Award Season Begins...Spectacularly!

Baseball's postseason recognitions kicked off with the naming of the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award recipient before Game 3 of the World Series on Saturday night. Albert Pujols is that honoree. Albert is, of course, off to an historic career on the field. He is the only man in baseball history to have a .300-plus batting average, 30-plus home runs and 100-plus RBI's each of his first 8 seasons in the big leagues. He missed by one run scored in 2007 adding 100-plus runs scored every year, too. And as great as the 2005 NL MVP has been on the field, he is an even finer person off it. The Pujols Family Foundation sponsors events throughout the year for St. Louis-area families living with Down Syndrome. The background: when Albert met his wife, Deidre, she avoided telling him for some time that she was the mother of a daughter, Isabella, who has Down Syndrome. Her experience had told her that no one would be interested in the mother of a special needs child. When the time finally came, Albert had a very clear response: "I love you, and we will raise our child together." Albert married Deidre, adopted Isabella, and they now have another daughter, Sophia, and a son, Albert, Jr., in the family. Albert's experience of Isabella led him to use his wealth, name, time and energy to assist others less fortunate than his own family.
He has also made caring for people in his native Dominican Republic a major part of his agenda. Each year, he organizes trips back home, bringing doctors and dentists into areas where there is no medical care throughout the rest of the year. And Albert isn't content to do things the easy way. Dominican officals quickly share that Pujols makes his trips into areas where even the police do not willingly go. He believes that he must reach out to and make a difference in the lives of those most afflicted by poverty, crime and hopelessness. The Pujols Family Foundation also funds sports programs for children and youth in those difficult areas of the Dominican.
Albert has been the Cardinals' nominee for the Clemente Award each of the last four seasons before being given the Award this year. His emotion was evident at the newsconference where Bud Selig made the announcement. As a latin-born player, Albert talked about his sense of connection to Clemente, and the responsibility to give back to those in need that Clemente was living out even as he died in a plane crash attempting to deliver relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Like the National League MVP award, Albert could be given the Clemente Award every year, and baseball would have nothing to apologize for.
Kevin Youkilis and Aramis Ramirez were honored before Game 4 of the World Series with the Hank Aaron Award for the best hitter in each league. Ramirez provided much of the power and run production that led the Chicago Cubs to the best record in the National League, and their second straight Central Division title. He was the Cubs' best clutch hitter this year, and did all of that while playing Gold Glove-caliber third base. It was Ramirez' first Aaron Award.
Keving Youkilis was the Red Sox' constant in a year full of change in 2008. When Manny Ramirez was traded, and Mike Lowell was injured for much of the second half, Youk stepped into the cleanup slot, and led the team in homers, RBIs, slugging percentage and on base percentage. He provided that quality of offense even as he was bouncing back and forth between first and third bases defensively.
There was a rumor around the trade deadline that the Red Sox had offered Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury and Justin Masterson to the Braves for Mark Teixeira. I don't believe that such an offer was ever made. I base that conclusion on 1) the fact that Theo Epstein has not been committed to a mental institution and 2) Braves' GM Frank Wren would have been utterly out of his mind to have taken the Casey Kotchmann package from the Angels instead of the Red Sox package. Shall we suffice it to say that without Ellsbury, Masterson and certainly Youkilis, the Sox don't make the postseason, no matter how good Tex might have been in Boston?
Youkilis' recognition is his first Aaron Award as well.
Come what may with the other awards, these selections are outstanding!