Accentuating the positive

To paraphrase my favorite joke, when you see a lot of horseshit, you should search for the pony. As he has been for nearly a decade, Anthony Rizzo is my favorite-most pony.

This week, he raised more than $800,000 with his Swing for the Fences auction. The funds will help families dealing with pediatric cancer.

The money goes to gas cards, so parents can afford the drive to the best -- and often faraway -- facility for their child's chemo.

And parking! I didn't realize this until Rizz educated me, but many hospitals charge patients for parking. A week of chemo can cost a family $70 or more, and that's not reimbursed by insurance. Neither is eating at the hospital cafeteria (another $50/week, per person.) When you consider that many parents are on unpaid leave from their jobs, these costs add up fast and can be crippling.

Which is why he's made rent/mortgage assistance available.

He's renovated the family waiting rooms at Lurie Children's Hospital here in Chicago and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, FL. 

In Chicago this year, pediatric cancer patients spent the day with their siblings at Santa's Village. In New York, the kids got gift cards for their own mini-spree at FAO Schwartz' flagship store.

Through his Home Run Challenge, every dinger is worth $4,425 ... and he's hit 22 already this year! That's another $97,350!

Oh yeah, and there's his baseball. You know, his real job. I hated to lose him, but he's flourishing with the first-place Yankees. It's not even the All-Star Break yet and he's got 57 RBIs! His slugging percentage is .502. It's been years since his SLG has been this high.

Lord, please let Anthony Rizzo have another World Series ring.