Bob CollinsThe unwritten rule of catching a baseball at a game is this: Give it to a kid. Period. End of discussion.
Don’t be this woman.
But what if you have a choice of two kids to give it to?
The father of Jack Donohoe, 7, had that dilemma recently.
He’s got season tickets in the first row in Cleveland. At a recent game, he invited a girl “with obvious health challenges at too young an age” to sit in an empty seat, Jeff Donohoe tells the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The two kids hit it off.
They tried to get players to toss them balls, but no luck. Until…
“In the ninth inning a ball came loose. A Tampa coach or player picked up the ball and turned to toss the ball to the fans. He scanned the crowd. His eyes met mine. I pointed to the little girl who was standing next to me.
“He gave me a big nod of the head and tossed me the ball! Thankfully I caught it with one of the mitts my son and I brought. My son squealed with joy as I caught the ball. There was no way I could just give the ball to this girl we just met.
He gave the ball to his kid.
“I put the ball in his glove, but I suggested we should give the ball to our new friend. He asked why. I said this was her only game for the season. … He shrugged his shoulders and put the ball in her hands!
She thought he should have it.
“The little girl showed her dad the ball. Amazingly, she put the ball back in my son’s hands and said he should have it since his dad caught it. After some discussions, my son agreed it was best for her to have the ball, and she left with it.
“We all watched fireworks together, and the kids had a blast.”
Late last week, the Cleveland Indians honored the kid who was raised right.
