Dateline: 1991-1992
When David Wells was with Toronto the first time he was participating in a drill during warmups in the Yankee Stadium outfield. I had won 2 tickets to the game which I attended along with my son who was then 6 years old. We were on the third base line about 12 rows from the rail and directly behind the rolled up tarpaulin. My son positioned himself right in back of the tarpaulin at the farthest point towards the plate. There were at least a dozen children yelling and screaming for autographs as I watched with a smile on my face as I witnessed what I myself had done about 20 years prior. Anyway, as the cheering and yelling for autographs persisted I saw David Wells heading from deep left center field and he began walking towards the Toronto dugout. As I mentioned before, my son — being only 6 — was quite shy and really very quiet as the others, all typical New York youngsters, anxiously anticipated a player heeding their pleas.

As I continued to watch David I quickly noticed that he seemed focused on my son, but I quickly dismissed that thought to wishful thinking. With his long stroll nearing an end I continued to notice that David seemed absolutely fixed on my boy. As Wells passed the third base foul line it was clear that my son was the object of his attention and he quickly went over to my son and grabbed his program, and took a sharpie from another youngster. After signing the program he called over to Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter and Glenallen Hill for a baseball which they all signed and gave to my son Robert. My son turned and looked at me with the biggest smile I have ever seen on his beautiful face and I swear I was all choked up.

My son kept the ball in his room and still holds it every now and then. When I ask him if he remembers that day he tells me, "Remember? Dad are you kidding? I'll never forget it." Wells quickly became my son's Mickey Mantle and when the Yanks acquired him from Baltimore we were both extremely happy. David Wells did what so many players are capable of doing and seldom act on. He became a hero to a youngster. And he became a hero to me as well. I'll never forget that day. But really it's Yankee Stadium. I always go expecting wonderful things to happen.   —Michael Romano