Major and minor league Baseball players from teams around the country ended a day of supporting the Miracle League of Arkansas with a party Nov. 15 at Dickey-Stephens Park. The event raised an estimated $185,000 for the Miracle League, a Baseball league for children with disabilities.
The evening party followed a daytime Big League Training Camp, at which professional players led more than 150 youngsters ages 8-18 in drills. "We created a camp for typical kids so they could be instructed by major league players, and then the funds raised from that event go to the Miracle League of Arkansas," said Director Peggy McCall afterward. "Without the Miracle League, the pros would not have come. They came to support the Miracle League." Following the camp, the big leaguers played the youngsters at the Miracle League field.
"We wanted them to understand, see, touch, feel why they gave up a whole weekend of their lives," McCall said. "We have 14 teams of Miracle League players in our youth program, and every team had an opportunity to take a hit and have the pros field them." Baseball players participating in the weekend's events were American League Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians; Steve Gilgenbach of the Kansas City Royals; A.J. Burnett, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays; Ben Broussard of the Texas Rangers; Billy Traber of the New York Yankees; Dustin Moseley of the Los Angeles Angels; Matt Miller of the Indianapolis Indians; Rick Guarno of the Tulsa Drillers; and Jai Miller of the Florida Marlins .
The event committee included Lydia Palasota, Cindy Franke, Jan Ivy and Dana Fiedler. Tragikly White performed.
This article was published 11/23/2008
