A player runs to first base after hitting a double during the second game of the Miracle League season on April 11. The county program began in 2014.
The Camden County Miracle League started its first baseball games of the season on April 11, five contests where kids with a medically diagnosed disability got to take the field.
In the county program – now in its 12th year – everyone is a winner, everyone rounds the bases and each game pits two league teams against each other: the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. the Toronto Blue Jays, the Atlanta Braves vs. the San Diego Padres, the Colorado Rockies vs. New York Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the San Francisco Giants and the Houston Astros vs. the Philadelphia Phillies.
County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli spoke briefly before the opening game and threw the opening pitch.
“Most importantly, for all the volunteers who make this league special and able to operate,” Cappelli said, giving thanks for the program’s staff. “Let’s hear it for our volunteers, all of whom are here today. It’s an honor and pleasure to be here. I don’t want to stand between you and game time anymore.
“Just wanted to thank you all once again, and have a great season.”
The league has 73 registered players this year, a number that has been as high as 105 in previous seasons.
Arthur Aston, the executive director of Our View, which runs the league, said the program helps members of the disabled community feel like they’re part of a team.
“We’ve been running the league since 2014, just to bring some community, some sports to the disabled community,” Aston explained. “And to let everyone feel like they’re part of a team. This is called an adaptive sports league. But it’s also important to mention that every player is matched with a volunteer, who we call buddies, and some of our buddies have been with us since they were in high school, and now they’re literally almost graduating medical school.”
Aston then addressed the league’s impact.
“It’s tremendous … I can’t even put it into words,” he acknowledged. “It’s really rewarding to see everybody come back every year. One of our players just said this is their fourth season. I’m like, really? That’s surprising how fast time flies.”
Chris Bean’s two sons have volunteered with the league for several years and he has a family member with special needs. He believes the league is good for all those involved.
“It gets these kids to realize what life is really … and it gets the volunteers to realize there’s more to life,” he pointed out. “Opens some eyes for people.”
Steve Hassett, a coach who’s been with the Miracle League since it began, said it can also benefit parents.
“It gives you a perspective about life,” noted Hassett, whose son and daughter-in-law have been volunteer buddies in the league. “You see the challenges, not only for the kids, but for the families, and what they probably have to go through on a day-to-day basis …
“So the least we can do is give them some time where they can sit in stands and watch their kids play.”
At a township council meeting on April 13, member Daniel DiRenzo – who also attended the league’s opening day – observed how the games give disabled kids a chance to participate in an activity that would otherwise be unavailable to them. He also emphasized the contributions of their parents.
“And a lot of times, one other group, maybe was a little left out, but it’s the parents,” DiRenzo observed. “You see how the parents handle these kids, and without the parents taking part … these kids wouldn’t really have the chance to enjoy a sport such as this.”
The league has seen volunteers from companies like Subaru of America and Geico. Anyone 12 years old can serve, though Hassett allowed that it can be a challenge.
“Sometimes it’s a lot to ask,” he admitted. “You see some of these kids that come out to volunteer that they’re kids themselves and then they’re trying to help a kid who’s maybe not really controllable … But God bless those kids for at least coming and trying to help.
“It’s a lot to ask. It’s hard even for someone like me whose been doing it for a long time.”
The 69-year-old Hassett said he’ll continue with the league until he can’t. Commissioner Deputy Director Ed McDonnell remembered how he saw Hassett and his wife when the program first called for volunteers at a meeting more than 10 years ago.
“He and his wife saw an article in the paper,” McDonnell recalled. “We were having a meeting to get volunteers … And they’ve both been volunteering ever since. That’s the guys who deserve the credit, because they’re the volunteers.
“Can’t do this without them.”
Most of all, Hassett related, it’s all about the love of the game.
“If you talk to their parents, they look forward to coming,” he said of league players. “They can’t wait for the season to start.”
