jim bono

Sal Frelick is playing in the World Series for the Milwaukee Brewers. Some of his best friends in the world are people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and he has been showing up for them since high school. Here is how he describes them. "I really do think they're angels." Here is the whole thing. Frelick grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts. In high school he was already friends with a lot of the students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Not as a project. Just friends in the hallway. Then someone told him about Best Buddies, a nonprofit that pairs students with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. "I had just been friends with these kids in the hallways, so I was like, 'Sounds fun.'" He joined. He went to their events. He went to their prom. One of the friends he made back then is still one of his best friends today. Every offseason, back home near Boston, they go out to dinner. His hometown runs a Unified Basketball league, where athletes with and without disabilities play on the same team. Frelick shows up to the big end of season event and brings shoes and sweatshirts for the players. Then the Brewers made him a big leaguer, and he moved to Milwaukee. He said something felt off. "When I was out here, it was almost like something was missing from my life in that aspect." So he sent a message on Instagram to the local Best Buddies chapter and asked how he could help. He started going to their events. Their Friendship Walk drew more than 1,000 people. One of the chapter directors said this about him. "He has a huge heart and compassion for the community we serve." Then he found Inclusion Coffee Company in Hartland, Wisconsin, a shop where most of the staff are people with disabilities. The owner explained why she opened it. "My idea was to give our friends with disabilities a place to work after high school." Frelick came in one Saturday morning before a game. Anybody could come get a coffee and take a picture with him. The money went to Best Buddies and the staff. The owner asked fans for one thing. No autographs, please. Just come in, buy a coffee from the staff, and take a picture. Here is the honest part. This was not a huge foundation or a million dollar check. It was an hour on a Saturday, a lot of dinners, and a lot of showing up. But that is exactly the point, and he will tell you so himself. "If you're around people with special needs or they're in the same environment as you, go up and talk to them." Tonight he has a chance to win a World Series. Win or lose, he has already been showing up where it counts. For more stories like this, follow us on any platform @thesportsontap