Ten finalists chosen for 2006 Hutch Award

SEATTLE — Oct. 26, 2006 — 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 in January. The 2006 Hutch Award finalists are:

• Ken Griffey Jr., Cincinnati Reds
• Orlando Hudson, Arizona Diamondbacks
• Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
• Mark Loretta, Boston Red Sox
• Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
• Brad Radke, Minnesota Twins
• Brian Roberts, Baltimore Orioles
• Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox
• Dontrelle Willis, Florida Marlins
• Barry Zito, Oakland Athletics

The 2006 Hutch Award recipient will be selected in mid-November through a vote of all surviving former awardees. Through the years 41 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 Yastrezemski, Al Kaline, Wille McCovey and Lou Brock all have received the Hutch Award, and in more recent years Jamie Moyer, Trevor Hoffman and Craig Biggio have joined their ranks.

The Hutch Award is given annually to the major-league baseball player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire of Hutch. 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 or February 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.

For more information about the Hutch Award including a full list of recipients, visit http://www.fhcrc.org/hutchaward.

Media Contact
Christi Ball Loso
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
(206) 667-5215
closo@fhcrc.org

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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, our interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Our researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information, please visit www.fhcrc.org.