[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 22852]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       COMMENDING ANTHONY BURRUTO

 Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, I rise today to commend a 
talented and courageous young American named Anthony Burruto. A rising 
seventh-grade student at Southwest Middle School in Orlando and a 
pitcher and first baseman for a Dr. Phillips Little League baseball 
team known as the Yankees, Anthony lives a fairly ordinary life; it is 
just that he is a rather extraordinary young man. Born without a fibula 
in his right leg or a shinbone in his left, he had his lower legs 
amputated as a baby. At the time, Anthony and his family were informed 
that surgery might one day make it possible for him to walk. Anthony, 
now 12, decided that walking would not be enough for him.
  He started playing baseball nearly 5 years ago; hitting his first 
home run last November, he just recently finished the spring season 
with five--two of them Grand Slams. Amongst the league leaders in home 
runs for the spring season, Anthony has been an inspiration to 
everyone--his teammates, his opponents, the coaches, parents, and fans 
alike. Using two titanium and carbon-fiber prostheses, Anthony moves 
around well; be it on the baseball diamond or while playing baritone 
with his school's band, he embraces with confidence all of his 
opportunities.
  In an Orlando Sentinel story written about Anthony, published earlier 
this year, one of his teammates was quoted as saying, ``He's always the 
one who gets everybody up in the dugout . . . He always sticks up for 
everybody when they have a problem.'' For a child who was born 2 months 
premature and weighed just a little more than 3 pounds, the 
aforementioned says much about his character and personality.
  While Anthony and his parents Vinny and Diane long lived in New York, 
they have now been living in Orlando for the past 2 years. I am 
certainly proud to call them Floridians. The Burrutos have been very 
supportive of their only child; their love and devotion have certainly 
helped this talented young man to shine even more brightly. The Orlando 
community has also given great support to Anthony. As an Orlando 
resident, I have yet another reason to be thankful that my family and I 
call Orlando home.
  There are now other people who have been picking up on the rising 
star that is Anthony Burruto. For instance, earlier this season when 
Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays hosted a three-game ``home 
stand'' at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando--the first 
regular season major league games ever played in the Orlando area--
Anthony was asked to throw out the first pitch of the first game. On 
this momentous occasion, Anthony threw a strike. Additionally, the 
Devil Rays won.
  The accolades continue to come. Right before the official start of 
summer, Anthony learned that he had made the Dr. Phillips Little League 
All-Star team--yet another incredible accomplishment for an impressive 
young man. His mother reports that he and his team did really well. And 
as further proof of Anthony's inspiring story, there was even a film 
crew from This Week in Baseball following him during part of his All-
Star run.
  Though given all of this praise, Anthony might respond much as he did 
in that Sentinel article. Commenting on ``able-bodied adults who say 
he's remarkable or inspirational,'' Anthony's response was, ``You just 
see things differently. To me, it's normal.'' This can-do attitude has 
brought Anthony many admirers at an early age--and I have every reason 
to believe that this young man will continue to inspire and succeed in 
ever bigger ways. I commend Anthony for his hard work, attitude, and 
approach to living. I encourage Anthony to keep swinging for the 
fences--he has already proven that he can knock the ball out of the 
park. On and off the diamond, we all know that Anthony Burruto is an 
All-Star.

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