Adam Lind was lying on his back last Tuesday, playing fetch with his dog in center field at the Rogers Centre when his cell phone rang.
A Toronto Blue Jays public relations staffer was on the other end with news Lind had won the Edgar Martinez Award as the best designated hitter in the majors.
The story here isn’t that Lind has added another trophy to his stable of offseason honors, nor that he happened to be in Toronto when he received word.
The story is the reason why he was in Toronto to begin with.
The sports world is filled with bad news these days. The Tiger Woods scandal. The sudden death of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry.
The next drug scandal or major college rules violation can’t be too far away.
That’s what makes Lind’s story so refreshing.
The Highland High School graduate enjoyed a breakout season with the Blue Jays this summer.
He hit .305 with 35 home runs and 114 RBIs. In addition to the DH award, he also won a Silver Slugger Award given to the best offensive player at each position.
But the really good news, the heart-warming kind, comes off the field.
Lind, who still maintains an offseason residence in Anderson, was in Toronto in large part to attend the 26th Annual Special Olympics Festival Gala.
It’s the organization’s biggest fundraising event in Canada.
Lind was there as a celebrity guest, a status that left him more than a little uncomfortable.
“I had to wear a tuxedo,” he said, a grimace recognizable even over the cell phone. (For photographic evidence log on to www.dolcemag.com/events/the-26th-annual-special-olympics-festival-gala ).
But this clearly is one part of his burgeoning celebrity the major leaguer can enjoy.
Lind sat with other luminaries from the Canadian sports, business, entertainment and political fields.
And he watched in awe as they bid five figures for high-ticket auction items to aid the Special Olympics.
But what really touched him were the personal stories from the athletes. One in particular seemed to melt Lind’s heart.
The female athlete of the year award recipient is a figure skater from a small town.
She explained she fears she’s reached the limits of her potential because her hometown can’t afford proper training facilities.
It made Lind think of his home and the needs of local athletes.
“It was really special,” he said. “It made me want to get involved.”
And that’s just what he plans to do soon after he returns to Anderson.
It’s another way he’s following in the path blazed by Anderson legend Carl Erskine, a longtime Special Olympics supporter.
It’s also a reminder not all the news from the sports world is bad and one more reason to cheer for Anderson’s newest hometown hero.
Contact George Bremer: 640-4831, george.bremer@heraldbulletin.com
