Eight-year-old Max Harrington is blind. But,
last month, he started playing in his fall baseball season.
The special field on which he plays was funded by pro baseball
players Mike Matheny and Albert Pujols.
Max and 22 other St. Louis-area kids play
in the Catch 22 Miracle League. Their two-team league is
where kids with special needs can participate in baseball.
Their field is located in the Chesterfield
Valley near Highway 40-64. The field is carpeted with a
special material that makes it easier for kids in wheelchairs
and walkers to move around.
In addition, players who need extra help
have older "buddies" to assist them.
And, in Max's case, there's even a special
"beeper" ball that makes sounds so he can locate it when
batting or fielding.
The baseball league plays both a fall and
spring season. The fall season started in September and
runs through October. The spring season is from April through
June.
The Catch 22 Miracle field is located amid
other athletic facilities operated by the City of Chesterfield.
The city donated the land after former St. Louis Cardinal
catcher Mike Matheny's Catch 22 Foundation agreed to fund
construction.
Albert Pujols' family foundation also joined
in the funding. Pujols is the Cardinals' star first baseman.
Matheny is a former Cardinal catcher now with the San Francisco
Giants but he and his family still live in St. Louis.
Like many of the other Miracle baseball players,
Max participates in other activities. He's taking drum lessons
and also participates in swimming. Max lives in O'Fallon,
Mo., where he's a second grader at Emge Elementary School.
Max said the special coating on the field
makes it easier for him to run.
But, he also gets help from an older sighted
"buddy" like Chris MacIntosh of St. Charles.
The Francis Howell North junior said he was
looking for a chance at community service when his mother
suggested the Miracle program.
Chris said he enjoys helping "the special
needs kids to be like everyone else." He added, "I wanted
to give back to the community."
Thirteen-year-old Kaitlyn Trower of Ballwin,
Mo., is another of the Miracle players.
The Parkway Southwest Middle student said
playing baseball is "both cool and fun." Asked what she
likes best, she said, "Hitting the ball."
Kaitlyn also is active in other sports such
as soccer and basketball. She also has been an actor in
school plays. But, she said her favorite activity is "feeding
my dog."
Another of the older "buddies" for the special
needs kids is Courtney Wiesehan of Town and Country, Mo.
The 17-year-old is a senior at Villa Duchesne High School.
She said she got involved in the Miracle program
because "my parents are friends with Mike Matheny's father-in-law."
She said her work as a volunteer satisfies her school's
senior requirement to do at least 40 hours of community
service.
Courtney said, "I love to work with kids and
I want to do that in the future." She said she especially
likes to work with kids with special needs.
She said her "buddy" work might help as she
pursues a career as a teacher. But, she added, "My real
dream is to open an orphanage."
Max and Kaitlyn also have plans for their
futures. Max said she wants to be an 8th grade teacher.
Kaitlyn said she wants to be a doctor.
John Strong is board chairman for the Catch
22 Miracle program. His wife, Kathy, is a board member.
The two have one of the special needs kids in the program.
Mrs. Strong said the idea for the special
baseball field came to Mike Matheny when he saw a similar
one in Atlanta, Ga. She said the field was located in Chesterfield
because the city agreed to donate the land in its Chesterfield
Valley Athletic Assn. fields.
The baseball league's name-Catch 22 Miracle
League-refers to two different groups. The Catch 22 stands
for Matheny's foundation (his playing number is 22). The
Miracle comes from the national program concerned with special
kids' needs.
The St. Louis program has its own website:
www.catch22miracleleague.org.
If you know a kid with special needs who might
like to play baseball, check out the website. Also, the
league sponsors are looking for volunteers, "buddies" and
donors.
Mrs. Strong said Miracle league games make
some modifications from a regular baseball games. "The kids
never make an out and every game ends with a home run."
she said.
