7 Good News Stories: 100th Birthday Home Run; The Great Unmasking

ACROSS AMERICA — Jo Ann Smith can't remember a time when her mother, Jeanne Johnson, wasn't cheering for the Chicago White Sox, perhaps the least appreciated team in MLB history.

But people who love the White Sox love them fiercely and unfailingly. Smith stepped up and batted a home run with her mother’s 100th birthday party, a big affair held at Diktka’s, a restaurant in Oak Brook, Illinois, named after Chicago Bears football coach and coach Mike Ditka.

Southpaw, the team’s mascot, showed up. Former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and outfielder Scott Podsednik both delivered cameo video birthday greetings. The Sox also managed to surprise the newly minted centenarian with a personalized jersey bearing the No. 100 and presented Johnson with framed scorecard from the final game at Comiskey Park.

And, of course, everyone raised their voices in a rousing rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” » By Jeff Arnold for Chicago Patch

What Made #EndALZ Hashtag Special

Speaking of baseball, the not-so-grown-up kind, a mystery donor left a bag of well-loved baseballs at the Cal Ripken Youth Baseball League complex in Sarasota, Florida. Along with the balls was a note: “Whoever takes these, please have fun. I miss my dad and I wish I could play catch with him one more time.” It was signed with the hastag #EndALZ, which is used on social media to support Alzheimer’s disease research and care. » By Tiffany Razzano for Sarasota, Florida, Patch

‘I’m Raising A Good Guy’

This teen’s fame is catching up with him. In December, two weeks before his 13th birthday, Delaney Deleon got his 7-year-old brother and 1-year-old cousin out of the flames engulfing his Newark, New Jersey, home. This week, a group of police officers and firefighters surprised the family, showering Deleon and his brother with clothing and gifts to help the family get back on their feet. “I’m raising a good guy,” his mother said. » By Eric Kiefer for Newark, New Jersey, Patch

Good Vibes And The Great Unmasking

COVID-19 is still a problem, but health officials are optimistic that we’re approaching the endemic phase of the disease. Now that health officials have cleared most Americans to go about their business without masks, Patch columnist Mark Konkol went around the city collecting smiles along with, he wrote, “good vibes from Chicago's great unmasking.” » By Mark Konkol for Chicago Patch

Applause! Applause!

Let’s all cheer for this dog, Finnley; this wonderful place, Babylon Animal Shelter; and these people, Emma Sanes and Harold Sampson, who took Finnley into their loving arms after the pit bull terrier mix had been at the shelter for 890 days. He came to the shelter scared, shy and emaciated after spending most of his life chained in a small pen with sparse shelter. He flourished in the shelter but was repeatedly passed over for adoption. Then, on Valentine’s Day, when they were at the shelter to look at another dog, Finnley picked the Lindenhurst, New York, couple. "He came right in, and he hopped right up on me and started licking my face," Sampson said. On the car ride to his new home, he seemed nervous. But later, Finnley snuggled comfortably with his new family and fell asleep. » By Maureen Mullarkey for Babylon Village, New York, Patch

Want To Cuddle A Goat?

All you have to do to cuddle and bottle feed a baby goat is go to Narrow Way Farm, a community dairy farm in Newtown, Pennsylvania. "Everybody's just over the moon with all the good feels of holding the babies, watching them play, and learning," said Abigail Tuttle O’Keeffe, a former university professor who owns the farm. She stocked the farm with goats because their milk is the most consumed on the planet, and the dairy services various cultures from around the area. Goat cuddling and other events are designed to appeal to people of all ages and give them a calming outlet after being cooped up during the pandemic. » By Kate Fishman for Newtown, Pennsylvania, Patch

Close Encounters Of The Shark Kind

We’ll just leave this right here. Getting this close to a shark, as Capt. John Moore said he did, isn’t something most of us will ever do. But enjoy the view wherever you are. » By D’Ann Lawrence White for Tampa, Florida, Patch

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