News
Breslow helps kids through foundation
A's lefty hosts event to raise money for cancer research
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
11/11/09 4:15 PM EST
OAKLAND -- Labeled last June by no less of an authority than the Wall Street Journal as "the smartest man in baseball, if not the entire world," A's left-hander Craig Breslow gets a lot of attention in the clubhouse for his academic pedigree.A 29-year-old reliever who went 8-7 with a 3.36 ERA, 15 holds and a 1.11 WHIP over 77 appearances in 2009, Breslow graduated from Yale in 2002 with a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry.
So when former Red Sox teammate Josh Beckett wanted to know how many times a baseball thrown at 95 mph makes a full revolution on its trip to home plate, Breslow was his man.
Of course he was. And of course he came through, and then some.
Breslow didn't just provide an answer to the original question -- 12 -- but also answers based on a curveball and a slider.
"It's rather simple once you do it," Breslow said.
Maybe for a brainiac. Not so much for the majority of baseball players; the Journal last June reported that only 26 current players or managers had earned a college degree.
"Breslow knows everything," A's lefty Dallas Braden said. "I seriously want to be Craig Breslow when I grow up. He knows things most baseball players wouldn't even try to think about. ... I'm not saying we're all a bunch of rockheads, but if we were, he'd know how to build some kind of laser to break up the rocks and turn them into something way cooler."
Breslow doesn't shy away from discussing his intellect, and he graciously plays along with any tongue-in-cheek queries that come his way. But he's dead serious when it comes to his passion for helping children through medicine, and to that end he started the Strike 3 Foundation in 2008.
Twelve years old when his older sister, Lesley, was diagnosed with pediatric thyroid cancer, Breslow uses the foundation to honor her in hopes of helping scientists find a cure. Lesley has been in remission for 15 years.
"Something as traumatic as that has a lifelong impact," Breslow said of his sister's battle. "It confirmed my interest in medicine. Being a doctor went from being a prestigious profession to something that changes people's lives."
According to the Strike 3 Web site (strike3foundation.org), Breslow's mission is to heighten awareness, mobilize support and raise funds for childhood cancer research.
And that's exactly what Breslow and several of his big league buddies, as well as Grammy Award-winning reggae/pop star Shaggy, were doing Saturday at the Omni Hotel in New Haven, Conn., during the foundation's second charity event.
Nomar Garciaparra was the featured speaker at the event, support for which was lent by several other A's teammates, including outfielder Rajai Davis, righty Vin Mazzaro, designated hitter/outfielder Jack Cust and All-Star closer Andrew Bailey.
Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine and Twins righty Kevin Slowey were there, too, and free-agent first baseman/up-and-coming musician Ben Broussard, like Shaggy, performed on stage.
Live and silent auctions, featuring items such as "Green Monster" seats for a game at Fenway Park, a tour of new Yankee Stadium and signed memorabilia donated by players all around the game, generated most of the money raised. Last year's event brought in more than $100,000, and Breslow expects to find that this year's event eclipsed that mark -- strong numbers in a depressed economy.
"It was awesome," Breslow told MLB.com by phone Tuesday. "It couldn't have gone any better."
Breslow, who likely will attend medical school when his playing career comes to an end, has been active toward his cause for some time.
In August, he toured the Research Institute at Children's Hospital in Oakland, and that night he hosted one of the facility's patients, 13-year-old Hudson Davis, at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
"I started the Strike 3 Foundation," Breslow said, "to ensure that every child is afforded the opportunity to prosper. ... We're really happy with the way things have gone."
Mychael Urban is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
