Fansided

Andrew McCutchen rewards young fans with his batting gloves

By Len Nunes

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Today’s lesson: cheering for your favorite team and player when they visit your hometown can be very rewarding.

Freedom of choice is one of the liberties sometimes taken for granted by folks in North America.  Something else that is taken for granted by folks is how the smallest of gestures can create the most lasting impressions.

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen continues to combine the above two statements in the most heartwarming of ways.

While a person still double-takes when he sees McCutchen without his trademark dreadlocks (which he cut off for charity back on March 25th), he ensured himself three fans for life last night in San Diego.

I’m a simple man. When a player comes out to do a curtain call, I get chills down my back for having “my” cheering acknowledged. Can you imagine that thrill going through the minds and bodies of those youngsters?

Wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates jersey in San Diego is sure to draw some attention. Whenever you choose to wear the opposing teams colors you will undoubtedly deal with some heckling.

Those little guys didn’t let any heckling get in their way of cheering on their favorite MLB player. Again, it’s that liberty of choice engrained into the core of all sports allowing us to cheer for who we wish.

It was a very classy move by McCutchen to reward the young fans with his batting gloves. So classy it had Padres pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne like:

Okay not really with the Despaigne bit, but you can’t argue with me that McCutchen’s gesture will have a lasting positive effect on those youngsters.

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