[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10975]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING JON LESTER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ADAM SMITH

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2008

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Jon Lester, a 
resident of Puyallup, Washington, for his bravery in surviving cancer 
and his achievements as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in Major 
League Baseball.
  Jon graduated from Bellarmine Prep School in 2002. That same year, 
the Red Sox drafted him. He played for the Red Sox's minor league team, 
the Portland Sea Dogs.
  In 2005, Jon led the league in strike-outs, was named the Eastern 
Pitcher of the Year, and was selected for the Eastern All-Star Team. 
The following year, Jon was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell 
lymphoma and had to undergo chemotherapy. Following his treatment he 
returned to Major League Baseball in 2007. Lester was an integral 
component of the Red Sox's World Series victory, closing out the final 
game.
  On the 19th of May. 2008, he threw a no-hitter against the Kansas 
City Royals. It was the first no-hitter since September 2007, and the 
first by a left-handed Red Sox player since 1956. Bowing to Jon's 
achievement, Kansas City manager Trey Hillman could only explain, 
``We're on the wrong part of history.''
  Jon also found time for philanthropic work for the Children's 
Hospital of Southwest Florida, the Boston Parks and Recreation summer 
program and the Boys and Girls Club of Chelsea, Massachusetts.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in honoring Jon's courage, his 
athletic gifts, and his deep concern for his community.

                          ____________________