I don't know much about basball, but even I know this is a big deal. Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez hit the 500th home run of his career in a game against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night. Ramirez became the 24th player to reach the milestone.
“I’m happy, you know, about everything I accomplished in life,” said Ramirez. “Not everybody has the chance to go and get to 500. I’m just proud to do it.”
Red Sox fan Damon Woo caught the ball. Even though he could likely fetch several thousand dollars for the historic souvenir, Woo graciously returned the ball to a grateful Ramirez after the game. "It's his accomplishment, it's his achievement, it's his ball," said Woo. "That's the right thing to do."
Ramirez' immediate plans for the ball center around his four sons Manuelito, 13, Connor, 15, Manny Jr., 5, and Lucas, 2. "What I want to do with the ball is take some pictures with my kids," he said.
After that, Ramirez says he'll donate proceeds from the ball to a hospital - he has been working on a program through which he donates $1000 to charity for every home run he hits.
I'm not even a baseball fan, but I love this story - the graciousness of Damon Woo and the generosity of Manny Rodriguez. The next time I go to a game I might even pay attention instead of just eating.
Source, Source
[photo: Spokesmanreview.com]
