Konerko, Rollins 1st co-winners of Clemente Award
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Retiring White Sox star Paul Konerko and Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins are the first co-winners of Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clement Award.
The annual honor is given for contributions on and off the field that best represent the sport and is named for the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer, who died on Dec. 31, 1972, in a plane crash while on a humanitarian mission to assist earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Konerko founded the “Bring Me Home Campaign,” which also includes a pair of former teammates: retired great Jim Thome and the Los Angeles Angels’ Gordon Beckham. The campaign says it has raised nearly $450,000 to assist foster children in Illinois.
A six-time All-Star, Konerko hit .279 with 439 homers and 1,412 RBIs in 18 major league reasons.
Rollins, a three-time All-Star, developed JRoll’s Aces in 2007 through The Rollins Family Foundation to provide tickets to children in disadvantaged areas who excel in academics. He also is involved in the reading program J-Roll’s Readers.
This was the first tie for the award, which was voted on by a group that included Clemente’s widow and baseball executives, broadcasters, writers and sponsors.