Jan. 7, 2009
Mike Timlin, Southwestern '88, of the Boston Red Sox, has won this year's Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. The award is presented annually by Phi Delta Theta to the Major League Baseball player who best exemplifies the giving character of Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig, who was a member of the Fraternity's Columbia University chapter. The award was first presented in 1955 and is permanently maintained at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
The Fraternity's President, Mark Ochsenbein, and Foundation Trustee, Ted Lowrie, presented the Gehrig Award to Timlin at Fenway Park on Monday, September 8, 2008, during pre-game festivities along with True Blue Society member James Stroud, MIT Chapter President John Cromwell, and Associate Executive Vice President, Sean Wagner. Prior to the game a reception was held in Timlin's honor at Phi Delta Theta's Massachusetts Gamma (MIT) Chapter House.
Mike Timlin is a member of Phi Delta Theta from our Texas Gamma chapter and is among the most community-minded members of the Red Sox. Personally affected by Lou Gehrig's disease, Mike's mother, Sharon, succumbed in 2002 to the illness at the age of 61. After watching her suffer through the awful progression of this fatal disease, Mike and his family vowed to do as much as they could to bring awareness to the forefront and, with time, ensure a cure. Since then he and his wife, Dawn, have hosted the annual 5-K Sharon Timlin Memorial Race/Walk and Family Fun Day. In total, over $200,000 has been raised and directed toward research for a cure for ALS from these events. He has also worked extensively with the Angel Fund, an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to support ALS research at Massachusetts General Hospital. Since coming to Boston in 2003, he has donated $500 per appearance to the fund. Additionally, Timlin was the 2005 BoSox Club Man of the Year and has served as spokesman and participant for the Junior Padre Club and Clinic.
Timlin has the same tenacity on the field as he has off of it to eradicate ALS. He became just the 13th pitcher in major league history to appear in 1,000 games and finished the season with 1,011 career appearances. Also in 2007, he compiled a 2.89 ERA in 40 appearances and had his career best, 16 inning scoreless streak, occur over 11 appearances. He is second only to Bob Stanley in the Red Sox record books in relief appearances. Timlin has appeared in at least 60 games in 10 straight seasons beginning in 1997 and has made 44 career post season appearances, 4th all-time.
"Mike Timlin is the perfect recipient for this year's Lou Gehrig Award," says Sean Wagner, spokesman for the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award Committee. "Mike's fight against Lou Gehrig's Disease demonstrates a tremendous commitment to eliminate this horrible disease that affected Gehrig himself, Timlin's own family and so many others."
Timlin is the second member of the Red Sox franchise to receive the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, joining Tony Perez who won the award in 1980.