Clint Hurdle to Receive Baseball Manager of the Year Award
Having led the Pittsburgh Pirates from the basement to its first winning season and playoff berth in 21 years, Clint Hurdle was named the seventh annual MLB Baseball Manager of the Year by the Chuck Tanner Baseball Manager of the Year Awards committee.
Hurdle is a former Major League Baseball outfielder whose 10-year career was spent with the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals. After retiring from playing baseball, Hurdle spent eight seasons as manager with the Colorado Rockies, leading his 2007 club to the franchise’s first National League pennant. On November 14, 2010, Hurdle was hired as the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
At the 2011 All-Star break, Hurdle had led the Pirates to a 47–43 record, one game out of first place in the NL Central. It was the first time the Pirates had been over .500 going into the All-Star break, since winning the 1992 National League East.
At the 2012 All-Star break, Hurdle had led the Pirates to a 48–37 record, leading the NL Central division by one game over the Cincinnati Reds. However, both seasons ended with collapses that led to the Pirates 19th and 20th straight losing seasons.
In late 2013, the Pirates led the National League Central, with the best record in the major league, again aiming to snap the franchise’s 21-year losing streak. On September 9, 2013 with a 1-0 win over the Texas Rangers, Hurdle’s Pittsburgh Pirates attained win number 82. And on September 23, 2013 with a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates secured their first playoff berth since 1992, as well as their 90th win.
Sponsored each year by the Pittsburgh chapter of Rotary International, the Chuck Tanner Baseball Manger of the Year Awards banquet is held in Pittsburgh. The highlight of the event is the presentation of the Chuck Tanner MLB Manager of the Year Award as, selected by a distinguished group of baseball professionals from around the country. Previous winners of the Chuck Tanner MLB Manager of the Year award were Joe Torre, Joe Maddon, Ron Gardenhire, Charlie Manuel, Jim Leyland, Bob Melvin and Davey Johnson. This year’s award presentation will take place on November 16, 2013 at the Rivers Club in downtown Pittsburgh.
The Master of Ceremonies for the event will be Paul Alexander of 93.7-FM “The Fan.” Returning to conduct the live auction will be James Roddey, former Allegheny County Executive. Noted documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has donated for the auction two autographed DVD sets of his award-winning film, “Baseball.”
Nationally recognized celebrity sports artist Kevin-John is returning to create a special limited edition Kent Tekulve memorabilia print for everyone in attendance and will be present to personally sign his creation. Kevin-John’s artwork has been showcased on ESPN, Spike TV, and NBC, at Super Bowl XXXIX, XL, XLI and the PGA Tour.
To purchase tickets to the banquet or to find out about other ways to support the event, go to www.chucktannerbanquet.com or call (412) 471-6210. This charitable event and its silent auction of sports memorabilia and other items will be used to support Pittsburgh Rotary Club operations and its global humanitarian relief programs including, polio inoculation and shoes for Nicaraguan children, as well as post-high school scholarships and an annual high school ethics symposium, which is attended annually by more than 400 students.
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