OK, the Patriots run up the score, the BCSis a mess, Barry Bonds is facing perjury charges and O.J. Simpson is in trouble with the law again.

Such items have been splashed throughout the media time and time again.

But then there's the good stuff; the stuff that's not going to raise a reader's eyebrow or make him shake his head in disgust.

Unfortunately, the stories about teams and athletes doing something out of kindness — or just because it's a decent thing to do — are rarely told.

So let me tell you about one.

The Pittsburgh Pirates held their annual holiday party for Make-A-Wish Kids last Saturday at PNC Park.

Pirates chairman Bob Nutting was there. So was Butler's own Patty Paytas, the executive director of Pirates Charities. Pitchers Zach Duke and Tom Gorzelanny took part as well.

The Pirates invited 20 Pittsburgh-area Make-A-Wish kids and their families to a lunch inside the Pirates clubhouse. Thy ate hot dogs and nachos while being entertained by a magician.

They took swings in PNCPark's indoor batting cages against Duke and Gorzelanny, decorated ornaments and cookies, danced to music with the Pirate Parrot, as well as perogie characters Cheese Chester and Jalapeno Hannah, and Santa Claus.

Each youngster had his or her name above a locker stall, which housed a Pirates uniform jersey, cap and travel bag with assorted Pirates merchandise inside.

The three-hour affair didn't cost the families a dime and the Pirates didn't advertise the event to the media.

They didn't do it for publicity. They did it because it was a decent thing to do.

"This is a chance to give these kids a day to think about baseball, meet some players, and put a smile on their faces,"Nutting said. "Some of them struggle through life every day. We don't want any of them struggling today."

"We have players doing this type of thing throughout the off-season,"Paytas said.

Duke is particularly close to the Make-A-Wish organization. His wife's brother was a Make-A-Wish youngster years ago and went to Disney World for his wish. He is 20 years old today, in good health and is a student at Indiana University.

"He's doing great. Some of these Make-A-Wish stories have happy endings,"Duke said.

Make-A-Wish kids' wishes are divided into four categories:Go, Be, Meet or Have. One of the youngsters at the party had his wish, to meet Pirates catcher Ronnie Paulino, granted in September.

"The kid plays Little League, he's a catcher and Ronnie's his idol,"said Michelle Mejia, the Pirates' community relations manager. "It was very humbling for (Paulino). He was floored by it."

Another kid wanted to meet Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon and did so last season, shadowing him for a game day, including press conferences and being on the bench.

Sports are games. Games are supposed to be fun. Fun stuff puts smiles on people's faces. Just ask those youngsters.