Gwinnett Braves recruiting 
for Tenth Man position 

How many men are on a baseball team? Nine if all the team is about is playing baseball. But when the playing field takes in the whole community, as it does with the Gwinnett Braves, then for every game a Tenth Man is in the lineup.

The Tenth Man Award, initiated by Gwinnett Braves Manager Bruce Baldwin, recognizes people who make a hit in the community by going above and beyond in many different fields.

Courtney Lawson, community and public affairs manager, said that some sports organizations will recognize one outstanding person on one special night, but Baldwin believes there are many people out there who are making a difference in many different positions.

During a brief pre-game ceremony, the Tenth Man – OK, it can also be a woman – is honored with a plaque, and then performs the official duty of raising the American flag so the crowd can proceed with the National Anthem and the rest of the team can play ball.

So far this inaugural season, the Gwinnett Braves have honored more than 40 Tenth Men. I don’t have column space to mention all of them, but in terms of the diverse organizations they represent, I’d like to cover as many bases as I can. 

Karen O'Connor, the Gwinnett County chairman for the Special Olympics, has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for the Special Olympics and assisted over 2,200 athletes in the process. She is an impaired professional at Mill Creek High School and also a G-Braves game day staff member. 

Robin Witworth, a volunteer for the Gwinnett Humane Society, has spent over 12 years organizing fundraising events, working with animal control, educating the community and finding new homes for helpless animals. Not any woodchucks yet that I know of, but if Chopper has any homeless friends, I’m sure Witworth would step up to the plate for them. 

Corporal William Hoch and Sergeant Michael McKeithan are Purple Heart award winners from the 2009 Valor Awards. They were both wounded in the line of duty early last year as they were serving an arrest warrant. For their courage in the line of duty, these two Tenth Men scored a double the night they were honored. 

Mike Levengood, Chairman of the Gwinnett Parks Foundation, spearheaded many missions that designated millions of dollars to help make Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation number one in the nation.

Les and Pat Williford are long-time volunteers at the Lawrenceville Coop. Besides getting up at 4:00 a.m. every Monday morning to pick up bread for the Coop, they also coordinate food purchasing and delivery and never drop the ball whenever anything at the coop needs to be replaced or repaired. 

. The Gwinnett Braves are always scouting for that Tenth Man position and I just pitched these ideas out for starters. If you’d like to nominate someone who is scoring big time in the community, contact Courtney Lawson at 678-277-0329 or Courtney.Lawson@braves.com 

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