Jacoby Ellsbury is Back!!
Last week Jacoby Ellsbury was named American League Player of the Week. A Boston Red Sox outfielder, Jacoby is the first American Indian ever to receive this honor, according to Indian Country Today. Famous for his prowess at stealing bases, recent attention has been on his strong batting average (.467). Along with teammates, Jacoby has helped the Red Sox turnaround a losing streak and climb to the top of the American League East Division.
Jacoby was also selected for his first MLB All-Star Game. He and three other Red Sox players will participate on the field in the 82nd Midsummer Classic hosted by the Arizona Diamondbacks and the City of Phoenix for Major League Baseball on July 12.
Last year, Jacoby partnered with sports marketing agency Charity Hop to create a wine named after him – “Zinfandellsbury” – and to use the proceeds for charity. Jacoby’s three charities are Project Bread, the Ellsbury-Read Character Strength Project, and The Navajo Relief Fund (NRF, our program).
The first two charities provide nourishment for New England children and promote child abuse prevention. NRF hits home personally for Jacoby. In news interviews during the wine launch, Jacoby Ellsbury talked about spending summers with his grandma as a child, where she was weaving rugs and shearing sheep in 120 degrees with no air conditioning. He appreciates the hardworking lifestyle but has concerns about the high rates of unemployment, high school dropout rates, teen suicide, and diabetes that plague the Navajo people. Jacoby Ellsbury realizes that children of the reservation can draw hope from seeing someone of Navajo descent playing in the majors — hope that carriers over not only in sports but also in school.
Here at National Relief Charities, we are glad to see that Jacoby is back on track after injuries last season and making the competitive plays that have become synonymous with his name. Go number 2!!
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One Comment
nobody watches it anoymre. Very Yogi Berra. Some people say the ticket prices are too high or that the players are paid too much. I am sure neither one of you two is an economist but take a hard look at the Lorenz curve or the Law of Supply and Demand. If no one watched it there would be low demand and you would never see it on TV. If no one watched it or was not excited by the 162 game season, there would be no season tickets sold.Whether you like it or not is a personal decision. Not everyone can like everything. Personally I don’t like Pro Football on the whole. I am sure that you do. Can you name the starting quarterbacks for every team. How many head coaches can you name. Most people are not true fans of the game (any game) they root for a team and don’t know much else.I like high level collegiate baseball (Rice, Wichita State and University of Houston) in person more than major league ball. Although I watch the major leagues on TV. At the college games the concessions are better priced, the parking is closer and going to a game with 5,000 other people is more comfortable than attending a gane with 40,000.If you are not excited by the game, that is okay. We will get along without you. Read a good book or take a nature hike. Always enjoy yourself.