Did you happen to watch MLB's Home Run Derby last night? If so, you may have been touched - as I was - by what happened during the second round.
Just before the Nationals' Bryce Harper got up to bat, there was a moment of silence as fans, baseball players (including the Bay Area's own Marcos Scutaro, second baseman for the Giants), announcers, and even a cameraman held up signs that read "I stand up for" with the name of a loved one (presumably who has or had cancer) filled in. I don't normally pay attention to these sorts of things during sporting events, but this was hard not to notice.
This isn't the first time this has been done - MLB has been a major supporter of the Stand Up To Cancer initiative since 2008, and other fans have held up such signs - but seeing all those people's solemn faces last night was nonetheless a powerful visual reminder of how many Americans are affected by cancer. (The majority of those in the stadium - which holds close to 42,000 - were standing.) And I couldn't help but notice that the most common name on the signs - or at least the ones shown on camera - was "Dad."
Photo by dpkpr
