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9-Year-Old's Yankee Dreams Come True In Tampa

Tribune photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

John O'Connell and his son Kevin get autographs from Jason Giambi in the Yankees dugout.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 5, 2008

TAMPA -- In the New York Yankees dugout at Legends Field, players and coaches take turns holding court. One day, it'll be Derek Jeter, another, Alex Rodriguez. New manager Joe Girardi talks about game strategy. Yogi Berra talks about, well, he just talks.

But today, Kevin O'Connell is holding court. As players stroll back and forth before Kevin, a 9-year-old from Spring Hill with an immune system disease that may take his life in another 10 years or so, Jeter catches his eye.

"Hey, buddy," the all-star shortstop, asks, "What's your name?"

"Kevin."

Jeter shakes the boy's hand.

"Nice to meet you, buddy."

Jeter walks away to take a few swings at morning batting practice as Kevin watches him in awe.

Later, Jeter returns to the dugout and hands the boy his batting practice bat.

"There you go, my man."

As coming out parties go, this one is pretty big for Kevin. He hasn't been out of his house since October. But today, he's sitting in the dugout hanging out with the boys of summer.

Kevin ambled over to Berra, Frank Howard and Craig Nettles, who were standing by the batting cage. They all sign the boy's baseball and line up for a photo taken by Kevin's dad, John.

"Don't stand in front of Yogi," Nettles tells the boy, "You'll block him out."

Jeter and Rodriguez, who also stopped to chat and sign a few autographs, are Kevin's favorite players, said Kevin's mom, Joan, who reminded Kevin to say "thank you" every time someone signed his baseball.

A Yankee escort points out a few retired ballplayers standing near home plate.

"You want to meet some old-timers?" he asks the awestruck child.

"Sure." Kevin's answers are short today.

"Who do you want me to introduce you to?"

"How about Babe Ruth?"

Kevin, his mom, his dad and two older brothers took a limousine ride from Spring Hill for the day, courtesy of the Children's Dream Fund. The family, all Yankees fans, met the players in the morning and sat in some primo seats for the afternoon game against the Minnesota Twins.

Kevin suffers from an immune system disorder called Hyper-IgM Syndrome and runs the risk of death if he catches even the common cold, Joan O'Connell said. His treatment has included a bone-marrow transplant when he was 2 that didn't produce much benefit.

Flu seasons are like house arrest for Kevin, who has been locked up in his home since October, she said. He does teleconferencing for school and watches a lot of television.

"He doesn't go to school, but he has class through a satellite system," Joan said. "It's wonderful. Hernando County is the only one doing this. It works beautifully."

Kevin gets out occasionally, taking trips with his parents, but he wears a mask, which he took off for Wednesday's trip. He can have visitors if they're not sick. Everyone washes up when they show up at his home. Physical contact is frowned upon.

The boy takes weekly infusions of antibodies, she said.

"It gives him a protection level somewhat," she said. "But it can't guarantee everything. Really, we don't know what kind of protection he's getting."

Kevin has been taking the injections for seven years. He doesn't complain about it, she said.

"He's smart," Joan said. "He doesn't want to be sick. We've tried to condition him since he was little."

Needless to say, Wednesday's trip to Tampa was special.

All five family members are big fans of the Yankees, with Joan and John hailing from Brooklyn. Strong remnants of that accent remains.

"People think I moved here just a couple of months ago," Joan said, though they moved 23 years ago.

She nodded at her husband in the dugout with her youngest son.

"This is his wish, too," she said. "Are you kidding me?"

John said he has been to Legends Field with his sons Michael, 27, and John, 24, but this is a first for Kevin.

"This is a biggie for him," John said.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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