Two weeks ago, we shared with you the story of WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan visiting a sick little boy in the hospital and letting the kid tap him out. It was heartwarming, and a reminder that sometimes the world of sports can be good to people, and not just soul-crushing and full of sex tapes.

In that spirit, here’s a clip of Dirk Nowitzki visiting Will Kolassa at the Dallas Children’s Medical Center over the holidays, giving him an iPod and playing a little one-on-one. Oh, and when he’s done, he helps Will film a comedy vignette about why he missed practice. Sports celebrities do stuff like this all the time, and in a better world we’d only be sharing news like this. Dirk is an awesome guy, and this kid gets the memory of scoring a bucket on Dirk Nowitzki for the rest of his life.

Of course, my favorite part of the video is Dirk outfitted in the biggest scrubs in history, moving around all gangly and reminding me way too much of Dr. Satan from House Of 1,000 Corpses. Here, see for yourself:

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Relevant.

By all accounts, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is a bro’s bro, whether he’s doing everyone a favor by releasing Minka Kelly back into the wild or handing out autographs after one-night stands. And sure, being a Yankee legend in this frenzied media era means that he’s subject to more criticism and scorn than any Bombers of the past, but he’s played it pretty cool when the NY Post has called him a fat ass or when he’s been criticized by fans (and the media) for his drop-offs in numbers, because God forbid a guy show his age.

But those are sexy stories, written to cause controversy and scandal and ultimately sell ad space, so today the New York sports media is going to have to settle with a simply awesome story about Jeter. Victoria Soto was a 27-year old teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT before she was shot and killed last week while shielding children from a gunman. She was also a lifelong Yankees fan, and when Jeter heard about her, he reached out to Soto’s mother and family.

Excuse me for a second, the sinks in my eye bathroom are dripping.

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The video you’re about to watch spent most of yesterday afternoon being spread and shared around the Internet, and after so much of our coverage lately centering around spoiled kids and wretched adults who get what they want by bitching and complaining I wanted to put the spotlight on this — a nice adult and a grateful kid, and the way sports and fandom should work.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett finished his warmup tosses before Thursday’s game against the Kansas City Royals and walked over to a young fan, presenting him with a baseball. The kid’s reaction should make you smile, no matter how much your jaded Internet heart wants to start photoshopping him into things.

The event became so popular so quickly that NESN invited the boy and his family into their studio to talk about it, and that’s where we learn the best part. The kid was at the park with his father and grandfather, and it was the first time the three generations of his family had been to a ballgame together. Argh, my heart. You can watch that video after the jump.

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Since being the man to scoop up Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit last Saturday, Christian Lopez has become a baseball sensation because of his good fortune, great attitude, and ultimately how he’s being screwed over by the IRS. Lopez, of course, happily volunteered to give the milestone home run ball to Jeter, asking for nothing in return except for a chance to meet the New York Yankees icon. The Yankees said , “Screw that” and gave the 23-year old four season tickets for the rest of this season, including the playoffs and World Series, and they’re throwing in the first batch of autographed Jeter 3K memorabilia for him, too. But that’s when the IRS stepped in and said, “Not so fast.”

Luckily for Lopez, who sells mobile phones for a living, some companies are rewarding the selfless manner in which he simply gave the ball back. Miller High Life has offered to throw a party for him and donate the proceeds to paying off any taxes he owes from accepting the Yankees’ gift (Miller will pay the whole bill regardless of how much a party raises) and CEO Mitch Modell of Modell’s Sporting Goods has joined sports memorabilia dealer Brandon Steiner to raise $50,000 for paying off part of Lopez’s $150,000 student loans. I know, I’m baffled by that one, too.

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