PITTSBURGH—Joe Maddon was in his room at the team hotel in Fort Lauderdale a few days ago when he saw something on ESPN about John Challis, the Pittsburgh-area teen who wowed the Pirates and Yankees during a visit to PNC Park on Wednesday.

John, 18, is battling lung and liver cancer. He made national news earlier this year when he got a hit in an April 11 game for Freedom High School in his first and only at-bat in five years.

Maddon called the Rays’ PR staff and asked them to track down a phone number for John so he could invite him to a game while the Rays are in town this weekend. ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi, who reported an Outside the Lines piece on John, called Freedom’s baseball coach, Steve Wetzel, and asked if John’s family would mind if he gave their number to the manager of the Rays. Not at all, Wetzel said, and the Challis family is here today.

John made his way through the Rays’ clubhouse this afternoon, a new No. 11 Rays jersey on his back, meeting Troy Percival, Edwin Jackson, Scott Kazmir and Cliff Floyd. He also sat in on Maddon’s pregame meeting with the media and was planning to watch batting practice before the rains came and ended that endeavor.

John has created the Courage For Life Foundation to help high school kids dealing with terminal illnesses. Maddon had a banner bearing the Courage For Life Foundation’s motto, “Courage + Believe = Life”, made up and all of the Rays’ players and coaches signed it. John then had to return the favor when he said something about the “Devil Rays.” Maddon immediately demanded John pay the requisite $1 fine for the slip—and autograph the bill himself. Someone produced a dollar and gave it to John, who signed it and handed it to Maddon.

I think it’s fair to say John impressed everyone he came in contact with today. What a great young man.

“I watch these guys on ESPN,” said John, “and when they tell me they see me on ESPN, that really puts it in perspective for me. That’s pretty special.”

Perspective? Special? I’d say John has all that covered.