Miracle League Fall Season Comes to an End

Sadly, another season of Miracle League baseball has come to an end. Boy does Noah love to play baseball! And boy does his Granddad love to be his buddy. And boy do we love to watch the two of them! Granddad was his permanent buddy once again this season. I don't think Noah will play without him. (Ok, wait, I KNOW Noah won't play without him - the one game Granddad was out of town for we just didn't even take Noah to because we knew he'd have a meltdown when he realized Granddad wouldn't be his buddy.) They've been nicknamed the "dynamic duo" and are super fun to watch.  


I love their "routine." It's just like what my little brother used to do when he was playing baseball. They step (or wheel in Noah's case) up to the plate - my Dad helps Noah hold the bat and they knock the dirt off Noah's "cleats" (This was especially funny the night he took his shoes off and had no shoes on!) and then they take a few practice swings and then they are ready for the real deal. 


I think the final game of this season, even though it was only a one inning game, was my favorite game of the season. Let me explain a few things about Miracle League first.....


There are no real hard core rules. There are no strikes. There are no outs. Everyone wins. It may sound boring to some, but it's about giving these kids, kids like my Noah, a chance to play baseball when they aren't able to play for a typical Little League team. 


So, Noah and my Dad have been stealing bases. Obviously there is no real need for stealing bases in a Miracle League game but Noah and my Dad have a blast doing it and people get all riled up when they do it. 


When we got to the field Thursday night, J and I were talking and I wondered aloud what batting order Noah and my Dad were in. It was the last game - they needed to go big. J politely asked Noah's coach if Noah could be first. She said of course. I'm sure she knew what was coming. 


When my Dad got there we clued him in on what was up and it was decided he and Noah would go for it - the big one - they would steal all the bases and make a stolen home run. It was great. The announcer knew what was coming and he was ready. Noah hit the ball and Dad took off running. He made it to first and kept on going. At this point, Noah's chair tipped a bit - THAT'S how fast Granddad was running! He slowed down a bit (I hope think) but kept running and the crowd was going crazy. I heard lots of "Go Grandpa! Go Noah!" behind me. They kept on going and rounded third and made it home where they stopped (barely) and got Noah's medal for the season. 


Noah loved it. He was BEAMING! I was teary eyed. I was proud. Did I mention Noah was BEAMING?


We ♥ Miracle League.


PS. It was really hard to get good pictures because I was so focused on what was happening. Let's not even talk about the video that should-have-been. Oh, and click on any of the photos to see them larger.