Cardinals Ace Jack Flaherty Honors Kobe and Gianna Bryant With Cleats During Spring Training
By Karl Rasmussen
St. Louis Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty grew up in the LA area, and naturally he was torn up over the loss of Kobe Bryant. Bryant's memorial was held Monday at the Staples Center, and Flaherty decided to pay respect to the Lakers legend with a tribute on his cleats during his start on Saturday.
In what was first start of the spring, Flaherty was donning some paint splotched cleats with testimonials to both Bryant and Tyler Skaggs written on the sides. He shared a photo of the cleats to Twitter on Monday.
my guys ❤️?? pic.twitter.com/SIPVfwlqCX
— Jack Flaherty (@Jack9Flaherty) February 24, 2020
"KB 24" and "TS45" were inscribed near the heel, while "RIP Mamba" and "RIP TS45" were inked on on the front.
Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others passed away in a helicopter accident on Jan. 26 in Calabasas, Calif.
Skaggs, a former Angels pitcher and fellow LA native, tragically died midway through the 2019 season, sending shockwaves through the league. He and Flaherty were close companions.
Jack Flaherty never met Kobe Bryant, but he was working on making it happen when tragedy struck. How one elite athlete inspired another. https://t.co/lm0E0nTecb
— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) February 24, 2020
Last year Flaherty displayed some Mamba Mentality of his own, emerging as the true ace of the Cardinals in a breakout season.