Ten Finalists Chosen for 2007 H...( Awardee to visit Fred Hutchinson...),Health

Awardee to visit Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in January

SEATTLE, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- A national committee of Major League Baseball and media representatives has released a list of 10 players, one of whom will go on to receive the prestigious Hutch Award(R) in January. The 2007 Hutch Award finalists are:

-- Paul Byrd, Cleveland Indians

-- Matt Holliday, Colorado Rockies

-- Orlando Hudson, Arizona Diamondbacks

-- Raul Ibanez, Seattle Mariners

-- David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox

-- Russ Ortiz, San Francisco Giants

-- Johan Santana, Minnesota Twins

-- Mike Sweeney, Kansas City Royals

-- Nick Swisher, Oakland Athletics

-- Woody Williams, Houston Astros

The 2007 Hutch Award recipient will be selected in mid-November through a vote of all surviving former awardees. Through the years, 42 players have been honored. Mickey Mantle accepted the inaugural award in 1965, the year after baseball great Fred Hutchinson (known as "Hutch") succumbed to cancer at age 45. Hall-of-Famers Sandy Koufax, Carl Yastrzemski, Al Kaline, Wille McCovey and Lou Brock all have received the Hutch Award, and in more recent years Jamie Moyer, Trevor Hoffman, Craig Biggio and Mark Loretta have joined their ranks.

The Hutch Award is given annually to the major league player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire of Hutch. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center -- which was named in Hutch's honor by his brother Bill, a surgeon -- is an independent, nonprofit research institution dedicated to the understanding, treatment and prevention of cancer and other potentially fatal diseases.

Each year in January the award is presented in Seattle, Hutch's hometown and the site of the renowned cancer center that bears his name. While in Seattle, Hutch Award recipients often visit with young cancer patients undergoing treatment on the Hutchinson Center campus. The 2007 Hutch Award will b
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