KANSAS CITY, Mo. — James Shields hefted a youngster who couldn’t have been more than a couple years old onto the right shoulder that has made him so much money during his major league career.They both wore smiles on their faces.For the ace of the Kansas City Royals, it was a moment of levity during the stress that comes with a 162-game grind — a chance to pose for pictures, sign a few autographs and raise awareness for the role that foster programs play in the lives of America’s youth.For the kid on his shoulder? It was a chance to simply be a kid.Shields, who has long supported foster care organizations, was joined by Kansas basketball coach Bill Self on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium to record a public service announcement to raise awareness for such programs before the Royals’ scheduled game against the Cleveland Indians.“The main thing is hopefully we can find some good families for these kids, and create some good memories for them,” Shields said. “I mean, a lot of the memories they have aren’t very good, so if we can create some good ones, that’s all that really matters to us.”Many professional athletes have causes that they hold close to their hearts.