Master of Ceremonies Bobby Valentine
Stamford native and baseball great Bobby Valentine will return Thursday, Nov. 10, to host the 2011MS Dinner of Champions at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich in Old Greenwich.
“We are honored to have with us a longtime supporter and friend to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter,” said Lisa Gerrol, chapter president. “Bobby, who began his athletic career in his hometown of Stamford, has over the course of 40 years made headlines from Los Angeles to New York to Japan. We are honored to have Bobby’s enthusiastic support. He is committed to community and outreach.”
After a successful and much-celebrated high school career in both football and baseball, the Stamford athlete was selected in the first round by the L.A. Dodgers. Valentine went on to have successful stints with the Angels, Padres, Mets and Mariners. After retiring as a player, Valentine stepped up to the plate as manager, leading the New York Mets to the World Series in 2000 and the Marines to the Japan Series title in 2005. Today, Valentine serves as an analyst for ESPN. He is also director of public safety and public health for his hometown of Stamford.
Valentine has been recognized many times for his contributions to the community. He has been actively involved with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter, for more than 20 years, serving as host to its annual MS Dinner of Champions seven times. In 1982, Valentine received the Leonard Schine Memorial Award from the chapter for outstanding volunteerism. In 1998 Valentine received the Good Guy Award from the New York Press Photographers Association and the New Jersey Sportswriters Association, and he received the same award from the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association in 2001. Valentine received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation in 2001 and the Joan Payson Award for humanitarian services in 2002.
Valentine owns and operates Bobby V’s Sports Gallery Café in Stamford. Valentine and his wife, Mary, the daughter of former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca, reside in Stamford
Hope Award Honorees
Brandon Steiner, CEO
Chris Amoroso, EVP
Sports Marketing Giant to be Honored at MS Dinner of Champions
The 2011 Dinner of Champions will be held Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich in Old Greenwich, and will honor Steiner Sports Marketing. Founder and chairman, Brandon Steiner, and executive vice president of purchasing and player relations, Chris Amoroso, will attend the ceremony on behalf of the company.
Steiner Sports Marketing, located in New Rochelle, N.Y., is the largest company of its kind in America, with an inventory of collectibles that includes more than 10,000 items. In 2004, Steiner Sports Marketing announced its partnership with the New York Yankees, Yankees-Steiner Collectibles, to provide fans with access to Yankees memorabilia and experiences at Yankee Stadium. This partnership proved to be hugely successful as Steiner has launched multiple partnerships since with the Dallas Cowboys, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and three college universities; Alabama, Notre Dame and Syracuse. Steiner Sports also has exclusive merchandising contracts with dozens of current athletes and sporting legends.
Steiner himself has become a permanent fixture in the media and is a regular on ESPN Radio 1050 on Sunday mornings, along with his co-hosting duties on Yankees-Steiner: Memories of the Game which is featured on the YES Network. He is commonly utilized as an expert commentator on all issues involving sports and is regularly featured on national news networks including CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, ESPN and in newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. In 2003, Steiner published his first book, The Business Playbook: Leadership Lessons from the World of Sports. Steiner's motivational speaking engagements have put him in front of Fortune 500 companies ranging from hotel chains to real estate companies and he is often the featured guest speaker at trade conventions.
Steiner is a graduate of Syracuse University and played a major role in helping start the Sport Management program/major at Syracuse. He still sits on the board for not only the Sport Management program, but also for the entire athletics program at Syracuse University. Steiner devotes his time to several charities including Family Services of Westchester which helps to provide quality social and mental health services to strengthen families, children and individuals. He also sits on the board of Camp Sussex, a camp for underprivileged children, as well as PAL. Mo's Steakhouse, a restaurant in New Rochelle, is another project of Steiner's where he is a partner with Yankees future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera. Steiner resides in Scarsdale, New York with his wife Mara and his two children.
Chris Amoroso serves as vice president of purchasing and player relations with Steiner Sports Marketing. He oversees the purchasing and autograph procurement for the memorabilia division at Steiner Sports. Amoroso has more than 18 years of experience in the industries of sports, management, procurement, and player and talent relationships.
J. Walter Kennedy Award Recipient
Jim Abbott
The J. Walter Kennedy Memorial Award is presented by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter in recognition of the extraordinary accomplishments of gifted athletes and their championship teams. These champion athletes demonstrate what can be achieved when exceptional talent is combined with perseverance, courage, and teamwork.
We are proud to present the 2011 J. Walter Kennedy Award to Jim Abbott. Jim, who was born without his right hand, followed his dream of pursuing sports with courage and perseverance in the face of a challenging disability. He helped to change the face of sports in the United States and across the world by illustrating that disabilities need not remove a person from the love of sports or the playing field.
Abbot was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. Throughout his childhood, high school and college years, Jim focused on athletics and excelled in pitching. While attending the University of Michigan, Jim served as the pitcher of the school’s XX team, and was a championship hurler as well. In 1987 he won the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States, becoming the first baseball player to win the award. The following year, Jim proudly served as a pitcher for the 1988 Olympic baseball team, which secured a gold medal for the United States.
Later in 1988, Abbott was voted the Big Ten Athlete of the Year and was selected by the California Angels in the 1988 draft. Jim threw a 4-0 no-hitter for the New York Yankees versus the Cleveland Indians (September 4, 1993). Abbott played for 10 seasons on 4 different major league teams and ended his big league playing career in 1999.
Since that time, Abbott has worked with the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy on several initiatives encouraging businesses to hire people with disabilities. Today, in addition to being a guest pitching instructor during Spring Training for the Los Angeles Angels, Jim Abbott is a motivational speaker. Jim lives in California with his wife, two children and their dog.
We are pleased to honor Jim Abbott, an athlete known not only for his ability, but for his determination and will to succeed, as the 2011 J. Walter Kennedy Award recipient.
Special Guests
Ottis Anderson
At last year’s MS Dinner of Champions, Ottis Anderson was named recipient of the 2010 J. Walter Kennedy Memorial Award for his extraordinary accomplishments and teamwork on the field. A two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants, Ottis Anderson rushed for over 10,000 yards during his 14 year NFL career, highlighted by being named MVP of Super Bowl XXV in the Giants victory over the Buffalo Bills. Since his retirement from the NFL in 1992, Anderson has become a motivational speaker and has been involved with several entrepreneurial ventures. He is also associated with many charitable organizations, including the National MS Society, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the United Way, the American Heart Association and the Deborah Hospital Foundation.
Jesus Montero
Jesus Montero was named the No. 1 prospect in the Yankee Organization by Baseball America and has been regarded as the top-hitting catcher in Minor League Baseball. He has been included in numerous publications including Baseball America, and ESPN and was ranked as a Top 10 Prospect in all of Major League Baseball by MinorLeagueBaseball.com. Montero has been named an all-star at every level of the Minor Leagues and has been selected to two future games.