I've never heard of a player asking for a kid's autograph like that. What a thing. Imagine.
That kid with the bat looks like he could fly out of the hospital bed.
McCutchen is another guy who does that sort of thing a lot. I remember a kid wrote to him saying he appreciated when McCutchen drew pictures with him in the hospital. In thanks the boy sent his first home run ball from when he got well.
McCutchen wrote a wonderful letter back saying, in effect, the ball meant more to him than any of his own memorabilia.
Here is the letter the kid wrote to McCutchen.
Plenty of kids look up to football and basketball players, and for good reason. The thing about baseball players, though, is they're not all giants. They can look like your old man, your brother. That's something for a kid.
Anyway, Rizzo could be Ernie Banks in Chicago. I don't say that lightly.
