Tony Conigliaro Award

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Tony Conigliaro
Tony Conigliaro.jpg
Tony Conigliaro, the namesake of the award
First awarded 1990
Currently held by R. A. Dickey, New York Mets

The Tony Conigliaro Award is a national award instituted in 1990 by the Boston Red Sox to honor the memory of their former star Tony Conigliaro. It is given annually to a Major League Baseball player who best overcomes an obstacle and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage that were trademarks of Conigliaro.

Conigliaro's career was shortened when he was hit in the face by a pitch at Fenway Park on August 18, 1967. After missing the rest of the 1967 season and all of 1968, he made a dramatic comeback in 1969, homering on opening day. He hit 20 home runs in 1969, winning The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award. The following season, he had career highs in home runs with 36 and RBIs with 116, but vision problems continued to persist; his performance fell off, and he was never the same player. After a final comeback attempt in 1975, Conigliaro retired at age 30.

A special panel is composed of the media, representatives of the commissioner, and the two leagues' offices. The selection is made by Tony's brothers Billy and Richie, and a fan. Announcement of the award is made at the annual major league winter meetings in December and the formal presentation takes place at the Boston Baseball Writers Association dinner in January.

Contents

Key [edit]

^
 Indicates multiple award winners in the same year

Award winners [edit]

This is the list of the players honored with the Tony Conigliaro Award, including the specific adversities they had to overcome:

Year Player Team Adversity overcome Ref
1990 Eisenreich, JimJim Eisenreich Kansas City Royals Tourette syndrome
1991 Thon, DickieDickie Thon Philadelphia Phillies A 1984 beaning very similar to the one that shortened Conigliaro's career
1992 Abbott, JimJim Abbott California Angels Born without a right hand
1993 Jackson, BoBo Jackson Chicago White Sox Hip replacement surgery in 1992
1994 Leiter, MarkMark Leiter California Angels Death of 9-month-old son to Werdnig-Hoffman disease during offseason
1995 Radinsky, ScottScott Radinsky Chicago White Sox Hodgkin's disease
1996 Pride, CurtisCurtis Pride Montreal Expos Born deaf
1997 Davis, EricEric Davis Baltimore Orioles Diagnosed with colon cancer early that season
1998 Saberhagen, BretBret Saberhagen Boston Red Sox Serious shoulder injuries
1999 Lowell, MikeMike Lowell Florida Marlins Testicular cancer
2000^ Mercker, KentKent Mercker Anaheim Angels Cerebral hemorrhage
2000^ Saunders, TonyTony Saunders Tampa Bay Devil Rays Broke arm while throwing a pitch
2001^ Lloyd, GraemeGraeme Lloyd Montreal Expos Arthroscopic shoulder surgery in 2000, and the death of his wife from Crohn's disease
2001^ Johnson, JasonJason Johnson Baltimore Orioles Type 1 diabetes that required Johnson to wear an insulin pump on the field
2002 Rijo, JoséJosé Rijo Cincinnati Reds Elbow injuries that sidelined him for five years
2003 Mecir, JimJim Mecir Oakland Athletics Born with two club feet
2004 Brazelton, DewonDewon Brazelton Tampa Bay Devil Rays Reconstructive knee surgery and Tommy John surgery while in high school
2005 Cook, AaronAaron Cook Colorado Rockies Blood clots in both lungs [1]
2006 Sanchez, FreddyFreddy Sanchez Pittsburgh Pirates Born with a club foot (right) and a severely pigeon-toed foot (left) [2]
2007 Lester, JonJon Lester Boston Red Sox Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2006 [3]
2008 Baldelli, RoccoRocco Baldelli Tampa Bay Rays Diagnosed with a mitochondrial disorder that causes chronic muscle fatigue [4]
2009 Carpenter, ChrisChris Carpenter St. Louis Cardinals Had Tommy John surgery and nerve problems in his right, throwing arm
2010 Benoit, JoaquínJoaquín Benoit Tampa Bay Rays Sat out a year after a rotator cuff tear [5]
2011 Campana, TonyTony Campana Chicago Cubs Diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma as a child [6]
2012 Dickey, R.A.R.A. Dickey New York Mets Child sexual abuse, pitches without an ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm [7]

See also [edit]

Portal icon Baseball portal

Resource [edit]

  • 2004 Boston Red Sox Media Guide

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Cook inks two-year pact with Rockies". Retrieved 2008-04-10. 
  2. ^ "Freddy Sanchez wins 2006 Tony Conigliaro Award". Retrieved 2008-04-10. 
  3. ^ Wilbur, Eric (2007-11-28). "Lester gets the honor". The Boston Globe. 
  4. ^ "Baldelli wins Conigliaro Award". Retrieved 2008-11-26. [dead link]
  5. ^ "Benoit receives Conigliaro Award for comeback | tigers.com: News". Detroit.tigers.mlb.com. 2010-11-19. Retrieved 2013-05-20. 
  6. ^ By joeydafish on December 9, 2011 8:10 pm - Reply (2011-12-09). "12/9 Tony C. wins Tony C. award « Muskat Ramblings". Muskat.mlblogs.com. Retrieved 2013-05-20. 
  7. ^ Pepin, Matt (2012-12-06). "R.A. Dickey wins Tony Conigliaro Award". The Boston Globe. 
Tony Conigliaro Award
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