Derek Holland had a hard time recalling the place and the time, but he remembered the gesture.
After taking some time to think it through, he recalled it was at the now-defunct Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. His uncle had taken him to see Randall Cunningham practice, and then to a signing to get an autograph from the Eagles' quarterback the next day. He lined up to get his ball signed, but was pushed to the back by adults once Cunningham got started.
Fortunately for Holland, Cunningham saw what was happening and called him to the front, and Holland got his signature.
"Those are the moments that, as a kid, you look forward to," Holland said during a Zoom call Sunday.
That stuck with Holland, and he has been a very accessible player to fans throughout his career, either in person by signing autographs or virtually by doing live twitch streams. He won't have many opportunities to interact with them in person this year though, as games are going to be played in empty stadiums across baseball.
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