A night to celebrate stars
Monday, January 26, 2009 | Feedback | Print Entry
New York's baseball writers dinner is an enormous event, with the major award winners on hand to accept their trophies. Willie Weinbaum, a colleague of ours at ESPN, was there Sunday night and collected some notes and quotes:
Sunday's 86th annual awards dinner of the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America was a harmonious evening perhaps best captured when American League MVP Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox thanked the New York-partisan audience for the absence of booing.
Columnist Bob Klapisch of The Record of New Jersey, who was honored for courageously enduring severe injuries from a mound accident in a semipro game, presented the first award to AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee of the Indians. Moments earlier, the late Cleveland lefty Herb Score, whose career was defined by the effects of a line-drive comebacker, was remembered along with other baseball figures who died in the past year.
The remembrances covered Eliot Asinof to Sal Yvars, with video tributes to Bobby Murcer and others with New York connections. Murcer gave a stirring speech at the 2008 dinner while battling brain cancer. Murcer's widow, Kay, was in attendance Sunday.
The Mets' David Wright said he'd text-messaged his buddy B.J. Upton of Tampa Bay in preparation for presenting the Rays' Evan Longoria with the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Upton, Wright said, was extremely brief in two replies, characterizing Longoria as a "beast" and a "good dude."
Closer Brad Lidge of the world-champion Philadelphia Phillies, the Sid Mercer-Dick Young Player of the Year, presented the World Series MVP to teammate Cole Hamels and said he was also deserving of "the four consecutive years of best hair in the league award."
Hamels, in turn, described how Lidge could put food away because he didn't have to worry about getting into games until the end. Having plenty of time to digest dinner is one of the perks of the job, Lidge said.
The Mets' third baseman, meanwhile, received the Joan Payson Award for community service.
Immediately after master of ceremonies David Lennon of Newsday described Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town Award winner Johan Santana as the pitcher Mets fans appreciated and Yankees fans longed for, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman received a warm ovation as he approached the lectern to present his league's MVP. Cashman joked about "living with it [Yankees fans' unpleasant reaction to passing on Santana] everyday."
Former Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams performed a guitar rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." He said he never knew the song in his native Puerto Rico, but came to realize in the U.S. that as long as he heard it, he'd had a job.
Williams and former Met Ed Kranepool, both of whom played their whole careers with their respective New York teams, received the "Willie, Mickey and the Duke Award" in recognition of their records for games played at the refurbished Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium, respectively.
"Center field for the Yankees isn't just one of the greatest positions in baseball, but in sports," Williams said.
MLB awards:
AL MVP -- Dustin Pedroia
NL MVP -- Albert Pujols
AL Cy Young -- Cliff Lee
NL Cy Young -- Tim Lincecum
AL Manager -- Joe Maddon
NL Manager -- Lou Piniella
AL Rookie -- Evan Longoria
NL Rookie -- Geovany Soto
New York chapter BBWAA awards:
Sid Mercer-Dick Young Player of the Year -- Brad Lidge
Ben Epstein-Dan Castellano Good Guy -- Johnny Damon
William J. Slocum-Jack Lang for Long and Meritorious Service -- Greg Maddux
Casey Stengel You Could Look It Up -- Mike Mussina
Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town -- Johan Santana
Milton Richman You Gotta Have Heart -- Bob Klapisch
Willie, Mickey and the Duke -- Bernie Williams/Ed Kranepool
Babe Ruth World Series MVP -- Cole Hamels
Joan Payson -- David Wright
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Buster Olney
