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.