MLB and Colts

First of all, I added labels to all of the posts. So now if you want to search for a certain team, you can type in the team mascot or college name and get all of the posts with for that team (i.e. Colts, Georgia, IU).

Now for some more articles from the past. The first article is by Royals outfielder David DeJesus about his teammate and team captain Mike Sweeney, a good Christian person: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061128&content_id=1746897&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp.

Here's an article about the Braves Andruw Jones and his wife Nicole helping to feed the homeless on Thanksgiving: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061123&content_id=1745681&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl

Next, an article about the Colts organization helping out others around Thanksgiving by giving them food: http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=4307

Here's a Q & A article from late November about the Colts Anthony McFarland, who was picked up in a trade during this season. Here's a quote from the article:

Q: It’s not an experience that happens very often in the NFL, changing teams in the middle of the season. Anything special about what you’ve been through?

A: It doesn’t happen a lot and I believe things happen for a reason. There’s a reason the Lord wanted me to be in Indy. I’m here, and I’m just trying to do the work that’s called for me to do. I’m enjoying it. The guys here are great. The coaching staff is great. It’s just a great organization. I’m just trying to bring a little bit of what I can bring to it.

Here's the article: http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=4309.

Here's a link to a page with links to articles about the community involvement of all 30 MLB teams: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/official_info/community/mlb_spirit/index.jsp.

The thing that really stuck out to me about all of those was about a boy who was in remission from cancer and how he wanted to encourage Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester during his cancer treatments, as told by Charles Steinberg, the Red Sox executive vice president/public affairs.

For more than 50 years, the charitable institution the Red Sox have been associated with most is the cancer-fighting Jimmy Fund. Ted Williams led the cause from the outset, and players such as Carl Yastrzemski, Mo Vaughn and Wakefield continued the tradition.

Never did Boston's association with the Jimmy Fund hit home more than late last season, when 22-year-old left-handed starter Jon Lester was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Suddenly, the Red Sox saw first-hand what they've been fighting for all these years.

"It frightens you and it stuns you, yet the very first word we say [with Lester] is that it's treatable," said Steinberg. "So we shouldn't let our devotion to the Jimmy Fund become a cliché. It is real and it is crucial, whether you're taking care of Jon Lester or Jordan Leandre or the thousands and thousands and thousands of other people who are facing this."

Leandre is a young boy who has been a fixture at Fenway Park in recent years during his fight against cancer. He has brought chills to the crowd in recent years during his Opening Day national anthem.

Fully appreciating what Sox players have done for him over the years, Leandre immediately wanted to help Lester when word broke of his plight.

"Jordan Leandre sent a letter, a card to Jon Lester," said Steinberg. "He took loose-leaf paper, folded it in half, wrote, 'Get well soon,' drew a picture of a pitcher and a hitter and the hitter has just struck out. He had a 'K' to let you know.

"And then he attached two pictures of himself. One in which he's bald undergoing chemo and the other, in the present, with his full head of hair. And what did he write in crayon? 'You can do it too.' The little 6-year-old Jimmy Fund patient is encouraging the strapping 22-year-old athlete who just weeks before on Jimmy Fund day was encouraging the little 6-year-old patient. Tell me that's not an extraordinary dynamic that can change the world. It is nothing less than that."

Here's the article: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061121&content_id=1744722&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos.

That's all for now!