Miguel Tejada—who knew he would be one of the feel-good stories of the year so far? When he’s not being ambushed by ESPN about his age or dodging steroid questions, he’s been actually hitting the ball well during this, his first year in Houston. So when he visited a sick ward Friday, he had no hesitation… sniff… to promise to hit a home run… sniff… for a kid with muscular dystrophy. Is someone cutting onions around here, or is it just dusty?

When Miguel Tejada met 8-year-old Jacob Scott on Friday, he was so touched by the little boy with muscular dystrophy he promised him a home run. Tejada fulfilled his vow to the youngster by hitting the first of three straight Houston home runs in a 7-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Astros hit five homers in the game.

“I was so excited,” said Tejada, who’d never promised a home run before. “I know it’s hard to tell someone you’ll hit a home run and do it. But today when I went to lunch with this kid I wanted him to be happy. So I told him I’d do it.”

• A little girl in the cancer ward asked him to tell Roy Oswalt to work on his curveball. “He’s killing my fantasy team,” she said.
• Another youngster, lying on a bed of pillows, asked Tejada to send his regards to Kaz Matsui. “I feel his pain,” he kept on saying.
• And finally, a little boy who was so weak from treatments that Tejada had to bend over to hear him could only say, “Punch Clemens if he ever comes back to your clubhouse. He’s a real douchenozzle.”

Tejada’s promise part of Astros long-ball barrage in Houston victory [ESPN]
Image [Getty}