Last night was the annual Baseball Writers Association of America awards ceremony in New York City. This is where the MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, etc. awards are given out to their recipients. The most controversial award of the night was the NL MYP winner Ryan Braun. Braun recently tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in an offseason random drug test. He is currently in the appeal process. Upon receiving the award, Braun said, “Sometimes in life, we all deal with challenges we never expected to endure. We have an opportunity to look at those challenges and view them either as obstacles or as opportunities. I’ve chosen to view every challenge I’ve ever faced as an opportunity, and this will be no different. I’ve always believed that a person’s character is revealed through the way they deal with those moments of adversity.” Ex-Mets manager Bobby Valentine was on hand as well and received a “Boo” from the crowd of almost 1,200 which caused the jokester to laugh.
A special “You Gotta Have Heart” went to another ex-Met catcher Gary Carter. His children were there to accept the honor. His son D.J. Carter read a speech Kid had written, “I’ll always have a special place in my heart for the people and the city of New York. I have nothing but fond memories of my time here in New York, highlighted, of course, with the World Series championship in 1986. I still remember the feeling of riding in the World Series parade with over one million people lining the streets to celebrate our championship. The fans were always supportive of me on the baseball field and have continued to support me and my family since my diagnosis of brain cancer in May of 2011. It is with honor that I accept this award. I want to wish all of you the very, very best in the future and hope the Mets will win many more World Series championships.” Some pictures from the event are below.
