Am I the only person in the country that didn’t know Jacoby Ellsbury was a Native American? How did I miss that? Anyway, great story on Boston.com about Ellsbury’s return to his reservation.
Ellsbury wiped away a tear as Madras Mayor Jason Hale proclaimed it Jacoby Ellsbury Day. He recalled being so nervous he almost threw up driving to the ballpark for his first start for the Red Sox, and pitcher Josh Beckett advising him, “Just don’t screw it up.”
Classic Beckett. After reading that, I stumbled upon an older story on a site called Indian Country:
Jacoby is also a hero to the local community, said Leona A. Ike, a member of the Warm Springs tribes. ”
At our local 150th celebration of sovereignty, the Treaty of 1855, we had a pow wow event called Pi-Ume-Sha. He showed up there with his family and the pow wow gave him an Honor Dance. Our elders shared with him that he is not only a role model for his tribe, but for all tribal children and people and we are all so proud of his accomplishments. He made the community feel so special. That is the kind of man this young man is – so respectful,” Ike said.
This is the stuff that gets me through the off-season.
