White Sox honored with Bobby Murcer Award for 2nd straight year

CHICAGO -- Before the White Sox went in search of their second straight victory over the Yankees on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field, the organization was honored with the Bobby Murcer Award from the Baseball Assistance Team for a second straight year.

First baseman Andrew Vaughn and relief pitcher Dominic Leone accepted for the White Sox, with the award presented to both the American and National League squads donating the most during B.A.T.’s Spring Training fundraising tour of the Cactus League and Grapefruit League. The Mets took the honor for the National League.

“It’s such a part of the DNA of being a member of the White Sox organization, and really, it wasn’t a heavy lift at all,” said Christine O’Reilly-Riordan, the White Sox vice president of community relations and a B.A.T. board member. “It’s that spirit of supporting the team that you play for, supporting the city you play in.

“That’s part of [White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf’s] makeup, and it really permeates through the clubhouse. We are so fortunate. It makes my job really easy.”

Kay Murcer and her two grandsons, Holden and Jackson, also were on the field for the award ceremony. Bobby Murcer, who played for the Yankees, Cubs and Giants, was the former B.A.T. chairman, and he came up with the idea for the Spring Training fundraising tour, which has blossomed into what it is today, according to Erik Nilsen, B.A.T.’s executive director.

“If you would have asked [Murcer] a while back, ‘Would it be raising $4.3 million during the spring?’ He would have said, ‘No way,’” Nilsen said. “That’s about $500,000 more than the previous year. This award goes to the most generous team in each league, and we are back here again with the White Sox.

“They continue to be overly generous with their contributions. We are very thankful for it. It’s because of those contributions from the players on a yearly basis, we are able to help so many members of the baseball family in need of financial, medical and psychological assistance.”

B.A.T. was formed to help big leaguers when their pensions didn’t cover their expenses. It has expanded over the years to cover Minor League players, umpires, scouts, athletic trainers and front office staff.

“Anybody in baseball with two years of service would qualify for help for any basic human need,” Nilsen said. “It’s definitely expanded.”

“Disaster can strike anybody,” Vaughn said. “You want to be able to help those people out. Just being able to keep people on their feet and live a fruitful life.”

O’Reilly-Riordan believes the most amazing thing about B.A.T. is not just the assistance in a crisis but getting those in need of assistance to be self-sustaining.

“We are a bridge, but it’s not just monetary grants. There’s all sorts of resources,” O’Reilly-Riordan said. “We even have a new component to help guys find jobs, find career paths. We have a scholarship committee now, so we are helping kids, players who are out of the game and want to go back and get their degrees.

“So it’s really about providing a bridge at the time or crisis. But it’s all about helping people so they can get their own personal dignity back and help themselves.”