We've been Cubs fans forever, but 2 years ago before the pandemic hit we sat in seats right on field near the visitors dugout and Jason Heyward & Kyle Schwarber came over and tossed a few balls at my youngest son because we said it was his birthday. Other Cubs fans jumped over top of us getting the balls as the flew in, so JHey walked over and gave my son a ball and wished him a happy birthday personally. From that point forward Harrison has been a huge JHey fan and will only wear 22 in all of his sports and pretty much every morning asks what the game stats were of the Cubs game and how Heyward did.
Flash forward to last night. Because of travel ball, we never had an opportunity to go to Wrigley this year, so we got the same exact seats on the field next to the Cubs dugout for the the Reds game at Great American last night. My kid even made a huge sign how he was JHey's biggest fan. Got there an hour and a half early, shouted at JHey, and waved the signed him during batting practice and when he was next to use shagging balls in the fild next to us, and got no response. Then waited by the side of the dugout to again wave his sign and say hi to Heyward before they warmed up pregame, he comes out, and nothing. Every inning when Heyward ran past us into the dugout before the Cubs hit, the kids and wife yelled and waved the big poster board and not even a nod or a look. So, the wife decides we go to the right field area and see if he will at least wave at Harrison there. Some Reds fans had us sit first row in right field, and most of the section hollered like crazy for Heyward to just turn around and wave at his young fan for 2 innings and got nothing. He was like 10 feet away, so we're sure he heard them. And hell the guy is a professional athlete, trying to play a game, so I totally get why he was zoned out from the crowd and didn't play it up for the fans when in a visitors ball field like he did 2 years ago.
Tough talk with a disappointed little guy about professional sports and how his baseball hero Heyward's job is to play baseball, not socialize with all of the Cubs fans. Some tears were shed, but I think he got it.
What I will say is the Reds fans in right field, and I mean dozens of them, were simply fantastic in trying to help a little guy fan of an opposing team, decked out in Cubs gear, just to try to just get a wave from his favorite player. They were awesome and I appreciate their kindness. It wasn't about the Cubs and Reds, but about helping a kid simply get a wave from his hero.