NewsAFL pitchers raise more than $22,000
Strikeouts aid Niekro Foundation, Aneurysm Awareness
By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com
11/06/09 11:25 PM EST
Saturday would have been Joe Niekro's 65th birthday. His daughter, Natalie, couldn't think of a better way to honor it than by being at the ballpark, spreading the work being done by the foundation in his name.The All-Star knuckleballer died three years ago from a brain aneurysm. His daughter formed the Joe Niekro Foundation to raise funds for research and to help make people more aware of a condition that affects up to 6 million people in the United States alone.
The Scottsdale, Ariz., native wants to build a relationship with Major League Baseball, so she started right at home with the Arizona Fall League. The week of Oct. 26 -- marking the third anniversary of Niekro's death -- was Aneurysm Awareness Week in the AFL. During the week, the strikeouts recorded by pitchers from the seven Major League organizations for which Joe Niekro pitched -- the Cubs, Padres, Tigers, Braves, Astros, Yankees and Twins -- will be tallied. Four sponsors each agreed to donate $36 for each strikeout. Niekro and her husband, Luke Woosley, will match the total for the week. All the money will go straight to the foundation and its efforts to raise awareness about and funding for aneurysm research.
Niekro thought it would be a nice start, a small fundraiser and a way to get in with baseball. She was floored when pitchers from the seven teams racked up 77 strikeouts for the week, generating $11,088. With Niekro and her husband matching the total, that's more than $22,000 for the foundation she created in her father's name.
"I thought we'd raise a couple of hundred dollars," Niekro said. "I never thought it'd be over $11,000. Then I was very surprised, yet humbled that every single team contributred as well. That just goes to show what a wonderful man my dad was and the respect these teams had for him."
All seven teams, after hearing about the week-long effort, quickly agreed to be a part of it. They, in effect, put their money where their arms are, agreeing to contribute at least $36 (Niekro's uniform number as a player) per strikeout from their roster of pitchers. It was one of those no-brainer opportunities to shine a spotlight on an important issue while honoring a former player held in high regard.
"When we heard about what the Joe Niekro Foundation was doing in conjunction with the Arizona Fall League for aneurysm research and awareness, we were more than willing to get involved," said Sue Botos, Padres Foundation director. "Joe Niekro may have only spent one season with the Padres, but we have the utmost respect for what he accomplished in this game. To be able to honor him while helping a worthy cause was our pleasure."
"With how our pitchers in the AFL were helping out the Joe Niekro Foundation with their strikeouts, it was an easy decision for us to back them up by making a contribution in their honor," added Jordan Field, director of the Detroit Tigers Foundation. "Joe Niekro was a great Major Leaguer and this is a wonderful way to honor his name while contributing to a great cause."
Niekro will be at Saturday evening's Rising Stars Showcase in Surprise, where she and AFL executive director Steve Cobb will address what's believed will be a pretty large crowd. They'll be able to discuss the joint effort the foundation and the league made together and how there are plans to continue it annually. Niekro will get the chance to publicly thank her sponsors and, of course, the seven teams who stepped up to add to the success of the week.
"This is a stepping stone to bigger and better projects to come," said Niekro, adding that speaking to a large number of fans is precisely why she wanted to work with Major League Baseball in the first place. "Knowing it was so easy to get the teams' support, it will make it even easier moving forward on a national level, which is my goal."
If she can do that, she feels the Joe Niekro Foundation can have a truly lasting impact, raising large sums of money and, perhaps more importantly, shining a light on a medical issue that has largely flown under the radar.
"It's sadly alarming the amount of people who came up to me over the week who said they had a family member or friend who was lost to an aneurysm," she said. "It makes it even more important for the funding for this research. Aneurysms are becoming far too prevalent.
"You can stop this condition, which is inevitably fatal, if you know you have it."
Her father didn't have that chance. But rather than let the grief be a stumbling block, Niekro has channeled her energy to take what happened to her family and work to keep it from happening to others. As various important dates come and go -- first the anniversary of her father's death, then his birthday -- Niekro has been able to use those benchmarks as reminders of just how important this work is.
"This last week has been very emotional, obviously," she said. "By the same token, it's also been very valuable for the foundation. I was able to utilize something so tragic that happened as a way to educate people over the course of this week.
"It has a greater impact on people. I was able to say three years ago today, I lost my dad. On Saturday, I'll be able to say, it's a sad day, my dad would've been 65. But what a great gift these people have been able to provide in honor of my dad. This money will go right to the funding to hopefully prevent this with others."
Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
