So I’m driving home Friday night, listening to Johnnie A and our own associate editor Anu Yagi on K-Rock, 97.3 FM, when Johnny A says, in response to Anu mentioning that I just took over as MauiTime editor, “I remember Anthony, he’s a rabid baseball fan.” Now I’d just like to say now, for the record, that although I am a fan of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (stupid name, to be sure), I am not, nor have I ever been, a “rabid” fan of baseball or any other sport, for that matter. I enjoy watching a good game of baseball, and have sat in a few stadiums (and little league games) in my life, but do not fill out scoring sheets in the game programs or collect baseball cards or pay hundreds of dollars for “authentic” player jerseys or–heavens no–wagered even a small sum of money on the outcome of a given game. I like Major League Baseball, certainly, but no more or less than a “normal” person would like Cheers or roast turkey.
And now that we have that out of the way, I bring you today’s breaking news: one of Shane Victorino‘s press agents emailed me! Okay, she emailed former editor Jacob Shafer, but whatever. The point is that Shane (if I might be so bold) is a local Maui boy (St. Anthony High), superstar centerfielder of the Philadelphia Phillies (career .280 batting average, three Gold Gloves) and philanthropist (check out The Shane Victorino Foundation, which helps underprivileged kids in Hawaii and Philadelphia). He’s huge! And one of his press people emailed me!
Did you know that in May the U.S. Jaycees named him one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans of 2011 (previous winners of that title included John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Elvis Presley). Or that his new biography, Shane Victorino: The Flyin’ Hawaiian (written by Alan Maimon), recently came out, which chronicles his life on Maui, winning the World Series in 2008 and his struggles with Attention Deficit Disorder?
Anyway, according to the press release there’s still a couple days for us fans to vote for Shane to play in the 2001 All-Star Game (you can vote at MLB.com). “Shane has been red-hot on the field this season… especially since returning from his hamstring injury,” wrote Kristen Seabolt of Maroon Public Relations. “So despite suffering that injury this season, Shane is still in the running for the 2011 All-Star Game on July 12. But you know that he would never ask for anyone to vote for him; so we have taken it upon ourselves to help spread the word because we think his hustle, determination and work-ethic epitomize what the All-Star Game is all about.”
Hurry! Voting ends on June 30!
Shane! Shane! Shane! Shane! Shane!
PHOTO by Miles Kennedy
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