LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Reds media relations director Rob Butcher was named the winner of the 2006 Robert O. Fishel Award for Public Relations Excellence by Major League Baseball during the annual Winter Meetings on Monday.
Butcher has spent 18 years in professional baseball, the past 10 with the Reds. After he began his career with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers in 1988, he became the Yankees' media relations director in 1993.

The Reds hired Butcher, a Wilmington, Ohio, native, in January 1997. Universally respected in the industry, he has worked the last nine All-Star Games and World Series. He also served as the press officer for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic in March.

The Robert O. Fishel Award, named after the long-time baseball executive, goes to the "Active, non-uniformed representative of Major League Baseball whose ethics, character, dedication, service, professionalism and humanitarianism best represent the standards propounded by Robert O. Fishel."

Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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