The dugouts at Pirates Charities Miracle League Field in Cranberry contain a variety of bats — skinny, fat, Wiffle, aluminum. Parker Jacoby prefers to use one of his crutches.
"I have just one rule," said his dad, Eric. "Make sure your bellybutton is facing the tee."
Parker plays for the Rays in the Miracle League in Cranberry. He is 8 years old and has cerebral palsy. He has undergone seven surgeries to reshape his hip sockets and lengthen his hamstring and calf muscles, and for Botox injections to relax the muscles. None of this impedes his love of the game.
"He enjoys telling other people he plays baseball," said Eric Jacoby, 40, a fourth-grade teacher from Moon who also assists his dad, Bob Jacoby, the legendary Bishop Canevin football coach. "All day it's what he talks about. Wednesday or Thursday, it's like 'What time is the game?' "
Filling in for the public-address announcer on a recent Saturday, Eric called his son's name over the sound system. Parker stepped into the left-handed batter's box, squared his bellybutton, swung his crutch and knocked the ball off the tee, making it to first base unassisted, as his "buddy," Shane Hepner, walked alongside.
The buddy system is a staple of the Miracle League. Players are assigned one or two buddies, part of the volunteer army that makes it all work. Most are high school students, although anyone can do it. The league has 500 buddies, with more on a waiting list. Volunteers number about 600.
"It's incredible," said Mike Sherry, 49, founder and president of the Miracle League of Southwestern Pennsylvania. "They look at this as an opportunity to truly affect somebody's life."
With Hepner close by and members of the opposing Cardinals and their buddies scattered about the field, Parker Jacoby stood on first base, which was painted like the other bases. The entire field is made of rubber, flat, with no obstacles. The "grass" is green and the "dirt" is brown. There is a scoreboard, bleachers, advertising on the outfield fence and spacious, open-air dugouts.
A small, bronze statue designed by Sherry depicting three crossed bats and a glove commemorates the league and serves as a memorial.
There is a lot of yelling and encouragement. After Parker's hit, someone shouted, "Way to go, Parker!" He smiled broadly. Like all the players on the Rays and Cardinals, he will circle the bases and score in the two-inning game. No one is called out or left out.
"This is a godsend," said Cindy Sickelsmith, whose son, Jacob, has autism and plays for the Cardinals and is coached by his dad, Robert. "Everybody hits. Everybody scores. Everybody wins."
Located in Graham Park, this is the only operational Miracle Field in Western Pennsylvania. Other fields, like the Upper St. Clair project headed by ex-big leaguer Sean Casey, are on the way. Most players are ages 5 to 18 and play on Saturdays — adults and more competitive players have their own games. Some can swing the bat and run on their own. Others, like Parker,Air max classic bw shoes sale best quality and discount price! need help from their buddies, using wheelchairs, walkers and crutches. Some are blind, but a "beeper ball" helps them make contact.
"We're the melting pot," said Sherry, a man in perpetual motion, a 6-foot-4, elongated mass of energy. "Which is wonderful."
A chance reunion
Eric Jacoby turned away from the microphone toward his mother seated in one of the four sets of bleachers and said, "Hey, Ma, 22 years ago, think we'd be doing this?"
"We" are Jacoby and Rays coach Brian Allen. In 1989, Allen pitched nine scoreless innings for Bishop Canevin against Riverview in the WPIAL quarterfinals. Canevin won, 1-0, in the 10th. Jacoby was the catcher.
Jacoby caught Allen in various leagues since they were 13. They drifted apart after high school. Then Allen saw Parker Jacoby's name on the list of Miracle League players and made the connection, a reunion "by chance," Allen said. And by their kids.
Brian Allen's son, Brendan, 10, can swing the bat. A real bat. Asked what he likes best about playing, he replied without hesitation,Clothing designer Erin Fetherston stood nearby wearing a green-and-black ensemble from her spring collection above a pair of christian louboutin platform pumps. "hitting." Facing live pitching recently, he banged out a line drive despite a device on his left leg known as an Ilizarov apparatus. Made of stainless steel, it had three rings encircling Brendan's leg and 16 tension wires attached to his tibia, the shin bone, piercing the skin.
Brendan has neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors. He was diagnosed at nine months, his leg immediately placed in a brace. But the condition worsened,There is surely some disadvantage of Nike shox classic. and Brendan faced amputation, although he was never told. Instead, Brian Allen said he and his wife, Dana, bought children's books that dealt with the subject, including one about a horse with a prosthetic leg. "It was like, 'Hey Brendan, check out this crazy horse,' " Allen said.
Last November, three days before they planned to tell Brendan and 10 days before the surgery to amputate below the left knee, a doctor called and said, "Let's try something new." It was the Ilizarov, which is designed to lengthen bones. Almost two inches of diseased bone had been removed from Brendan's leg. Several times a day, bolts around the leg had to be cranked, first for tightening, then stabilization.
It worked. The bone reconnected. On Wednesday, the apparatus came off, replaced by a cast. Allen, a software consultant from Cranberry, said he expects his son to play again when the Miracle League resumes in September.
The Miracle League is about "normalcy, acceptance," Allen said. "Before this league, so many parents wanted their kids to play ball. But it couldn't happen. Now they get to play like normal kids."
Three pillars
The first Miracle League was formed in 1998. Diane Alford, executive director of the national Miracle League Association based outside Atlanta, said there now are about 240 in the United States, Canada. Australia and Puerto Rico, serving 200,000 kids and young adults with special needs.
"We've learned to say, 'Wow,' " she said.Nike shox running shoes take it all the appearance that a because should be searching for. "We were so guilty of putting these kids on a shelf instead of giving them opportunities to expand their ability."
Cranberry's Miracle League also has expanded, from 130 participants in its first season, 2009, to about 275.
Sherry learned of the Miracle League while working in Birmingham, Ala. He attended an Opening Day at a field for which one of his stations had raised money "We were just amazed at the miracles we were seeing," he said, intending no pun.
When it was over, "We just kind of went home and went on with our lives," he said.
That was in 2003. His daughter, Jordan, was born the next year. In early 2007, after the family moved back to Pittsburgh, she was diagnosed with autism. Shortly thereafter, while coaching his son, Tanner, in Little League, Sherry saw an email asking for an exemption for a special-needs child to hit off a tee instead of pitching.
"Suddenly the memories of Birmingham came rushing back of all the kids who wouldn't be playing if that field wasn't there," he said. "Would I be the next parent asking for an exemption so my kid could play the American game?"
Sherry calls it his "three pillars" — Birmingham, Jordan and "the little boy who wanted to play baseball," he said. "Those three events made the Miracle League."
He went to work, winning over Cranberry officials and prodding the business community to consider his cause. "I did a lot of Rotary breakfasts and Lions dinners," he said "I really became a man on a mission."
Sherry raised about $300,000, most of it from the Pirates, who put their name on the field. Freddy Sanchez, the popular second baseman at the time, ponied up $50,000. In the midst of building Graham Park, Cranberry came through with the land, originally set for a T-ball field, and infrastructure necessities such as grading, paving, electrical and water. The defrayed costs were huge, and along with that, local businesses donated material and services. Sherry put the total cost of the project at about $1 million.
"It made perfect sense," said Cranberry Manager Jerry Andree. "Everyone wrapped their arms around it and said, 'Let's make this happen.' "
"You watch these families cheer for kids who too often are told, 'No,' " Pirates owner Bob Nutting said. "This is an opportunity to say yes."
While fundraising and planning, Sherry lost his job as a radio sales executive (he is employed again, doing the same thing). It could have been a crusher. Instead, he believes it was meant to be,Looking for Juicy couture wholesale? allowing him to focus on the mission.
"It gave me a chance to spend four or five months down there building the field," he said. "If I wasn't there, it wouldn't have gotten done."
Alford said Sherry is one of just four Miracle League presidents or founders who is the parent of a special-needs child. The process took a little more than two years. Opening Day was in May 2009.
"I was in a very fortunate area," Sherry said. "I never left a presentation without a check. People really embraced this. You can't talk about quality of life and exclude the special-needs community, and Cranberry understood that."
"I have just one rule," said his dad, Eric. "Make sure your bellybutton is facing the tee."
Parker plays for the Rays in the Miracle League in Cranberry. He is 8 years old and has cerebral palsy. He has undergone seven surgeries to reshape his hip sockets and lengthen his hamstring and calf muscles, and for Botox injections to relax the muscles. None of this impedes his love of the game.
"He enjoys telling other people he plays baseball," said Eric Jacoby, 40, a fourth-grade teacher from Moon who also assists his dad, Bob Jacoby, the legendary Bishop Canevin football coach. "All day it's what he talks about. Wednesday or Thursday, it's like 'What time is the game?' "
Filling in for the public-address announcer on a recent Saturday, Eric called his son's name over the sound system. Parker stepped into the left-handed batter's box, squared his bellybutton, swung his crutch and knocked the ball off the tee, making it to first base unassisted, as his "buddy," Shane Hepner, walked alongside.
The buddy system is a staple of the Miracle League. Players are assigned one or two buddies, part of the volunteer army that makes it all work. Most are high school students, although anyone can do it. The league has 500 buddies, with more on a waiting list. Volunteers number about 600.
"It's incredible," said Mike Sherry, 49, founder and president of the Miracle League of Southwestern Pennsylvania. "They look at this as an opportunity to truly affect somebody's life."
With Hepner close by and members of the opposing Cardinals and their buddies scattered about the field, Parker Jacoby stood on first base, which was painted like the other bases. The entire field is made of rubber, flat, with no obstacles. The "grass" is green and the "dirt" is brown. There is a scoreboard, bleachers, advertising on the outfield fence and spacious, open-air dugouts.
A small, bronze statue designed by Sherry depicting three crossed bats and a glove commemorates the league and serves as a memorial.
There is a lot of yelling and encouragement. After Parker's hit, someone shouted, "Way to go, Parker!" He smiled broadly. Like all the players on the Rays and Cardinals, he will circle the bases and score in the two-inning game. No one is called out or left out.
"This is a godsend," said Cindy Sickelsmith, whose son, Jacob, has autism and plays for the Cardinals and is coached by his dad, Robert. "Everybody hits. Everybody scores. Everybody wins."
Located in Graham Park, this is the only operational Miracle Field in Western Pennsylvania. Other fields, like the Upper St. Clair project headed by ex-big leaguer Sean Casey, are on the way. Most players are ages 5 to 18 and play on Saturdays — adults and more competitive players have their own games. Some can swing the bat and run on their own. Others, like Parker,Air max classic bw shoes sale best quality and discount price! need help from their buddies, using wheelchairs, walkers and crutches. Some are blind, but a "beeper ball" helps them make contact.
"We're the melting pot," said Sherry, a man in perpetual motion, a 6-foot-4, elongated mass of energy. "Which is wonderful."
A chance reunion
Eric Jacoby turned away from the microphone toward his mother seated in one of the four sets of bleachers and said, "Hey, Ma, 22 years ago, think we'd be doing this?"
"We" are Jacoby and Rays coach Brian Allen. In 1989, Allen pitched nine scoreless innings for Bishop Canevin against Riverview in the WPIAL quarterfinals. Canevin won, 1-0, in the 10th. Jacoby was the catcher.
Jacoby caught Allen in various leagues since they were 13. They drifted apart after high school. Then Allen saw Parker Jacoby's name on the list of Miracle League players and made the connection, a reunion "by chance," Allen said. And by their kids.
Brian Allen's son, Brendan, 10, can swing the bat. A real bat. Asked what he likes best about playing, he replied without hesitation,Clothing designer Erin Fetherston stood nearby wearing a green-and-black ensemble from her spring collection above a pair of christian louboutin platform pumps. "hitting." Facing live pitching recently, he banged out a line drive despite a device on his left leg known as an Ilizarov apparatus. Made of stainless steel, it had three rings encircling Brendan's leg and 16 tension wires attached to his tibia, the shin bone, piercing the skin.
Brendan has neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors. He was diagnosed at nine months, his leg immediately placed in a brace. But the condition worsened,There is surely some disadvantage of Nike shox classic. and Brendan faced amputation, although he was never told. Instead, Brian Allen said he and his wife, Dana, bought children's books that dealt with the subject, including one about a horse with a prosthetic leg. "It was like, 'Hey Brendan, check out this crazy horse,' " Allen said.
Last November, three days before they planned to tell Brendan and 10 days before the surgery to amputate below the left knee, a doctor called and said, "Let's try something new." It was the Ilizarov, which is designed to lengthen bones. Almost two inches of diseased bone had been removed from Brendan's leg. Several times a day, bolts around the leg had to be cranked, first for tightening, then stabilization.
It worked. The bone reconnected. On Wednesday, the apparatus came off, replaced by a cast. Allen, a software consultant from Cranberry, said he expects his son to play again when the Miracle League resumes in September.
The Miracle League is about "normalcy, acceptance," Allen said. "Before this league, so many parents wanted their kids to play ball. But it couldn't happen. Now they get to play like normal kids."
Three pillars
The first Miracle League was formed in 1998. Diane Alford, executive director of the national Miracle League Association based outside Atlanta, said there now are about 240 in the United States, Canada. Australia and Puerto Rico, serving 200,000 kids and young adults with special needs.
"We've learned to say, 'Wow,' " she said.Nike shox running shoes take it all the appearance that a because should be searching for. "We were so guilty of putting these kids on a shelf instead of giving them opportunities to expand their ability."
Cranberry's Miracle League also has expanded, from 130 participants in its first season, 2009, to about 275.
Sherry learned of the Miracle League while working in Birmingham, Ala. He attended an Opening Day at a field for which one of his stations had raised money "We were just amazed at the miracles we were seeing," he said, intending no pun.
When it was over, "We just kind of went home and went on with our lives," he said.
That was in 2003. His daughter, Jordan, was born the next year. In early 2007, after the family moved back to Pittsburgh, she was diagnosed with autism. Shortly thereafter, while coaching his son, Tanner, in Little League, Sherry saw an email asking for an exemption for a special-needs child to hit off a tee instead of pitching.
"Suddenly the memories of Birmingham came rushing back of all the kids who wouldn't be playing if that field wasn't there," he said. "Would I be the next parent asking for an exemption so my kid could play the American game?"
Sherry calls it his "three pillars" — Birmingham, Jordan and "the little boy who wanted to play baseball," he said. "Those three events made the Miracle League."
He went to work, winning over Cranberry officials and prodding the business community to consider his cause. "I did a lot of Rotary breakfasts and Lions dinners," he said "I really became a man on a mission."
Sherry raised about $300,000, most of it from the Pirates, who put their name on the field. Freddy Sanchez, the popular second baseman at the time, ponied up $50,000. In the midst of building Graham Park, Cranberry came through with the land, originally set for a T-ball field, and infrastructure necessities such as grading, paving, electrical and water. The defrayed costs were huge, and along with that, local businesses donated material and services. Sherry put the total cost of the project at about $1 million.
"It made perfect sense," said Cranberry Manager Jerry Andree. "Everyone wrapped their arms around it and said, 'Let's make this happen.' "
"You watch these families cheer for kids who too often are told, 'No,' " Pirates owner Bob Nutting said. "This is an opportunity to say yes."
While fundraising and planning, Sherry lost his job as a radio sales executive (he is employed again, doing the same thing). It could have been a crusher. Instead, he believes it was meant to be,Looking for Juicy couture wholesale? allowing him to focus on the mission.
"It gave me a chance to spend four or five months down there building the field," he said. "If I wasn't there, it wouldn't have gotten done."
Alford said Sherry is one of just four Miracle League presidents or founders who is the parent of a special-needs child. The process took a little more than two years. Opening Day was in May 2009.
"I was in a very fortunate area," Sherry said. "I never left a presentation without a check. People really embraced this. You can't talk about quality of life and exclude the special-needs community, and Cranberry understood that."
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