Vote ‘Cat!’: Walker up for Clemente Award

Throughout his baseball career, in whatever Major-League city he called home, Jamie ‘Cat’ Walker has always given back to the community.

Now, those communities, and his own hometown, have the chance to show their appreciation.

In his first year as a reliever with the Baltimore Orioles, Walker was selected by his teammates as their nominee for this season’s Roberto Clemente Award.

All 30 big-league teams nominate a player for the honor, which is given to the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team. The award is named in honor of the former Pirates outfielder who died in a plane crash while attempting to transport relief supplies to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua on Dec. 31, 1972. Each season, the winner of the award is announced during the World Series.

‘Just to be mentioned with a name like Roberto Clemente, it means a lot,’ Walker said in a recent interview with Spencer Fordin of MLB.com. ‘He’s a guy that died trying to help other people, so it’s great to be honored like that. That’s one thing I haven’t lost touch with ‘ trying to give back as much as I can.’

Walker’s charity efforts involve working with military veterans and underprivileged children. He donates money to the U.S. Army Emergency Relief Fund, and hosts soldiers returning from war in a luxury box at the Orioles’ ballpark. Last year, while a member of the American League champion Detroit Tigers, the former Pioneer and Austin Peay standout provided cable television for a veterans’ home whose residents otherwise wouldn’t have been able to watch the Tigers in the World Series.

Walker also buys blocks of tickets for kids that may have no chance to go to a game under other circumstances, and told Fordin during their interview that has always wanted to give back to society, especially after signing a three-year, $12-million contract prior to this season.

‘I felt once I started making some money, you’re supposed to tithe,’ he said. ‘But I don’t really go to church, because with baseball, we play every Sunday. The way I can tithe is with some of my money and some of my time to good organizations like the Army Relief Fund and by buying tickets for underprivileged kids.’

Fans can cast their votes for Walker by logging on to Major League Baseball’s official Web site and following the links to: http://mlb.mlb.com/ mlb/official_info/community/clemente_form.jsp.