Everybody should get a chance to play baseball – and in Westchester hundreds of kids and adults with disabilities do, thanks to the Miracle League and its specially designed field at Ridge Road Park.
The children's league, which started with 40 players five years ago, had a roster of 180 when the season started earlier this month. The adult program has signed up 500 players for its third season which will kick off on May 14.
The players enjoy the game with the help of an entirely flat rubberized field and more relaxed rules that ensure everyone has a good time. Everybody gets to bat in each inning, base runners are rarely called out; every player scores a run before the game is over (last one up usually scores a home run); and all games end in a tie. The field is also smaller so players can have the opportunity to hit the ball over the fence.
The most important rule is everyone has to have a good time.
"People who come to our games say it's one of the most rewarding and amazing experiences they've ever had," said Evan Latainer, director of the Office for the Disabled. "These players used to have to sit on the sidelines. To see their faces as they hit a ball and make it to base for the first time ever is indescribable."
The program is the result of a partnership between Westchester County and the Miracle League of Westchester, a non-profit organization which aims to make baseball accessible to both children and adults who suffer from any physical or mental disability that would exclude them from conventional leagues. The league is non-competitive and, in the case of the children, uses a "buddy" system where each player is paired with an able-bodied peer.
For more information, call (914) 995-2959 or visit www.mlwny.org.