Major League Baseball Players and Fans Salute the Military

I recently learned of a charity that’s working with wounded veterans and their families, and did a little background search on them to find out more about their focus and their work.

I came across an article written by Mychael Urban posted on MLB.com which mentions some of the work being done by the charity Strikeouts for Troops, created in 2004 by San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito.

…Zito’s ever-expanding roster of big league contributors [to Strikeouts for Troops] is nearly 70 strong, and more than $2 million has been raised since the program’s inception, with 100 percent of the funds distributed; Zito covers the administrative costs associated with making sure the money goes where it’s supposed to go.

The money comes primarily from the participating players, who donate per strikeout, home runs or RBI or make flat donations. Among them are CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher of the Yankees, Manny Ramirez and Orlando Hudson of the Dodgers, Albert Pujols and Rick Ankiel of the Cardinals, Jake Peavy of the Padres, Dan Haren and Eric Byrnes of the D-backs, Eric Chavez of the A’s, Jermaine Dye of the White Sox, and Tim Lincecum, Brian Wilson and Matt Cain of the Giants…

This March, Zito continued his annual tradition of bringing to Spring Training a large group of wounded Marines who’ve been recovering at Balboa Naval Hospital in his hometown of San Diego…

Zito had secured for the Marines a section of seats directly behind home plate [at a pre-season game between the Dodgers and White Sox in Glendale, AZ], and when the Marine Corps Hymn was played during the fifth inning, the Marines stood at attention. The crowd followed suit with a standing ovation.

As depicted in the recent movie Taking Chance with Kevin Bacon (excellent movie!), there is a substantial cross-section of America — people of all ages and political views — who are not only ready to respond but they are looking for ways to show honor to our service men and women, to embrace their families, to pay their respects.

I was particularly impressed with excerpts from letter sent by Rick Williams of the Marine Corps League of San Diego, which Urban quoted in his article and I’ve included below.

…What happened next was detailed in a letter that Williams sent to Zito upon getting the troops back to San Diego.

When we all left the game in the seventh inning to get back to the airport, the injured Marines had to walk up, directly behind home plate, about 75 stairs to leave. Of course, it took a while because several had canes, and even more could not walk fast because the guys with the canes were at the head of the line.

As they filed up the stairs out of the stadium, in a single-file line, spontaneously the crowd again all stood up and gave the Marines [another] standing ovation until the very last one reached the top of the stairs. Had to take 3-4 minutes.

It was loud. It was crazy. The players on the field were even clapping. It was truly a proud moment for me. When the Marines got to the top of the stairs, several were crying. It was very, very emotional. Emotional for them, for me, for the crowd.

… To be taken out of the hospital, out of rehab and told “Thanks” by the very same people they are fighting for, it is truly overwhelming for them. To watch them hobble up those stairs, with 12,000 to 15,000 people cheering for them and then them having tears streaming down their cheeks, it made me very proud.

… [Barry], I want you to know that you made it possible for them to receive the recognition that they deserve. You should be very proud for what you are doing for our military and, especially, my fellow Marines.

“Baseball is my job,” Zito says, “… Strikeouts for Troops is personal. Baseball is a game, and I’m fortunate to be living my dream by playing it for a living. But would any of us be living any of our dreams if not for what our soldiers are doing and have done in the name of our country?

“No, obviously. And nobody should ever lose sight of that. Strikeouts for Troops isn’t about me. It’s about baseball showing appreciation for the men and women who put their lives on the line.”

Barry, you’re making a major-league baseball fan out of me.

To Rick and others in the Marine Corp League, that applause on the way out was for all marines, and for the people who support them. Thanks for what you’re doing!

I hope that those 12,000 to 15,000 cheering people will watch to Gratitude Campaign video (70 seconds) and help to spread the message. It only takes a few people living-it-out to start a worldwide movement.

To the ball players involved in Strikeouts for Troops, and to the behind-the-scenes donors, a salute to you.

And to all the American heroes serving here and overseas, recovering in hospitals or at home, separated from loved-ones by distance or time or injury, or back in civilian jobs taking each day at a time… we are standing and applauding you, too.

(Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. Excerpted story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Used under GNU public-use license.)

This entry was posted on June 12, 2009 at 17:49 and is filed under media, MLB, heroes, gratitude, public policy, social ventures, philanthropy, nonprofit, military, CSR. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.