Signed Baseball Memory + Best Children’s Hospitals + Cat Burglar

Patch is in more than 1,000 communities in America. Find yours here and subscribeACROSS AMERICA — Six-year-old Abigail was so excited for her first Major League Baseball game. The young Los Angeles girl was in San Diego over the weekend to see her beloved Cincinnati Reds — and her favorite player, Joey Votto — play against the Padres.

So she was understandably upset when Votto was ejected early in Saturday’s game for arguing with an umpire. The young girl was inconsolable for two innings, her mother, Kristen Courtney, told Patch.

“ She kept saying, 'They made Joey leave.' 'They made Joey leave.' She cried for two full innings," Courtney said.

But later in the game, Courtney was waved down to the Reds’ dugout for a special surprise. It was a baseball signed by Votto, with a personal message Abigail will likely never forget. Read the story on Cincinnati Patch

Best Children’s Hospitals Ranked

U.S. News & World Report included rankings by state, and region, in their 2021 version of the best children’s hospitals list. The list includes the top hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic, Rocky Mountain, and Midwest regions, among others. Read the story on Across America Patch

Fun Reads

Weekend At A Winery: California’s South Coast Winery Resort and Spa is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The property boasts award-winning wines, 63 acres of rolling vineyards, locally sourced cuisine, luxury lodging and soon, live music, via Temecula, CA Patch

Can’t Turn Around: An RV driver in Colorado's San Juan National Forest wouldn't abandon his RV, and the sedan it was pulling, through a week-long wait for a tow, via Denver Patch

Finding Harriet Tubman’s Home: Maryland Public Television's series highlights African American sites within the state, most recently Harriet Tubman's family cabin, via Bowie, MD Patch

Firefly Vs. Lightning Bug: See what residents of New Jersey, the Ocean State, call the insects that emit light from their abdomens, via Wayne, NJ Patch

U.S. Open Tickets: This year’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Club in San Diego may be in the books, but it’s not too early to start planning for next year’s U.S. Open at the Country Club in Brookline, via Brookline, MA Patch

ICYMI: The neighborhood cat burglar in Beaverton, Oregon, is an actual cat, via Portland Patch

House Porn: A New York mansion built by retail magnate Frank W. Woolworth, once on the market for nearly $20 million, is now up for auction | Water surrounds a luxurious Longboat Key home with 175 feet of direct beachfront.

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Patch is in more than 1,000 communities in America. Find yours here and subscribe.