Cleveland Indians: Jason Kipnis gives fans some October joy

Cleveland Indians fans were given a nice treat Tuesday afternoon when Jason Kipnis cleaned out his locker and gave gear to fans.

It was a rough 2018 season for Jason Kipnis. The same is true for Cleveland Indians fans.

To help move on and look ahead to 2019, Kipnis gifted fans with some gear and autographs in what has become an annual “shoe toss” event.

This is a very cool thing for Kipnis to do, especially when he can just go home in the offseason like most players and not show up again until next April.

Instead, Kipnis showed fans that he cares about the support.

Having high-character guys doesn’t always translate to championships. But what it does mean is that fans, both young and old, can connect with players on a personal level and feel connected to a team.

It is rare to see such acts from professional athletes these days. Kipnis just came outside with bins filled with shoes and started giving them away to fans. Then he signed autographs for those in attendance. How cool is that?

There will be the grouches who make negative comments about Kipnis when reacting to this event, but nothing can take the smile off the faces of the young kids getting shoes and autographs from an Indians player.

Maybe it will help inspire the next generation of athletes to do similar acts.

And for those angry at the team for laying an egg in the ALDS, remember that the players themselves are much more upset about losing than the fans. This team cares and we should know that by now.

Hopefully soon enough the entire team will be tossing out gear during a parade.