Game Balls For Alex And His Grandpa

EDIT: Skol Girl. . .yes, she's still out there. . .has informed me that the organization that helped to get Alex to the Vikings practice for him to spectate is called Hope Kids, and they do a lot of these sorts of things for children in similar situations. If you'd like to see what they're all about and possibly make a donation, be sure to check out the Hope Kids website.

Earlier this week, we told you about young Alex Loehlein, an 8-year old battling Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, who had an opportunity to attend a Minnesota Vikings practice. He sent a thank-you note to the Vikings and head coach Mike Zimmer for allowing him to attend, and said that his grandpa said that Zimmer would have good luck the rest of the season because "he had used up all his bad luck already."

Well, on Sunday, after the Vikings finally got a little bit of good luck to guide them to a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Alex's grandpa looks like a bit of a prophet. And whether that was the reason or not, Mike Zimmer decided to honor the two of them.

In the locker room after the game, Zimmer declared that there would be two game balls given out for this week's victory. One would go to Alex, and the other to his grandpa.

What an outstanding gesture on behalf of Zimmer and the Vikings, and one that will give Alex and his family yet another memory to hold on to as Alex continues to battle his illness. Things like this make me happy as heck to have Mike Zimmer coaching this football team.

You can watch the video of the post-game presentation at the Vikings' official web site.