Craig Breslow nominated for 2014 Roberto Clemente Award
By Lucy Burdge
For the second year in a row, Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow is the team’s nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. The award is given each year to the major leaguer who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.” Should he win, Breslow would become the third member of the Red Sox to do so – –Tim Wakefield won in 2010 and David Ortiz followed up with the honor in 2011.
Breslow’s notable community involvement includes work with his Strike 3 Foundation, which he founded in 2008 to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. Breslow hosts several events each year, such as bowling nights, sports dinners, and “Sip Happens,” an annual wine tasting gala, to benefit the foundation.
The inspiration behind Strike 3 is Breslow’s sister, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when she was just 14 years old. She is now a cancer survivor and Breslow aims to help advance cancer research through his foundation so that more children will experience the same outcome.
Breslow is no stranger to science and medicine, as he double-majored in biophysics and biochemistry while playing baseball at Yale University. He also conducted genetics research in his free time and was even on the path to becoming a doctor after he was accepted to New York University’s medical school.
While he chose to play professional baseball instead, Breslow still puts his Ivy League-educated mind to good use both on the field as the “smartest man in baseball,” and in the clubhouse as an omniscient teammate: “I find that people probably ask me questions anytime they’re unsure of answers,” Breslow said last season. “Like, is it going to be cold tomorrow? Or, how do I get my iPad working? I’m certainly not an expert on these things, but if you can give someone an answer and you can get it out fast enough, they’ll believe it’s true.” You don’t need to see his diploma, this guy sure sounds like he went to Yale.
Here’s hoping Breslow earns this award to serve as an honorable representative of the Red Sox, who desperately need any kind of win they can get this year.