In sports, there are plenty of reasons to be cynical. This is one of the rare weeks to be hopeful.
The New York Yankees kicked off the second annual HOPE week, a time when the Yankee players reach out to their most disadvantaged fans. Yesterday, many of the Yankees, most notably Mariano Rivera, attended a pool party for Jorge Grajales, a 13-year-old from Panama who survived a life-threatening condition by having his arms and legs amputated. Imagine the thrill of having the Yankees hang out at your house for a pool party and then going to a baseball game that night to throw out the first pitch, which looked pretty good to me.
But the Yankee players looked like they got just as big a thrill from visiting the youngster as he did in meeting them. Young Jorge cracked the players up on more than one occasion, recounting stories that reminded everyone he is just a normal teenager.
The players obviously love HOPE week, the brainchild of public relations director Jason Zillo, who deserves a lot of credit for carving out special time for the team to give back to those who are much less fortunate than they are. It's a real chance for the Yankees to connect with people they wouldn't normally come in contact with, a chance to receive as much hope and inspiration as they give.
The New York Yankees kicked off the second annual HOPE week, a time when the Yankee players reach out to their most disadvantaged fans. Yesterday, many of the Yankees, most notably Mariano Rivera, attended a pool party for Jorge Grajales, a 13-year-old from Panama who survived a life-threatening condition by having his arms and legs amputated. Imagine the thrill of having the Yankees hang out at your house for a pool party and then going to a baseball game that night to throw out the first pitch, which looked pretty good to me.
But the Yankee players looked like they got just as big a thrill from visiting the youngster as he did in meeting them. Young Jorge cracked the players up on more than one occasion, recounting stories that reminded everyone he is just a normal teenager.
The players obviously love HOPE week, the brainchild of public relations director Jason Zillo, who deserves a lot of credit for carving out special time for the team to give back to those who are much less fortunate than they are. It's a real chance for the Yankees to connect with people they wouldn't normally come in contact with, a chance to receive as much hope and inspiration as they give.
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