Cannons 12U Team Lends a Hand to the Miracle League

June 20th, 2018 Just baseball. No questioning of the lineup. No arguing calls. No pitch counts. No yelling (only cheering). No ejections. No parents questioning the plays, defensive substitutions, or number of innings played. No getting upset over a walk or an error. This was the scene on June 20th when the Commerce Cannons 12U team volunteered to help players in the local Miracle League. A number of days throughout the summer, children with special needs have the opportunity to play in a non competitive game where they can hit, field and throw. The field is located in Southfield and has been customized to accommodate wheelchairs, etc. Approximately 30 volunteers help the kids participate in the game. On this particular day the Cannons organized a small group from coach Michael Solomon’s 12U team to give back to their community. Not only that, they were giving back to kids who are similar in age. Tobi Lile, a catcher for the Cannons and Christian Won, a pitcher from the Cannons, got to team up not as pitcher / catcher but as kid volunteers. Won and Lile got to partner up with a kid named David who just loved baseball. They helped him throw from third base to first base where their Cannon teammate Johny Hoffmann received David’s throws.

A couple of Miracle league players were just happy to be outside and be with other kids. Imagine that – kids playing together on a baseball field. Jacob Solomon, another Cannons catcher / pitcher, assisted a player who did just that – he just wanted to sit on the field and enjoy the day and the experience of being on a baseball field. Adam, another Miracle league player, had his mom and grandma in the stands. Their goal: just to feel normal for an evening and enjoy themselves. They had huge smiles on their faces, not because their kid hit a homerun. Not at all. Just baseball. Just participating. Different kids had different needs. Matt Limpus, Kenji Farrell and Drew Chasnick, also Cannons players were able to help in various ways depending on what each Miracle League player needed. No ejections. No sabremetrics. No defensive shifts. Just baseball. Correction – just kids playing baseball.