Spokane, WA-The Northwest League has informed the Spokane Indians that the players' fines from yesterday's on field incident will be given back to the Spokane community to support sportsmanship in youth sports. To facilitate this gift to the area's youth, the Indians organization has created the Bob Robertson Sportsmanship Award.

The award, named after the hall-of-fame broadcaster who spent 12 seasons in Spokane, will be presented to a local youth baseball team that exhibits exemplary sportsmanship throughout their season.

Coaches will be able to nominate their teams, with the squad that best reflects Robertson's motto of, "Always be a good sport. Be a good sport all ways," receiving a $500 scholarship that can be used to cover league and team expenses.

"The Spokane Indians pride themselves on the value of fair play and have a long history of baseball players who serve as role models," said Indians Senior Vice President Otto Klein. "We hope to turn this negative event into a positive catalyst for sportsmanship among the area's youth players."

The criteria for the award, which will require coaches to submit a one-page essay about their team's sportsmanship, includes:

--Respect for opponent
--Graciousness in winning and losing
--Observance of the rules
--Courage in difficult situations
--Enthusiasm for the sport
--Teamwork

More details about the award will be available at spokaneindians.com.

The Indians head on the road for a five game series with the Everett Aquasox (Seattle Mariners) before returning to Spokane to face the Boise Hawks (Chicago Cubs) starting on July 18th for Free Gas Card Giveaway presented by Rock 94.5 FM. Listen live to all Spokane Indians games, home and away, with "Voice of the Indians" Mike Boyle on SportsRadio 1510 KGA.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.