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Nine-year-old Derek Rodriguez poses for a photo Wednesday, May 4, 2022, in Toronto with Mike Lanzillotta, the Toronto Blue Jays fan who caught the ball on a home run by New York Yankees' Aaron Judge on Tuesday and handed it to Derek. On Wednesday, Judge signed the ball and met Derek before the game. 

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge (99) reacts after striking out against the Toronto Blue Jays during the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in Toronto. 

New York Yankees' Josh Donaldson hits an RBI double against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in Toronto.

Toronto Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk (30) scores against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in Toronto. 

There comes a time in this twisted world of hatred where we all occasionally need a feel good moment to remind us of a bygone era when people actually used to do nice things for others.

Sometimes it’s getting more difficult to find examples of that when you look at what is transpiring in the world today. So when something special occurs it is important to grasp it and remind people this is the way life should be every day of our lives.

For many of us a moment of that kind took place on May 3 at a Major League Baseball game at Toronto's Rogers Centre Stadium between the hometown Blue Jays and the rival New York Yankees. It was a television clip that went viral and quite frankly left a tear of two in the eyes of the most hardened person.

Yankee slugger Aaron Judge was at the plate, and he caught hold of pitch crushing it into the upper deck of Blue Jay stadium for a home run. The ball was caught by an obvious Blue Jay fan Mike Lanzillotta, who was wearing a Blue Jay jersey and hat.

One of the dumbest traditions in many  Major League Baseball stadiums that often happens today is kind of a reflection where people presently are in the world. Fans around the person who catch the ball typically chant to "Throw it back" when it is a home run from the opposing team and it often happens much to the delight of the drunken, belligerent fans who surround them.

But Lanzillotta didn't do that and instead he held up the ball before turning quickly to hand it to 9-year-old Derek Rodriguez, who was at the game along with his dad sporting a baseball mitt in one hand while wearing a Aaron Judge jersey and Yankee baseball cap. What transpired next you couldn't have scripted better for a Hollywood movie.

In a sense of sheer, unbridled joy little Derek gave Lanzillotta a big, heartfelt hug and tears of joy began pouring down his face that he now had a baseball in his possession hit for a home run by his idol Aaron Judge.

Wow, what a great moment and what a class act Lanzillotta is for doing what he did. I am sure it is something little Derek will never forget nor will many of us who saw the replays of it on television the next day.

But at the same time knowing today’s world, there were most likely some online trolls who spread hate in this world who thought Lanzillotta should have held the ball in young Derek’s face, laughed and threw the ball back on the field. Well maybe it’s time the rest of us began to put the trolls like that back where they belong out of sight and mind.

Find more photos and watch the video of the special moment during the Yankees/Blue Jays game with this column online at manisteenews.com.

What Lanzillotta did brought back some special memories of my own about being at a Major League Baseball game.

I loved the game of baseball since being a kid growing up in Manistee in the 1960s and playing countless games during the day with my friends at Duffy Park on the Northside. After growing into an adult, I have enjoyed many opportunities to attend Detroit Tiger games in person.

There was only one chance that presented itself to me to catch a baseball at one of those games when I was sitting in the upper deck at Tiger Stadium. At the last second, someone in front of me reached up and knocked the ball away from my outstretched hands into the lower deck.

As I watched that ball fall into the lower deck a sense of real sadness came over me. It wasn’t because I personally wanted that baseball for myself, but sitting right behind me a couple rows up with their dad were two little guys with big baseball gloves, Tiger hats and a big wad of chewing gum in their cheeks.

The sadness was I didn’t get the chance to turn around and give them that ball if I had caught it. What bigger thrill is there for a child that age then to have their very own major league baseball.

It’s why what happened at Rogers Centre Stadium in Toronto was so special for so many of us who grew up and still love the game of baseball. More importantly it showed in today’s hate-filled world there still are people who do good things for others.

Nine-year-old Derek Rodriguez meets New York Yankees' Aaron Judge in the dugout Wednesday, May 4, 2022, before the Yankees' baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto. The young Yankees fan who became a viral sensation this week shed more tears of joy Wednesday when he met Judge. It came hours after cameras captured Derek tearfully hugging Blue Jays fan Mike Lanzillotta after Lanzillotta snagged Judge's sixth-inning home run ball and handed it to Derek. 

But there was another chapter to the Aaron Judge story. When the slugger learned about what happened after the game he invited Derek, his dad and Lanzillotta back to the Toronto Stadium the next day.

Derek was given the chance to meet his idol in person, watch batting practice from the Yankee dugout and get that special baseball autographed by Judge. Once again he got emotional giving Judge a hug and breaking into tears.

I still am a diehard Tigers fan, but let me tell you I gained a tremendous amount of respect for Aaron Judge that day. He didn’t have to do that, but it was another case of one human being reaching out to another to do something nice for another one.

It was reported that Derek took the ball to his school the next day to share what happened with his classmates and give them the chance to touch and see a major league baseball autographed by one of its star players.

What that tells me is this young man learned an important lesson from the experience about doing something nice for others and he paid it forward. What a great all around story and the kind of things we need to focus on more these days.

It’s certainly something to think about until I see you again on Monday.

Ken Grabowski is the retired associate editor at the Manistee News Advocate with more than 36 years of experience in the newspaper business.