Walking the Plank: Getting Dap

Thursday, 07 February 2013 01:35

Written by Michael Sanserino

In an offseason full of awards, Andrew McCutchen collected what is (likely) his last Wednesday night in Pittsburgh at the Dapper Dan Dinner and Sports Auction. 

He became the 19th Pirates player to have been named the Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year, joining the organization's greats like Clemente, Stargell and Mazeroski. 

Along with McCutchen, the evening honored former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, Penn State soccer player Taylor Schram and Heinz Field stadium manager Jimmie Sacco. 

McCutchen spoke for about 10 minutes when he accepted the award, thanking family, friends and fans. He got one of the bigger laughs of the night when he told the crowd he knew he finally made a name for himself in Pittsburgh when people stopped mistaking him for Larry Fitzgerald (he said Neil Walker fed him the line). 

He also told an interesting story about the time he attended a Roberto Clemente All Stars camp in Puerto Rico. He was 11, met Manny Sanguillen for the first time and was named camp MVP. 

McCutchen spoke of the excitement of 2012 but also lamented the team's inability to finish the second half of the season. He promised the team would fix those issues moving forward. 

After the awards ceremony, McCutchen said he was overwhelmed by the accolades he's received this offseason. But he said it made him hungrier to follow up on the performance -- and because of that, he's anxious to continue his conditioning and begin Spring Training.