Jeremy Guthrie Does Good Deeds

Out of nowhere on Wednesday afternoon, Jeremy Guthrie put out a bulletin on Twitter.

He wanted to give away tickets to that night’s game against the Rangers. There wasn’t a clear motive or a contest. The only condition he applied to his invite was that the tickets go to someone who hadn’t been able to afford a game or just hadn’t made it out this year. Obviously, that’s an intriguing opportunity and I’m sure he was flooded with people asking about the seats.

Guthrie chose to give them to follower Andrew Wood. What’s more, he even met up with Andrew and a friend outside the stadium. Wood replied to Guthrie’s invitation stating that he’d lost some friends earlier this year and purchased an All-Star brick at Kauffman Stadium with their names on it in their honor. That’s where Guthrie delivered the tickets.

This isn’t the first time Guthrie’s made someone’s day on Twitter. When he was with the Rockies earlier this year, he didn’t have a throwing partner and asked his followers for help. He came away with much more than just a game of catch. His partner turned out to be Twitter follower Woody Roseland, a cancer survivor and college student who’d had a leg amputated as a result of the illness.

It’s really easy to be cynical as a sports fan. It’s even easier when you’re a fan of a team that never wins. I haven’t made up my mind on Guthrie’s future within the Royals organization. He’s pitched well and looks to have made adjustments that have led to his improvement, rather than benefit from a lot of luck in small samples. I lean towards not giving him a long-term commitment just in case he returns in 2013 as Colorado Guthrie and not Kansas City Guthrie.

But despite that cynicism, it’s nice to be reminded that there are true good guys in the sport, even if it’s just doing little things like giving away some tickets or reaching out to a fan who wants to help him stretch out his arm.

Getting good pitching is most important, but getting a good person counts for something as well. Guthrie was a damn good return for Jonathan Sanchez, a guy who never looked like he wanted to be here.

Sanchez’s Twitter claim to fame?

Yeah…he probably took some heat in the locker room after that one.