 |
| Bartlett Honored at Thurman Munson Awards Banquet |
|
February 3, 2010 - by Steve Kallas, Harnessracing.com - On Tuesday night, Feb. 2, before a packed house on the Ballroom
Level of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in midtown Manhattan, the
Tom Berg Photo Last night, at the 30th annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner, over 600 people, including dozens of celebrities, came out to honor his memory and raise money for AHRC New York City Foundation, a wonderful organization that is dedicated to helping children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injuries. The harness racing world was well-represented as representatives of Empire City at Yonkers Raceway and the Standardbred Owners Association of New York came out in force to support one of the four honorees, Yonkers leading driver and budding superstar Jason Bartlett.
Prior to the event, Jason Bartlett and the other recipients,
Thurman Munson Award winners Joba Chamberlain of the world champion New York Yankees, New York Knicks starting point guard
Chris Duhon, former Met and Yankee star Darryl Strawberry, and
Legend Award recipient, former Yankee (and a teammate of
Munson’s)
Tom Berg Photo Jason Bartlett was cool, calm and collected for his session with the media in a small, packed room of about 100 people. Following Chris Duhon before the media, Bartlett noted that it was “a little intimidating” as he was a big basketball fan and player growing up and had watched Duhon lead Duke to an NCAA national championship. But then Bartlett settled in, telling the media what a great honor it is to be a Munson Award recipient, how he had done some research on Munson and “how everybody in New York loved him as a player and a leader” and “how great it is for harness racing to get some publicity.” Bartlett discussed briefly with the audience how drivers are, in fact, great athletes, how it takes both strength and stamina to drive horses and how hard work is the key to success. He then answered a few questions and told the media about some of the charitable work that he has done, including coat drives at Yonkers Raceway and a Toys for Tots benefit where he and his friendly rival, Jordan Stratton, raced against each other and donated their winnings to Toys for Tots. He also described the Tioga Downs championships where a number of top drivers (including Bartlett) donated their winnings to a needy family in the Tioga area.
Prior to the dinner itself, The Horseman had a chance to speak
with Bartlett,
Kristen Bartlett Photo Kristen Bartlett said she was “definitely honored that Jason is receiving this great award. It’s been a whirlwind between winning the Rising Star Award (last year), going to Norway to represent the United States in the World Driving Championship, and now this wonderful award at the Thurman Munson dinner.” Blackler said that, “Jason is like family to me. I wouldn’t be where I am without his help. I’m thrilled to be here to help him celebrate this great achievement.” Upstairs in the ballroom, New York sportscasting legend Len Berman was the Master of Ceremonies. After a wonderful speech from Diana Munson, Thurman’s widow, who thanked the attendees and the people of New York City for “keeping the memory of Thurman alive,” it was time for Bartlett to receive his award.
Former Brooklyn Dodger pitcher and harness horse owner Ralph
Branca introduced Bartlett and gave him his award.
Tom Berg Photo Branca concluded with “Jason Bartlett is only 28 years old and has over 3,000 wins. That means he’s a great driver.” With that, Bartlett walked up to the podium and received his Thurman Munson Award from Ralph Branca. With celebrities in the crowd like new Hall of Famer Goose Gossage, former Met manager Bobby Valentine, former Knick star Allan Houston and a host of others, Bartlett, a fine representative of harness racing, started off by saying how lucky he was to have the great opportunity to work at Yonkers Raceway. He thanked many people, including his wife, Kristen, the Rooney family (who own Yonkers), and the SOA of New York and its president, Joe Faraldo. Bartlett also named the other recipients and said “what a true privilege it is to be honored with these guys.” He paid tribute to Thurman Munson and thanked Diana Munson for “keeping Thurman’s memory alive.”
Bartlett then walked off the stage to an excellent round of
applause from the packed house, as he was thanked by Len Berman.
Kristen Bartlett Photo The reaction of the harness racing representatives at the dinner was unanimous: that Jason Bartlett had done a wonderful job of presenting himself and harness racing in a great light. “It’s a wonderful achievement,” noted Yonkers Raceway president Tim Rooney. “Look in the program at the prior recipients [which include Willie Mays, Yogi Berra and Jack Dempsey, to name just three]. Jason is the first harness horseman to receive this prestigious award. That’s fantastic.” Yonkers Raceway general manager Bob Galterio was also in attendance. “This is really big,” said Galterio. “I think this award is almost a metaphor for Yonkers Raceway. After a lot of hard work, Jason is a top driver. He’s young and exciting. So, too at Yonkers, where there’s been a rebirth after a lot of hard work. It’s an exciting place to be. Jason is a great ambassador for our industry.”
“It’s an extreme compliment to our industry that a young pro
like Jason can get this kind of recognition that our sport
deserves,” added SOA president Joe Faraldo.
Kristen Bartlett Photo The SOA’s John Brennan and George Casale also attended the dinner to honor Bartlett. “Jason is a great driver but he’s also very good for the sport, charity-wise; we need more of that in this sport,” noted Brennan, who serves as an SOA board member. “This is a wonderful blend of past athletes who made New York the sports capital of the world along with present and future athletes who will continue that tradition--all for a worthwhile cause. It was great to see a harness driver like Jason Bartlett get this award and this recognition,” added Casale, the SOA’s executive director. Yonkers Presiding Judge Cammie Haughton was also in attendance. “Jason is a pleasure to have at our track,” said Haughton. “He’s a great asset to the track and he’s a great asset to the entire sport of harness racing.”
John Cirillo of Cirillo World, who started his media career at
Yonkers, was instrumental in getting the Munson Awards Committee
to consider Jason Bartlett for a Munson Award. “Part of my job
is to identify new sports audiences for AHRC. I started my
career at Yonkers and was well aware of what Jason Bartlett was
doing both on and off the track,” said Cirillo. “The AHRC-NYC
and preserving the legacy of Thurman Munson is what this
From MLB.com Overall, it was a truly wonderful night in New York City at the 30th Thurman Munson Awards Dinner. Munson’s memory is alive and well, and money was raised to help kids and adults through AHRC. And Jason Bartlett became a star in every sense of the word.
|
