Alex Avila doesn't remember how he did that day, or even when exactly that day was, but it remains one of his favorite baseball memories. And he's been to the World Series.
It had to be late 1990s or early 2000s, and Avila, still years away from breaking into the major leagues, was just a Little Leaguer playing a game in South Florida. One day, he looked up into the stands and saw his godfather.
His godfather was Tommy Lasorda.
"That was a real thrill," Avila said Friday. "All the kids on the team were excited, all the parents obviously were thrilled and they got a kick out of it.