HOPE WEEK IS TRULY THE YANKEE WAY

Bleeding Yankee Blue told you guys about HOPE Week this week in YANKEES' HOPE WEEK IS THE GREAT WEEK ON EARTH, something the New York Yankees have done for the past 4 years where there will be a group of Yankees that will go out and do something special. They’ll visit underprivileged kids, they’ll help people in need, they’ll shake hands with the fans and most importantly, they give back to communities; not with Yankee representatives in suits who carry the Yankee name, but actual players, Robinson Cano, Boone Logan, Curtis Granderson, Jayson Nix, Nick Swisher, Brian Cashman… they’re all out there.

The idea makes me gush. Sure, I’m 40 and meeting these guys is a treat, but one thing that I love and it makes my heart flutter is when I see a little kid smile ear to ear as they are giving the “pounds” to a New York Yankee.  They are so excited and to me, that’s what life’s about, having fun, helping out when you can and enjoying life.  HOPE. You can’t beat it.

I told you about a story a few weeks back in a piece called WHY ANDY PETTITTE'S GIFT KEEPS ON GIVING.  Andy Pettitte gave a baseball to a legally blind boy named Andy Fass who happened to be in the Trenton Thunder facility for an award his sister was receiving for school.  Suddenly, the boy who had no interest in baseball suddenly had a life changing experience, all because Andy Pettitte took a moment to meet him. Read HERE.  Suddenly, little Andy believed.  Here’s a portion of that story written by Paul Franklin of the Times of Trenton: 

“The boy didn’t initially realize he was holding a baseball because he has oculocutaneous albinism. Andy is legally blind, and his parents learned soon after he was born that he would not be able to play baseball — though things may work out differently, thanks in part to that night at Waterfront Park.

The evening continued to be memorable. A family friend waited in line after the game and had Pettitte sign the ball. And, by coincidence, The Times captured the moment the pitcher handed the ball to Andy in a photo that appeared on the front page the next day.

Andy’s mom e-mailed the Thunder to thank them for a night that turned out to be more special than they could have imagined, and the public relations department found the story so poignant that it forwarded her letter to the Yankees. Soon two Yankee baseball caps arrived in the mail."

Well, this week the Yankees invited Andy Fass and his family to the stadium to throw out the first pitch...for HOPE Week.  Now this kid believes he can do anything and I love it.  His mother recently commented on BYB about the experience and how blessed they were that and Andy was going to be giving little league a shot, even though he’s legally blind.  You want to talk about Hope? That’s hope.   Here’s what his mother ? wrote to us:

I can’t say it enough. I love what the New York Yankees are doing and I appreciate and respect the idea so much.  Maybe one day, if BYB ever gets bigger and more popular, we can do something just as special. Because I tell you what, giving back when you can…let’s just say nothing beats the feeling inside.  God Bless my New York Yankees, this is definitely a great week.

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