Miracle Field
Published: May 17, 2005
Mike Greene has logged hundreds of hours as a baseball fan, whether it was watching his younger sister’s Little League games or cheering for his favorite White Sox player, center fielder Aaron Rowand.
But Mike — who at age 3 was paralyzed from the waist down — finally got his turn to take the field Monday.
The 10-year-old rolled his wheelchair to the plate at Mount Greenwood Park’s new Miracle Field, gripped a bat and cranked his arms back. Never taking his eye off the ball, he swung at the first pitch and smacked it between first and second base.
The grin on his face was priceless.
“This is his dream, playing baseball,” said his mother, Debbie.
“All he wanted was to play,” said his father, Mike Greene Sr. “It almost is a miracle they built it here in our back yard.”
A $1 million, four-field complex built by the White Sox was unveiled Monday on Chicago Park District property behind the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences.
The project includes fields for Little League, high school baseball and girls softball, as well as Miracle Field.
Made of rubber rather than dirt and grass, the field is a flat surface designed to eliminate barriers for players who use wheelchairs or are visually impaired.
It is the 18th such field in the country, and about 80 others are in the works, officials said.
“The term ‘miracle’ says it all,” said state Rep. Kevin Joyce (D-Chicago). “Just look at all the smiles.”
Christopher Giles, a 16-year-old student at the Ag High School, hit a ball to the outfield fence and beamed as he ran the bases.
“(Special-needs kids) just want to be included,” said Giles’ teacher, Jane Klunk. “They’re often the forgotten bunch.”
Ald. Ginger Rugai (19th) wore a personalized Sox jersey when she explained how she lobbied for the fields.
“We’re not shy,” she said. “We raised our hands and said, ‘We have the land, we’re in White Sox territory and we have an incredible special recreation program.’ ”
Two people who were instrumental in the development of the fields — White Sox senior director of community relations Christine O’Reilly and Chicago Park District Supt. Tim Mitchell — are natives of Mount Greenwood.
“I know the passion of White Sox fans down here, and I know the people,” O’Reilly said. “It’s so great this could happen in this community.”
Three fields were named for former players or team executives.
Harold Baines, a six-time All-Star who played with the Sox for 14 seasons, received the honor at the high school field. The Little League field was named for Jack Gould, a former senior vice president of the Sox who died in 2002.
Billy Pierce, pitcher on the Go-Go Sox teams of the 1950s, was recognized at the softball diamond.
“These fields will give all kids a great chance to play ball, (which) is the backbone of this country,” said Pierce, a longtime Evergreen Park resident.
Ag High School senior Rolanda Bolden said she was a bit disappointed the field opened after her softball team’s undefeated season.
“We worked so hard that it hurts we won’t ever get to play on it,” she said.
Kevin Healy, 11, rushed to play on the Little League field with his team, who appropriately are called the White Sox.
The sixth-grader from Beverly said the manicured field “makes us feel like professionals.”
Healy plays second base, but he doesn’t brag about his abilities.
“I have my days,” he said.
Then, with the seasoned rationale of a diehard Chicago baseball fan, Kevin added: “It doesn’t matter if you’re good or not, or even if you win. It’s all about having fun.”
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