Ryan Zimmerman
Courtesy of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club
Zimmerman and the Nats travel across the
country and back again throughout the
baseball season, but there are still plenty of
other international destinations he wants to
tick off his family’s bucket list.
“We have tons of places we want to go,”
he revealed. “I would like to see all of the
Wonders of the World — definitely the
Pyramids and Northern Lights are on the
bucket list. So far, my favorite place that
I’ve visited was South Africa.”
Aside from racking up air miles, another
thing that the Zimmerman family devotes
their time to is the ziMS Foundation, which
they created 14 years ago. “My mom
[Cheryl] was diagnosed with multiple
sclerosis over 20 years ago, and when I
got to the big leagues I decided to start
a foundation to help raise money to
ultimately find a cure,” he said.
“Since 2006, I am happy to report that the
foundation has given more than $3 million
to MS causes.”
MS affects roughly 400,000 Americans and
can impact the body in almost as many
ways. Ryan looks at his mother’s condition
as an influence on his development as
a person and it forced him and brother,
Shawn, to assume responsibilities in his
home at an early age.
Zimmerman will no doubt have his mom
as an inspiration as he fights to earn his
third All-Star spot on the MLB All-Star
roster this summer.
The inaugural All-Star game was held in 1933
as part of the Chicago World’s Fair, and was
the brainchild of Chicago Tribune sports
editor Arch Ward. Washington, D.C. first
hosted All-Star in 1937 when the Senators
played in Griffith Stadium, but the baseball
flagship event hasn’t been here since 1969.
Celebration of America’s game will capture
the heart of the city from July 13-17 and
the festivities will kick off with the All-Star
FanFest theme days at the convention
center. The 2018 PLAY BALL Park at The
Yards is a 56,000-square foot interactive
area pitching fun, engaging and educational
activities for young baseball and softball
players throughout the weekend.
SiriusXM sponsors the All-Star Futures
FLYWASHINGTON.COM 8 SUMMER 2018