Where else do umpires get hugs?

SUMMERVILLE -- I had the best job on the field in Saturday morning's baseball game. I was the umpire.

Normally, umpires have to make controversial calls. But not here. That's because every player who bats gets a hit, no matter how many swings it takes, all the runners are safe at home plate, and everybody is a winner.

Modeled after the successful program in Charleston, the Summerville Miracle League is for special-needs children between the ages of 5 and 16 with cognitive or emotional disabilities.

While some hit Wiffle balls placed on tees, others swing away at slow pitches that always find a hole in the infield while kids in walkers and wheelchairs are making their way around the bases.

On this sun-splashed morning, on a special field designed just for them, nearly 50 children and their parents enjoyed something as simple as baseball while dealing with something as complicated as life.

Great therapy

Jenn Feinberg is a single, working mom whose 10-year-old son, Logan, was diagnosed with Autism at age 3.

"This is the best activity that we're involved in," said Feinberg, who also has a 7-year-old daughter, Anson. "It's a chance for us to bond as a family and for my typically-developing child to learn compassion for children with varying disabilities."

That, of course, is the lesson everyone learns as they watch these children realize the joy that comes with hitting a ball.

"This is a work in progress for Logan," Feinberg said. "But we've seen such progression with him. In the beginning he needed someone to completely take the swing with him, but now he wants to be fully independent out there.

"Autistic kids don't tend to be very social, so I've seen Logan really thrive in this environment. This couldn't be better therapy."

Between laughing & crying

Another parent, Raphael James, was with his 3-year-old son Grant, one of his three children.

"This diagnosis (of Autism) was tough for us to take," said James, an anchorman with WCSC-TV. "Grant is a very special guy, very smart guy who loves the outdoors. We are very excited that the Miracle League affords him the opportunity to get out here and interact with kids like him in the Great American Pastime."

Like most young parents who assume their children will be perfect, James said he didn't really know this program existed until this reality hit home.

"I would just like to encourage them to keep doing what they're doing," James said. "Just look around at all the smiles."

Indeed, the stands were filled with loving friends and family who live in a world where you're constantly somewhere between laughing and crying.

I, meanwhile, had the best job of all. Where else does the home-plate umpire get hugs when a player scores a run?

Reach Ken Burger at kburger@postandcourier.com or 937-5598.

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