundation to Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago in August. “Roberto set the bar for all athletes, especially baseball players. Everything he got, he gave back.”
Rizzo, a three- time AllStar who has four consecutive 30- homer seasons, has been the Cubs’ nominee all five of his full seasons with the team.
“Baseball is my passion, but to be able to reach out on a different level than that is something that I’ll never overlook,” he said. “Baseball awards are amazing, but to be able to be a part of this type of award is something else.”
Willie Mays was the award’s first recipient in 1971. Recent winners include Chicago native Curtis Granderson last year and Andrew McCutchen in 2015.
The White Sox’ Paul Konerko was a co- winner in 2014.