El Paso family honors late father’s love for the Atlanta Braves with cardboard cutout

EL PASO, Texas - Since fans weren't able to attend Major League Baseball games this season, cardboard cutouts were the next best thing.

For one El Paso family it allowed them the opportunity to honor a loved one who had passed away.

Horacio Solis lived in El Paso, but was a long time fan of the Atlanta Braves through thick and thin.

Solis passed away nearly 14 years ago without ever getting the chance to see his beloved Braves play a game in their own ballpark in Atlanta.

Solis' daughter, Amy Solis, saw an opportunity to finally get her dad a seat at Truist Park.

"Unfortunately he wasn't able to go there physically to see the games," Solis said. "But just knowing that his cutout was there made us feel happy to be able to do that."

Amy Solis and some of her other relatives all chipped in the $50 to pay for her dad's cutout.

The cutout had a pretty good view of the field, right along the third base line.

And it was also in a position were it could be seen during television broadcasts of the games.

"Whenever they would televise the game, I could see him come out on the tv and I would be like, "Look there's dad," Solis said.

However, the Solis family ran into some trouble when it came time to pick up there's dad cutout.

With the season winding down, the Braves organization sent an email stating the cutouts would be available for in-person pickups only.

"They were not going to be able to be shipped and they said no exceptions," Solis said.

Since the Solis family didn't know anyone in Atlanta, Solis reached out via a Braves fan page on Facebook asking if anyone would be willing to pick up her dad's cutout.

Danny Parrott, a retired police officer, was more than willing to help.

After picking up Solis' cutout, Parrott shared some photos with the family of the cutout posing by the pool and meeting Parrott's dog.

Parrott then met up with a family friend of the Solis', who happened to be in Georgia, who will ship the cutout back home to El Paso.

"I already have a designated place for him in our den," Solis said. "To Danny, we want to thank him because he took time out of his day to do all this for us."

For Amy Solis the entire experience reaffirmed her faith in the kindness of strangers.

"Whether it's with a cutout, or just doing something simple you don't know how much of a difference you can make in that person's life," Solis said. "So it's always nice to be kind because it could go a long way."

And Solis is hopeful the Braves will go a long way in the playoffs.

Just like her father, she too is a Braves fan.

It was a love they both shared in life, and even to this day that bond is stronger than ever, all thanks to a cardboard cutout.

"That would be pretty awesome if they (Braves) go beyond that first round, and my dad was there so we could say he was kind of like their good luck charm," Solis said.