[nfb-talk] Blind baseball player "hears" his dream come true onlocal Little League team

[Sherri]

It is really a sad situation. In the first place, he should have had enough 
training to walk out onto that field all by himself. A couple of audio cues 
and he probably could have thrown that baseball right into the guy's glove.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Bullis" <mabullis at hotmail.com>
To: "'NFB Talk Mailing List'" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 9:36 AM
Subject: [nfb-talk] Blind baseball player "hears" his dream come true 
onlocal Little League team


> This article is a sad reflection on how far we have to go in order for
> society to understand our capacities.  And, how sad it is that the mother 
> of
> this young man would have so little hope for him that his sitting on the
> bench is wonderful to her.
> Perhaps our Indiana affiliate can help this mother get in touch with
> competent blind adults so she can have more hope for her child.
> I paste the article below and the link to the video here.
> http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/44415152.html
>
> Story Created: May 5, 2009 at 8:13 PM EDT
>
> Story Updated: May 5, 2009 at 10:43 PM EDT
>
> EDWARDSBURG - Tears of joy flowed in Edwardsburg as history was made on 
> the
> baseball diamond. A Little League hopeful who thought he'd never be able 
> to
> be a part of the team finally "heard" his dream come true.
>
>
> It was a party on the diamond, as Edwardsburg Little Leaguers celebrated 
> the
> "official" addition of a new teammate. But this baseball player isn't like
> anyone you've ever met before.
>
> To say Cameron Beaver is a "baseball fanatic" might be putting it mildly. 
> As
> far as 9-year-olds go, you'd be hard pressed to find a bigger fan.
>
> "He's very upbeat and very energetic. And he just makes everybody around 
> the
> park excited too," said Edwardsburg Little League President Pat Maloney.
>
> You have a tough time finding a better teammate or a more enthusiastic
> player, either.
>
> Yes, you'd also be hard pressed to find any Little Leaguer quite like
> Cameron.
>
> You see, Cameron can't see.
>
> Just a few months after he was born, he was diagnosed with "bi-lateral
> retinoblastoma"--a cancer of the retina. To keep the disease from 
> spreading,
> doctors
> had no choice but to remove his eyes.
>
> Cameron's love of baseball, and his dream of someday playing quickly faded
> into fantasy.
>
> "This year, he came out for the team with his older brother Aaron, and the
> first words out of his mouth were: coach, can I be on the team? And... 
> what
> do
> you say, you know?" said Tony Gaideski, head coach of the Edwardsburg 
> Little
> League's Legends Restaurant Team.
>
> So, imagine Cameron's surprise when coach's answer was, "yes!"
>
> "I said, absolutely, Cameron! You're on the team, buddy! No doubt about 
> it!"
> Gaideski said.
>
> Except there was doubt.
>
> Last year, Cameron "unofficially" joined the team. But, that was never
> approved in writing.
>
> Little League safety rules for upper level teams like Aaron's prohibit 
> those
> with disabilities like Cameron's from actually being on the field. So 
> coach
> Gaideski asked Maloney for help. Maloney then asked Indiana District 14
> Little League Administrator Marlin Culp for help.
>
> On Tuesday night, it was official.
>
> As team lineups were announced over the loudspeaker, there was one new 
> name
> added at the end: Cameron Beaver.
>
> The grinning 9-year-old emerged from the dugout with help from his coach,
> and took his place along the first base line.
>
> Then, things got even better.
>
> "We'd like you to throw out the first pitch, Cameron," said Maloney.
>
> "All right!" replied Cameron, his tone more an exclamation than an answer.
>
> The ball didn't quite make the catcher's glove, but that didn't stop the
> crowd on hand from launching into a standing ovation.
>
> "In my 32 years of Little League, I've never heard of anything like this,"
> Culp said during an address over the Little League stadium's loudspeaker.
> "I'm
> glad we could make this happen."
>
> Cameron was too.
>
> Clutching the baseball signed by League officials, the trophy for being 
> the
> Edwardsburg Little League's "volunteer of the year," the brand new 
> baseball
> cap and the major league all-star game pin he was presented with, his
> response was pretty simple.
>
> "Look at all these prizes I got," he said with a big grin. "It all makes 
> me
> feel pretty special!"
>
> It made his mom Susan feel pretty special, too.
>
> "This is awesome for Cameron," said, wiping away tears. "He's not usually 
> a
> part of anything. And this is just awesome for him to be a part of this.
> Words
> can't really describe it. He's just so excited and happy. He loves it."
>
> Cameron's response to that was, well, what Little League is really all
> about.
>
> "I just felt good inside me," he said with a laugh.
>
> Then, when asked if was excited about being an "official" part of the 
> team,
> he paused for a moment.
>
> "As a matter of fact, I am," he said.
>
> His jersey now reads "team manager," and that's exactly what he is.
>
> "Every inning we come off the field, he'll be the first one out of the
> dugout," Gaideski said. "He leads the team cheer, and a lot of the players
> will actually
> argue about who gets to sit next to Cameron on the bench now."
>
> "At first sight, you wouldn't even think he had a disability," agreed
> Legends team assistant coach Josh Masten. "He's just a good kid to have
> around."
>
> Now, he's a good kid that will be around the game he loves. You don't need
> to "see" that to believe it.
>
> And there was one other bit of exciting news for Cameron Tuesday night.
>
> Culp says Little League's District 14 is developing an expanded 
> "challenger
> program" that could allow Cameron to actually "play ball" on the field by
> "hearing"
> the ball as it comes to the plate.
>
> "That would be the highlight of his life," laughed Susan. "This will be 
> hard
> to top. But, that would really be a dream come true."
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Sherri
> Sent: Sunday, May 10, 2009 6:30 PM
> To: NFB Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Happy Mother's Day
>
> That's really nice. Thanks for the quotes and for the warm wishes. My mom
> has been gone for 9 years and I too wish I could just call her on the 
> phone.
>
> Happy mothers' day to all.
> Sherri
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael D. Barber" <m.barber at mchsi.com>
> To: <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, May 10, 2009 10:21 AM
> Subject: [nfb-talk] Happy Mother's Day
>
>
>>I wanted to take this opportunity to wish all our Federation ladies a
>>very  happy and blessed Mother's Day.  Mother's certainly have a very
>>special  place in our hearts.  My mother has been gone for 18 years,
>>but I still  miss  her a lot.  I often find myself wishing I could pick
>>up the phone and call  her just to say hello.
>>
>> Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. President, held mothers in very high
>> esteem.
>> He said, "I regard no man as poor who has a godly mother."
>>
>> Of mothers, Washington Irving  said, "A mother is the truest friend we
>> have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes
>> the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our
>> sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she
>> cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to
>> dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our
>> hearts."
>>
>> And don't forget that Julia Ward Howe initiated "Mother's Day for Peace"
>> with her Proclamation to Congress in 1908.  Her husband was Samuel
>> Gridley Howe, that dude who started Perkins School for the Blind and Howe
> Press.
>> That's where we get all our braillers today!
>>
>> I wish you all a very happy mother's day.  If your mom is still
>> living, do something very special for her today!
>>
>> Cordially,
>> Michael D. Barber, President
>> National Federation of the Blind of Iowa
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nfb-talk mailing list
>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nfb-talk mailing list
> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nfb-talk mailing list
> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org