There’s nothing as great as baseball. It can lift the heart
of a city from the depths of the aftermath of racial riots as the World Series
champion Detroit Tigers did in 1968 to making a child with a disability become
an athlete by rolling across the foul line onto the field of green.
The Michigan Miracle League, founded by Steve Peck who also
is director of the league, celebrated its 10th anniversary on
Saturday (7.27).
It was in 2004 that Peck and his son came into The Oakland
Press to talk to this columnist about the idea of building an accessible
baseball field in the Southfield Municipal Center where children with
disabilities could play baseball.
After receiving donations of some $250,000 from Wal-mart and
Pepsi, the league began operating that summer with Peck, a broadcaster, doing
the pitching.
In the decade since, hundreds of lives have changed and
children who were just sideline observers became ballplayers.
Physically and mentally challenged children are paired with
able-bodied volunteer “buddies” who assist them, if needed, in batting,
catching, throwing and running.
Every child gets a turn at bat and in the outfield and the
“point of the game is less about baseball and more about fun,” says Peck who
asked this columnist to throw out the first pitch on the 10th
anniversary. The writer also was the first batter in the first game a decade
ago.
Benefits gained by playing at the field at 26000 Evergreen
in Southfield are tremendous. The child’s self-esteem grows; they make friends,
become less isolated, and just become a regular kid, not a kid with a
disability.
The players come from all over southern Michigan, including
Wayne, Macomb, Oakland, and other counties.
Vic Doucette, 56, of Southfield, who has cerebral palsy, is
the official announcer of the games which are both competitive for those who
are more able and noncompetitive for those who just want to play and be part of
a team.
“I was so moved by what I saw, I wanted to become a part of
it,” said Doucette, who went to see a game after a column was written about the
new Miracle League. “I brought my checkbook with me. I tracked down Steve, but
I told him when the money runs out, I just don’t want to just walk away.”
So Doucette became an announcer and since has collected
1,000 songs and different sound effects to make it feel like a major league
park for the players.
“This is the best thing I’ve ever done and without wanting
to get all melodramatic on you, if I were to die tomorrow and that were to be
my legacy, I’d be happy about it,” said Doucette.
As for the miracles, they happen every time a game is
played. Noncompetitive games are Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 11
a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and Sunday at Noon and 1:30 p.m. Competitive games are 7
p.m. Tuesdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays.
Doucette tells the story of a lad named Caleb and how
playing baseball changed his body and mind.
When Caleb started he needed a wheelchair to get around and
he would bat from his knees, Doucette said. Once he hit the ball, he’d struggle
back up into the wheelchair and roll toward first. Eventually Caleb learned to
use a walker, crutches, and canes and then walked independently as his body
grew in strength from playing baseball.
“Now he plays in the competitive league wearing leg braces
and getting around without and wheelchair, unaided except for the braces,”
Doucette said.
And, there are dozens of stories about healing of both the
heart and body from children with disabilities playing baseball on a team with
a little help from their friends. Visit some Saturday to see a miracle unfold.
Jerry Wolffe is the Writer in Residence/Advocate at Large
at Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586-263-8950.
