Alex Rodriguez in his Mean Joe Greene moment
Would it matter if this kid happened to be wearing a Derek Jeter shirt? (USATSI)

Photographer Kim Klement of USA Today caught one of the coolest moments you will see all spring Tuesday when Alex Rodriguez high fived a young boy during his workout at the New York Yankees spring complex at Tampa, Fla. This photo better win an award or two.

A-Rod has put himself in a position to be doubted, disbelieved and dismissed through his actions and comments regarding many topics, but mostly as they relate to performance-enhancing drugs. Mostly, anymore, he is considered a punch line. And, of course, he's going to be on his best behavior (for a while) as he tries to salvage what is left of his image at age 39.

But this moment was sweet, if also kind of tragic.

Rodriguez was running sprints on the warning track at Steinbrenner Field and stopped to slap hands with a boy wearing a Yankees t-shirt who was reaching over from the other side. No matter what you think of A-Rod and his transgressions, this is some Norman Rockwell stuff right here. It must give the hardest A-Rod hater pause, even a few moments of serenity. Right? RIGHT?

Did you have to ruin it, Mr. Newspaper?

After his workout, there were more fan interactions, such as:

This was a little more photo-oppy. Regardless, what really matters regarding A-Rod's redemption is what he can produce on the field going forward. Everybody knows this. A-Rod has made himself easy to dislike — and sometimes, the Yankees and Major League Baseball have helped that perception along. It's sort of remarkable that he still has fans of all ages. He's probably not redeemable, which might make the photo even more remarkable.

Sometimes we all get lucky when someone points a camera A-Rod's direction.