CLEVELAND -- Carlos Santana walked up, arms out and yelling to his biggest fan.
After Santana gave high five, Niko Lanzarotta smiled broadly and the two chatted for several minutes before Santana posed for pictures and gave him a hug. Soon, the Indians good-luck charm was presented with two special gifts, the reason he was back at Progressive Field on Saturday, as he and the Indians showed what a sports team can mean to a community.
In the Indians season of rebound, there has been a chicken and cryogenic treatment, but the most heartwarming story belongs to Niko, the eight-year-old with cerebral palsy who asked Jason Kipnis and Santana (his favorite Indian) to hit home runs for him on July 24.
On that night, both did, with Kipnis tweeting after: “What Niko asks for … Nike gets #goodluckcharm #comebacksoon.”
Soon was Saturday before the Indians game against the Mets. Niko walked along the third base line from the outfield to the dugout, both legs in braces, crutches in both arms. As he walked he called to his favorite players, and eventually was presented the home run balls from that game from the fans who caught them.
“It was a no-brainer,” said Mike Larkin of New Philadelphia, who convinced the bullpen to toss him Kipnis’ home run ball.
Megan Gillombardo dove to grab Santana’s ball as it rolled down the row, and when she heard Niko’s story she called Aaron Goldhammer of WKNR, who put her in touch with the Indians PR department. Larkin called the PR folks directly.
Gillombardo admitted she got teary-eyed when she saw Niko beam at receiving the balls. She teaches special needs students in Mayfield Heights and read about Niko the next day.
“I said I have to give the kid the ball,” Gillombardo said. “No doubt about it.”
Larkin and Gillombardo both acted without knowing the other called, two people doing what they felt was simply the right thing. Within minutes of Larkin’s call to the Indians Santana contacted the PR Department as well to ask to bring Niko back for a game.
Niko’s father Mike said his son watches every Indians game at home, and what he misses he watches in the morning on tape. He called the experience Saturday “unbelievable” and “phenomenal.”
“We just hoped for a picture and autograph with Carlos Santana,” he said. “Anything over and above that …”
There were plenty of tears of happiness on the field, as well as smiles. Larkin is a survivor of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Stage 4, and he said when he went through treatment in 1996 he watched many games with his brother.
“The Indians got me through that,” Larkin said. “That’s another reason this was a no-brainer. I know what the Indians mean to him.”
