Kudos, Mr. V
Most baseball fans – and many others as well – have heard of Justin Verlander. For those that don’t, he’s a seriously talented pitcher for MLB’s Detroit Tigers.
However, beyond his athletic skill Verlander’s heart and head are apparently also right. As is his wallet, which he recently opened.
Verlander has pledged to donate $1 million to a help launch new initiative by his team’s charitable foundation, called “Wins for Warriors”. This initiative is “designed to support mental health and emotional well-being of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan along with their families in Detroit, his hometown of Richmond, Virginia and Norfolk, Virginia, where he attended Old Dominion University.”
Kudos, Mr. Verlander. All too many sports figures these days are selfishly fixated on “I ME MINE”, and seem to care about nothing but dollar signs. You’re one of those who are willing to give something back.
Category: Support the troops, Veterans Issues
I think you meant the Detroit Tigers….the Lions are their football team….
Still it is good to see big name folks help out…it encourages others to give in small doses…
All: good catch. Was rather tired when I wrote the article and missed that. Fixed above.
In my defense: as was pointed out above, for a number of years the two teams were bad enough that they did seem pretty much interchangeable. (smile)
That’s why the Lions have such a shitty record in the NFL!
damn it TN, ya beat me to it.
Friend Hondo: If Mr. Verlander is with the Detroit franchise in MLB, then he would be employed by the Detroit TIGERS. The Lions are in the NFL. Just sayin’…
The Lions suck so bad that they gave up football and are now playing baseball? 🙂
Dang I need to hit refresh before I post. Three other people were busting your chops at the same time I was.
After the 0-16 season in 08, they figured they couldnt do any worse at baseball.
Lions, tigers, bears — what difference does it make? They’re all animals!
It is a nice gesture, a job well done.
No, No Hondo. You provided the answer to a question that has plagued the team for decades!
Q: How could an NFL team suck so bad?
A: They’re a baseball team!
All ribbing aside, it is nice to see a professional athelete helping out veterans. Another one I know of is the Colts punter Pat McAfee. It is not unusual for him to show up at Military or Veterans events. Last year he came to an event we had here on Atterbury. He also runs a charity that provides scholarhips to the children of Veterans, and a couple of other Colts players are on the board of directors.
http://www.thepatmcafeefoundation.com/
HUH? Detroit still has an NFL team?
@11. Yeah, those guys get the major cheers from me. The others? It’s nice that they selected what they did but I’m more impressed with those who spend their personal time, not take a huge tax write-off on advice of their accountant. How many of these patriots have served? Um…er…well, there was that one guy…
@12, PI, no, they have another baseball team! hahaha
i have a buddy that plays for the lions, ill have to share this one with him. what really sucks for him is that he is a bigger cowboys fan than me!
This is indeed another feel good story, while I often rant against the incessant celebrity worship in our culture it is good to be reminded that some celebrities whether athlete or actor are indeed good and decent people for the most part who are also blessed with great luck and genetics….
Another great story about a professional athlete getting buried because it doesn’t involve illegal drugs, cheating, domestic violence or murder.
Congrats on being a great pitcher and an even better person Justin Verlander.
The American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1940, Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg said, as he entered the Army, “If there’s any last message to be given to the public, let it be that I’m going to be a good soldier.” Hank had an out. He was drafted before Pearl Harbor and could have gotten out due to his age—but he stayed, along with over 500 major league players who turned in one uniform for another. The minor leagues were wiped out by the war. The majors would likely have gone that way too but for FDR’s famous letter that baseball should continue. And some of those players who served? Warren Spahn: Army, Combat Engineer; Purple Heart and Bronze Star; Bob Feller: Navy, Pacific and Atlantic Theatres; Hoyt Wilhelm, Army, Purple Heart (Battle of the Bulge), and many, many others.
And then there was this fellow named John J. Pinder. Everyone knew him as Joe. He never made it to the Bigs. He was a minor league player, a right-handed pitcher. On his birthday, 6 June, he was hit as he pushed through the surf onto Omaha Beach. Later that day, Joe Pinder died on that beach—but not before taking certain action for which his family accepted the Medal of Honor on his behalf.
Thank you, Mr. V.