There aren’t many groups of people that grow closer than that of sports teams. Teammates win together, lose together, fight for each other, and help each other, and that comradery is part of the reason why sports are so special.
On Monday, the Oakland A’s were helping out one of their own following the loss of Gretchen Piscotty, mother of outfielder Stephen Piscotty. Gretchen endured a battle with ALS over the past year, and was 55. When she first fell ill, Piscotty’s former team, the St. Louis Cardinals, generously facilitated a trade with Oakland to bring him closer to his mother, who resided in Pleasanton, California. When it was announced that Gretchen had passed, Piscotty’s teammates honoured her with initials etched on their hats.
The other initials, RC, are honouring the mother of Yusmeiro Petit, who also passed away earlier in the season. The gesture is a classy move from the Oakland organization, and hopefully one that helps out the entire Piscotty and Petit family in some small way.
In response to the death, an unlikely source came to aid the fundraising effort. Yu Darvish donated a generous $10,000 to ALS research. By midnight between May 7th and 8th, the fundraiser has reached over now $40,000
Sports can really be a beautiful thing.
(H/T MLB.com)
