Amazin' Avenue Charity Pledge Drive
by Eric Simon on Jun 28, 2010 3:36 PM EDT
Email
Print
While we continue to mull possible reasons for David Wright's struggles this season, we've decided to have some fun with it and help out a wonderful cause in the process. Much has been made of Wright's rising strikeout rate over the past year or so -- he's currently third among National League hitters in whiffs -- so I wanted to turn that into something positive. I realize that most charity tally boards of this sort are tied to desirable accomplishments -- home runs, RsBI, pitcher strikeouts -- but we're a bit on the unconventional side, so David Wright strikeouts it is.
Here's my pledge: I will donate $2 to CARE for every time David Wright strikes out this season. Yes, that includes his strikeouts to date. That's $176 so far, even if Wright doesn't strike out again this season.
Why CARE? There are a lot of wonderful organizations doing tremendously important work around the world, but I've selected CARE because they're one of the leading global poverty aid organizations, they place particular emphasis on the needs of women in impoverished areas, and they have a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.
Whenever I talk to people about Amazin' Avenue I always stress the strength of the community as the thing I'm proudest of. With that in mind, I'd like to invite the members of this community to participate in the AA Charity Pledge Drive by pledging some amount that is within your means. I've pledged $2 per strikeout, but you can pledge whatever works with your budget. If you can afford $1 per strikeout, pledge $1. If you can afford $.05 per strikeout, pledge that. If Wright strikes out 200 times that's still $10, which can help pay for vaccines, mosquito nets, and many other essential items that will prevent needless suffering around the world. No amount is too small, I can assure you.
We're going to put a running "AA Charity Drive" donation counter on the sidebar to keep track of how much the community has pledged. If you would like in on the beneficence, either include your pledge amount in the comments or, if you'd prefer it not be publicized (or if you don't have an account here), e-mail me at amazinavenue@gmail.com with your pledge amount and I will add it to the tally.
I will add that we have no personal stake in the amount raised -- i.e. we don't get "credit" for any of the community's donations. We'll all be responsible for making our own pledged donations at the end of the season, which you can do securely via CARE's website.
So while we won't be rooting for David Wright strikeouts from here on out, at least now there will be a worthwhile consolation prize to all of that whiffing.
55 comments
|
6 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Good idea
As much as it will pain us when Dub strikes out for the 242nd time, it is better than a charity drive based on “How many games will Cora play?” or “Innings pitched by Oliver Perez”. If Dub is around for a whole season, it’ll be worth it.
Count me in.
"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez
by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Jun 2, 2010 1:24 PM EDT reply actions
I'm in for 15 cents a K.
May you be locked in a battle of wits against Jerry Manuel.
by BobbyV_Incognito on Jun 2, 2010 1:51 PM EDT reply actions
Check/Paypal?
I’m in for ten cents a K with a vesting option of an additional $20 if he breaks the strikeout record.
Oooh, I like this
count me in for this as well. A dime per K + $20 if he breaks the record.
I’d do more, but as of this past weekend I’m budgeting for a wedding, so I need to be a little stingy. The $20 vesting option probably won’t happen, but it’ll make the end of the season a little more exciting.
2009 Did Not Happen
I do like building in some excitement for the end of the season, in case we otherwise have none
$.40 plus $20 for a record breaker.
BTW, congrats on the engagement.
May you be locked in a battle of wits against Jerry Manuel.
by BobbyV_Incognito on Jun 2, 2010 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions
See my vest!
As I mentioned in the post, you’ll be responsible for making the donation to CARE yourself at the end of the season (link included in the post). This way you’ll also get a receipt so you can deduct the donation on your taxes.
Nope
It’s an unofficial AA tally that we’ll keep track of. As far as CARE knows they’ll just be getting a bunch of generous donations around the same time.
Sounds fine.
I can’t imagine anyone would pledge to donate and then not, except by forgetting or extreme hardship or dying or something.
Somebody's either got $$ burning a hole in their pocket, or very optimistic about Wright's K rate.
May you be locked in a battle of wits against Jerry Manuel.
by BobbyV_Incognito on Jun 2, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
i'm in
great idea eric!
base:
$.25 per K
bonus clauses:
+$20 if he breaks the record, OR
+$50 if he breaks the record AND bests his career OPS of .905
plus my company will match the donation so CARE will get double my amount.
None of us can afford that.
May you be locked in a battle of wits against Jerry Manuel.
by BobbyV_Incognito on Jun 2, 2010 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
$0.50 a K
$10 if Wright breaks the K record
$15 if Alex Cora’s option doesn’t vest
$20 if Wright hits 35 homers
$25 if Jeff Francoeur has an OPS greater than .800
$30 if Mets make the playoffs
by James Kannengieser on Jun 2, 2010 5:24 PM EDT reply actions
I'm in for $0.50 a K
And to pile on James K’s idea, I’ll throw in an extra $50 if Alex Cora’s option doesn’t vest.
One Dollar per strikeout
Retroactive to beginning of season, natch.
by tmu on Jun 3, 2010 12:50 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Plus
$30 if GMJ is released before the end of the season
$1 for every Wright double
by tmu on Jun 3, 2010 1:01 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Cha-ching!
May you be locked in a battle of wits against Jerry Manuel.
by BobbyV_Incognito on Jun 5, 2010 12:45 AM EDT up reply actions
I can do 0.10$ per K
an additional 0.50$ for every outfield assist Frenchy records this year.
5$ for each Alex Cora home run (doubled if its a walkoff)
10$ if Ollie is released by August
50$ for a no hitter or better by a Met
I'm going to add one more side pledge
of 0.50$ for every Philly player Mets hit by a pitch, and 1.00$ if that player is Shane Victorino. Sure its in bad taste, but its for a good cause!
by KeithsMoustache on Jun 4, 2010 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions
I am lol-ing @ the idea of Eric creating some sort of tracking system for all of these bonus clauses.
I’ll throw in an extra 10 dollars if Chris Carter finishes the season with more major league plate appearances than Gary Matthews, Jr.
This sounds like a great idea
put me down for $0.25 per K
You don't cheer for the Mets. You drink for the Mets.
liking this idea but am about to be a poor graduate student
so only $0.10/k for me for this season
but can do $10 for every homer from Luis Castillo
and I will say $0.50 for every Met win – to make up for the zero homeruns I expect from Castillo.
and a $1 for every postseason win
You need to post something to remind us when the season ends though
I'm in
I’ll do $0.10/k + $20 if he breaks the record. This is a great idea Eric
"I reject your reality and substitute my own"
-Adam Savage
by blueandorange4life on Jun 11, 2010 10:07 PM EDT reply actions
A bit late to the game...
$0.75 * min(1, 2 * winning percentage) /k
For example, if the Mets end up with a winning percentage of .550, I will donate $0.75*2*0.550/k=$0.825/k.
This amount seems popular
I’m in for $0.10/K + $20.00 if he breaks the record.
It's a game of redeeming features. ~ Bob Murphy
I'm no James Kann, but
I think this pledge drive has a good chance of providing more of a positive hearing for our stats-based, rational approach to running the team than Megdal’s GM campaign.
by JohnPeterson on Jun 28, 2010 6:09 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Amazin' Avenue
Related FanShots on Amazin' Avenue
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Baseball Nation Recent Stories
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- The Juice: Mesoraco’s grand slam helps Reds complete four-game sweep of Braves
- Please hold: Indians’ Joe Smith jumps the gun on relief appearance
- Local radio host honors Cubs’ Tony Campana with parody song
- Roy Halladay bobblehead with glove on wrong hand selling on MLB.com
- Will Smith shows why making your big-league debut at Yankee Stadium is less than ideal
