Our New Rooting Interest

As our mission statement implies (and our usual content confirms), we generally don't take much seriously in this space. We mock, skewer, and throw bombs from our comfortably obscure internet balcony. Sometimes our targets even deserve it. But deep down in places we don't like to talk about at cocktail parties (or dive bars - we're rarely invited to cocktail parties because of our hideous collection of tattoos and unfortunate social awkwardness), we're a sucker for stories about kids and dreams, and people that believe in both.

And that's why we're now big fans of Kansas University sophomore pitcher Lee Ridenhour.

Brien and Jack are cousins, the sons of a pair of Friends of G:TB. The boys are 9 years old, and share a love for sports with their athletic fathers and mothers. They also both happen to have severe Hemophilia A, a hereditary bleeding disorder. Hemophiliacs have far lower levels of the blood proteins that promote clotting, resulting in longer and more frequent bleeding after injuries, and potentially dangerous complications from internal bruising.

Until recently, children diagnosed with hemophilia were extremely limited in their ability to compete in most sports. Even relatively minor injuries could present life-threatening complications. In the last several decades, however, the scientific community has made significant breakthroughs in the treatment of bleeding disorders, developing synthetic clotting factors that enable most hemophilia sufferers to rapidly treat their injuries with injections. These advances have enabled children like Brien and Jack to play sports - like baseball - that would have been off-limits to them even a few years ago.

Children like Lee Ridenhour, too. The Lenexa, KS native turned down a $150,000 signing bonus with the Minnesota Twins two years ago to accept a scholarship with Kansas. The 6'4", 205 lb righthander went 6-3 with a 4.65 ERA in 79 1/3 innings in 2009, his freshman season. His six wins were the most by a Kansas freshman since 1994. He also suffers from severe Hemophilia A. And in the eyes of two little boys from Virginia, he's a hero.

The boys' families read about Ridenhour in a national hemophilia publication and reached out to the Jayhawk athletic department through a college friend with connections to KU athletics. Coach Ritch Price coordinated a visit through the university's 'Caring for Kids' program. In early March, as Team G:TB was preoccupied with William & Mary's run to the CAA Tournament final, Brien and Jack flew to Kansas to meet Ridenhour.

"He was extremely down to earth and really forthcoming about his battles," said Brien's dad (and FoG:TB), Cliff Krug. "He was also grounded. For a kid that's a D1 baseball player on a nationally ranked program (Note: at the time, the Jayhawks were #23) and was drafted out of HS, you couldn't tell.

One of the best parts is as I talked with him in the OF (during BP), some of the guys on the team told stories of their 'surprise' about him having Hemophilia. One guy woke up one morning to Lee giving himself his medicine, but thought he was doing drugs (Note: Advate, a synthetic clotting agent, is given intravenously)."

Ridenhour was injured and preparing for surgery to repair torn ligaments in his ankle during the boys' trip, and got to spend a great deal of time with the youngsters, pitching batting practice and playing catch in the outfield. Brien took a wicked grounder off his knee while shagging balls during the Jayhawks' batting practice, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise when he got to spend quality time playing XBox games with the team in the clubhouse while receiving treatment.

Brien and Jack threw out the first pitch of KU's game against Missouri and served as honorary bat boys before flying home (with the benefit of an airplane, though neither of them likely needed it). As for Ridenhour, he's seeking to bounce back from his injury and enter the Major League Baseball draft in 2011 as an eligible junior. Two little boys (and their fathers) will be following his exploits very closely.

As will a bunch of generally cynical bloggers who might cop to a soft spot for kids and their heroes.