Honor a Loved One who has Battled Breast Cancer this Mother’s Day

 

(Reading, PA) – The Reading Fightin Phils will honor those who have battled breast cancer this Mother’s Day, when Fightins players and coaches will wear custom jerseys featuring the names of people who have fought the disease.

Fans can purchase a special ticket package and have the name of a loved one who has been afflicted with breast cancer represented on the back of a Fightin Phils jersey for no additional cost. Each Fightins player will be wearing one of these custom pink Breast Cancer Awareness jerseys during the game.

This opportunity is available to the first 25 groups who purchase 20 or more tickets to the May 10th Mother’s Day game at FirstEnergy Stadium.

A special post-game jersey exchange will take place, where the the 25 honorees or their families will receive their individual game-worn jersey from the R-Phils player or coach on the field.

First pitch on Mother’s Day is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. when the Fightins host the Harrisburg Senators. The day will also feature a Mother’s Day PINK Out, with all fans encouraged to wear pink. The first 1,500 women in attendance will receive a PINK Out for Breast Cancer giveaway, thanks to Reading Hospital McGlinn Cancer Institute.

Groups are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible, as this opportunity is limited to only 25 honorees. For ticket information, and to book a group outing for the chance to honor a loved one, call or text 610-370-BALL, email Nick Mayer at nmayer@fightins.com, or submit an online reservation at https://www.milb.com/reading/forms/mothers_day.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

Blue Wahoos Add Patch To Honor NAS Pensacola To Uniforms

 

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos will take the field in 2020 with their city over their hearts. The team announced on Thursday that the Blue Wahoos will wear “We Have The Watch-NAS Pensacola” patches on their uniforms in 2020 to honor the victims of the tragic shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola on December 6th, 2019 and the brave military members, police officers, and first responders who protect the citizens of Pensacola.

“The brave military members at Naval Air Station Pensacola keep our city and our nation safe, and it’s an honor for us to pay tribute to the victims of this tragic event and to the strength of the city of Pensacola as we collectively recover as a community,” team president Jonathan Griffith said.

The patches, designed by Marcus Pointe Baptist Church Media Director Robbie Harvey and pressed and embroidered by Wings & Things Monogramming on South Navy Boulevard, will be worn over the heart, directly above the Blue Wahoos logo on the team’s home uniforms.

The same patches are worn on the uniforms of local military members at Naval Air Station Pensacola and first responders across Pensacola. Fans can purchase a patch for $1 at the Flight Deck Store at the National Naval Aviation Museum.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

R-Phils Bring Players, Fans Together with Celebrate Your Faith Nights

 

Throughout Minor League Baseball, faith plays an ever-important role in the lives of many of those working their way toward the Major Leagues.

On Celebrate Your Faith nights at FirstEnergy Stadium, players and fans come together to reflect on the impact that their respective faiths have had on their journeys.

The R-Phils will be hosting three Celebrate Your Faith Nights during the 2020 season. The first will take place on Thursday, June 4th, with two others scheduled for Sunday, July 26th, and Sunday, August 2nd.

“Celebrate Your Faith nights have become a fun forum for Reading Fightin Phils fans to learn about the lives of professional baseball players and how they are able to incorporate their faith into a lifestyle that makes it very difficult to stay connected with their friends, family, and their places of worship,” said Joe Bialek, Reading Fightin Phils Executive Director of Sales. Bialek moderates the discussions on Celebrate Your Faith Nights, and is also the liaison between the team and Baseball Chapel.

“The players enjoy sharing their stories of faith as much as the fans enjoy hearing them. It’s truly an inspirational program for everyone involved.”

During Celebrate Your Faith Nights, faith-based groups can enjoy a post-game concert followed by a faith discussion and Q&A with R-Phils players. Several Fightin Phils players share the role their faith plays in their lives as professional athletes, and fan involvement in the discussion is encouraged.

The discussions are non-denominational, and all faiths are welcomed. The 2020 season will be the 18th year of the program’s existence.

Groups of 20 or more interested in attending one of the R-Phils Celebrate Your Faith Nights can contact the Fightins Group Sales Department at 610-375-8469 or by emailing Director of Groups Jon Nally (jnally@fightins.com).

2020 R-Phils Celebrate Your Faith Nights:

Thursday, June 4th – 7:10 p.m. vs. Altoona

Sunday, July 26th – 5:15 p.m. vs New Hampshire

Sunday, August 2nd – 5:15 p.m. vs Binghamton

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

Chris Ray selected as recipient of 2020 Paul Keyes RBI Award

 

RICHMOND, Va. – Former MLB pitcher and co-founder of Center of the Universe Brewing Chris Ray has been named the recipient of the 2020 Paul Keyes RBI Award, the Richmond Flying Squirrels announced on Thursday.

Ray will be presented with the award during the Flying Squirrels’ annual Hot Stove Banquet on Wed., Jan. 22 at the Siegel Center. Tickets, tables and sponsorship packages for the annual Charity Hot Stove Banquet are available now here.

The Paul Keyes RBI (Richmond Baseball Impact) Award is given annually in memory of the late VCU baseball coach Paul Keyes to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the game of baseball within the Richmond community or from the Richmond community.

“I am honored to be this year’s recipient of the Paul Keyes RBI Award and to be part of such an amazing group of previous winners that can only aspire to be good representations of who Paul Keyes was and what he stood for,” Ray said.

After playing collegiately at the College of William & Mary, Ray was selected in the third round of the 2003 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He went on to play six seasons in the majors with the Orioles, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners. Ray was part of the Giants’ World Series title run in 2010.

Ray made 283 appearances in the majors, going 18-19 with a 4.10 ERA and 51 saves, including a career-high 33 saves as the Orioles’ closer in 2006.

“Chris Ray is a success story all throughout his life, at William & Mary, as a professional baseball player, as a business owner and now in the Richmond region while he raises his family and is involved actively in many things,” Flying Squirrels VP & COO Todd “Parney” Parnell said. “Chris is the total package and a perfect choice for this year’s Paul Keyes Richmond Baseball Impact Award.”

Following his playing career, Ray returned to Virginia and partnered with this brother, Phil, to open Center of the Universe Brewing Company (COTU) in Ashland in 2012. Since its founding, Center of the Universe has donated over $200,000 to various charitable organizations throughout Virginia.

Ray also co-founded Hops for Heroes, a nationwide craft brewery effort that raises money for Soldiers’ Angels through the production and sale of Homefront IPA.

In the Ashland community, Ray is on the board of directors for the Ashland Theatre, serves on the board of directors for the Downtown Ashland Association, helps organize community events in Ashland and serves annually as a volunteer coach and sponsor with Ashland Little League.

Ray and his wife of 15 years, Alice, have two children, Virginia (9) and Thomas (7).

Paul Keyes RBI Award Recipients

2011 – Eddie Kasko

2012 – Johnny Grubb

2013 – Gene Alley

2014 – Tracy Woodson

2015 – Sam Ayoub

2016 – Cla Meredith

2017 – Shawn Stiffler

2018 – Tony Beasley

2019 – Ray Hedrick

2020 – Chris Ray

The Flying Squirrels’ annual Hot Stove Banquet will be held on Wed., Jan. 22 at the Siegel Center. The event includes special guest Brian Jordan, a former two-sport star for the Richmond Spiders prior to his career in the National Football League and Major League Baseball. Tickets, tables and sponsorship packages are available now at SquirrelsBaseball.com.

-SQUIRRELS-

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

FirstEnergy Stadium Pays Tribute to All who Served with Annual Veterans Day Ceremony

 

(Reading, PA) – The Reading Fightin Phils will celebrate and honor those who served on Monday, November 11thin hosting the sixth annual Veterans Day ceremony at FirstEnergy Stadium. The R-Phils, in partnership with Savage 61 Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM, will be presenting the Veterans Day Wreath in front of the Veterans Monument at FirstEnergy Stadium at 1 p.m.

All veterans and military members are encouraged to attend, and the event is open to the general public.

Local community leaders will join R-Phils front office members at the ceremony, in which the American Legion Gregg Post 12 will lay a wreath in front of the ballpark’s dog tag monument near the entrance to FirstEnergy Stadium. The monument pays tribute to all members of the United States military who sacrificed to protect the United States of America.

Snacks and refreshments will be provided by the Fightin Phils upon conclusion of the ceremony in the Steve Moyer Subaru Team Store.

Originally called Reading Municipal Memorial Stadium, FirstEnergy Stadium was completed in 1951 and was named in honor of the servicemen and women who risked their lives in defense of their country. In 1999, a statue in the form of giant dog tags was placed in front of the stadium in a special rededication ceremony to honor the area’s veterans.

Beginning with the 2014 season, the Fightins have honored a specific veteran at each home game with a ceremonial flag service. The veteran, or his or her family, is recognized with a video tribute and ovation prior to the start of the game. The flag flies by the dog tag statue at the stadium’s main entrance, and is given to the veteran or veteran’s family following the game.

Prior to the start of the 2016 season, the Fightin Phils also unveiled a permanently unoccupied black seat in FirstEnergy Stadium. This seat pays tribute to the tens of thousands of military service personnel who were prisoners of war or have been declared missing in action.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

Blue Wahoos to host annual Soul Bowl showcase of youth football

Get tickets now!

The 28th annual Soul Bowl, a full day showcase of area youth football and family-fun activities, will again be played at Blue Wahoos Stadium on Oct. 12 in partnership with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and the Southern Youth Sports Association.

The event features the SYSA Tigers and East Pensacola-Magee Field Rattlers competing in five different age division games, along with the possibility of two games against another area youth team. Gates will open on at 8 a.m. that day. The first game will begin at 9 a.m. featuring the youngest age group, followed by oldest age division in the final game.

Age divisions are 6-under, 8-under, 10-under, 12-under, 14-under. The festival of football and community spirit has been presented for the past several years by Troy Rafferty and the Levin-Papantonio Law Firm.

In addition to watching exciting football, it will also be Public Safety Day outside the bayfront stadium.

Area police, fire department and emergency personnel will be gathered in the area along Reus Street to show the public various First Responders demonstrations important in their jobs.

Tickets are now on sale with a discount for advance purchase. The general admission ticket is $7 for all ages, $9 on Oct. 12. It is a full-day, one price ticket, so buying early saves money. Children 2-under will be admitted free. Re-entry will be allowed by showing the ticket.

To purchase tickets in advance, use this link. The box office at Blue Wahoos Stadium will be open on Oct. 12 as well for tickets.

Just outside the stadium, a fun-for-the-family, tailgate experience will occur, including a row of vendors offering a variety of Soul Food and other delights. On the stadium concourse, the third base side concessions will offer food items from Fish & Hits Pub and Hook, Line & Sinker storefronts, which will include traditional fare of burgers, hot dogs, fries, chips, popcorn, sodas and other items plus some of the specialty offerings.

There will be music and a stadium announcer to help entertain fans and keep the atmosphere lively. This is the eighth year the Soul Bowl has been held at Blue Wahoos Stadium and provided another way for the community to enjoy the waterfront stadium and its amenities.

This event has annually becoming a community gathering venue to enjoy youth football, family spirit and friendships. Blue Wahoos team owner Quint Studer, along with Escambia County commissioner Lumon May, work throughout the year to help make the Soul Bowl a special experience for the kids.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

SC Veterans Upstate Salute at Fluor Field on November 10th

The Drive are excited to team up with fellow Upstate Veterans Alliance partners GE, Michelin and Prisma Health for the fourth annual SC Veterans Upstate Salute! You’re invited to join us in this free celebration on Sunday, November 10th at Fluor Field, as we will honor our local veterans with a night full of entertainment.

The Fluor Field gates will open at 3:00. Highlights of the evening include a concert from Darryl Worley, a 21-gun salute, parachuters, an aerial flyover and opportunities to meet community agencies supporting veterans and their families. The night will conclude with a spectacular fireworks show. The concession stands at Fluor Field will be open throughout the evening.

Admission for the SC Veterans Upstate Salute is complimentary, and we hope you’ll join us as we help celebrate our nation’s veterans!

CLICK HERE TO REDEEM YOUR COMPLIMENTARY TICKET

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

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Spikes, WHVL, NFFF to host 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

 

The State College Spikes are proud to partner with WHVL-TV and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) to host the inaugural Central Pennsylvania 9/11 Stair Climb. The event will be held on Saturday, September 28 at the home of the Spikes, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, which is located on the campus of Penn State University.

The Central Pennsylvania 9/11 Stair Climb is open to the community and participants may register as an individual or as part of team. The cost is $30 per individual or team member. All climbers receive a commemorative shirt and a name badge of the firefighter they are honoring. Anyone interested in participating may register by visiting http://events.firehero.org/whvl or www.whvl.com, and there are no restrictions on who may climb.

All proceeds from the Central Pennsylvania 9/11 Stair Climb will go to the NFFF. The NFFF funds programs to support the families of your local fallen firefighters and the FDNY Counseling Services Unit. For more information about the about the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs and the NFFF, fans can log on to www.firehero.org.

“When firefighters, EMS or police perish in the line of duty it has a great impact on our communities and across the country,” said Penny Hain, General Manager of WHVL. “We wanted to find a way to honor the folks that we have lost while helping the loved ones, friends and co-workers they left behind.” 
“We are honored to host this event and cannot wait to welcome all of the climbers to our ballpark to pay homage to the heroes who put their lives on the line,” said Spikes General Manager Scott Walker. “Medlar Field at Lubrano Park has always been and will always be a place for our community to come together, and we are looking forward to continuing that tradition with the Central Pennsylvania 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb on September 28.”

The activities begin on the day of the event with climber check-in at 8:00 a.m. followed by opening ceremonies at 9:00 a.m. Climbing will begin at 10:00 a.m. and the participants will climb the equivalent of 110 stories to symbolize the number of floors in each of the Twin Towers. Following the climb, participants and volunteers will treated to an after party beginning at 1:30 p.m.

For more information, contact WHVL at 814-234-9485 or visit www.whvl.com.

 

Volcanoes to honor Sprague Little League Sept. 2

KEIZER – It seems only fitting as the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes get ready to start the South Division playoffs that the team is honoring the Sprague Little League team recently home from the 2019 Little League World Series.

This is a very special and important event for both the Volcanoes and the entire community,” said Mitche Graf, Volcanoes President. “It wasn’t all that long ago that professional baseball players were Little League athletes dreaming of getting drafted someday. Come to Volcanoes Stadium on September 2 and share this wonderful fabric of the journey in baseball. If there is one game you want to see before the Northwest League playoffs – this is it.”

https://www.milb.com/salem-keizer/tickets/single-game-tickets

Click above and enter “FAMILY” to get a $5 GA tickets. All kids 12 and under are FREE!

Don’t miss the fun as the Volcanoes honor Sprague Little League with special offers as they take on Eugene. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

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Spann presented with Troubh Community Service Award

Portland, Maine- The Portland Sea Dogs are proud to announce that the 2019 recipient of the William Troubh Community Service award is Gretchen Spann. Spann was presented the award by Sea Dogs’ President & General Manager Geoff Iacuessa along with members of Mr. Troubh’s family including wife Nancy in a pre-game ceremony at Hadlock Field on Friday, August 30th when the Sea Dogs hosted the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

The “William Troubh Community Service Award” was established in 2015 to honor a local citizen who is making a positive impact within the city of Portland. Mr. Troubh was a lifelong resident of the city of Portland who dedicated his life to making Portland a great place to live and work. He served multiple terms on the Portland City Council and was Mayor of the city in 1974 and 1975 and again in 1983 and 1984. Mr. Troubh was instrumental in bringing the Portland Sea Dogs to the city in 1994. He also played a major role in the development of the Portland Waterfront, Cumberland County Civic Center and the Portland Ice Arena, now named in his honor. His contributions will be enjoyed by residents and visitors of the city for generations to come.

Over the last 10 years, Spann our has gone above and beyond for an organization that is near and dear to her heart – the Maine Children’s Cancer Program (MCCP). Since 2012, Spann has served on the Board of Directors for the program and has been an integral part in raising vital funds and spreading awareness to support Maine’s youngest cancer fighters. For a decade, Spann has led Team MCCP, “running for Kids with cancer”, in the Maine Marathon, providing a space for patient families, supporters and friends of MCCP to challenge themselves and go to tremendous distances for children in Maine battling cancer. In ten years, Team MCCP has raised over $290,000, none of this possible without Spann’s leadership and dedication. Spann’s hard work, drive, and compassion towards Maine Children’s Cancer Program is one of the many reasons she has been nominated today. In addition to her work with MCCP she also volunteers with numerous other non-profits and with her children’s school.

Past recipients of the award include Marc Lamontagne (2018), Howard Spear (2017), Roger Goodoak (2016) and John Menario (2015).

The Sea Dogs will begin accepting nominations for the 2020 award in February.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

Makynlee Culbertson to Celebrate “Home Run For Life” with OKC Dodgers Friday

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Dodgers conclude the 2019 “Home Run For Life” series Friday night as they partner with INTEGRIS to recognize Makynlee Culbertson during the Dodgers’ game against the New Orleans Baby Cakes at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

Culbertson, who was diagnosed at just six weeks old with spinal muscular atrophy, became the first child in Oklahoma to receive a new one-time gene therapy known as Zolgensma® thanks to the help of her child neurologist Jennifer Norman, M.D., at INTEGRIS Pediatric Neurology at Baptist Medical Center.

Spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, is a severe neuromuscular disease that leads to progressive muscle weakness and paralysis.

On July 19, at 17 months of age, Culbertson received Zolgensma® via an IV over the course of one hour. Now just six weeks later, improvements in Culbertson’s health are already evident – and continue to emerge.

“Home Run For Life” recognizes individuals in the Oklahoma City community who have overcome a significant medical event with the help of their families, physicians and health care professionals. To symbolize the end of their battle against adversity, honorees take a home run “lap” around the bases during an in-game ceremony.

“Five times a season we are proud to welcome these extraordinary Oklahomans to take the field at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark,” OKC Dodgers President/General Manager Michael Byrnes said. “This is the ninth straight year we have partnered with INTEGRIS to honor these amazing individuals’ perseverance and courage to overcome major health challenges.”

SMA is characterized by the loss of motor neurons, which are responsible for communicating with muscles and telling them to work properly. This loss of motor neurons, which cannot be brought back, is due to a SMN1 gene that is missing or not working properly. Without enough SMN protein, motor neuron cells eventually stop working and die leading to difficulty breathing, eating, speaking and lifting the head.

Zolgensma was recently approved for the treatment of pediatric patients younger than two years of age with SMA. The one-time intravenous infusion is designed to address the genetic root cause of SMA by providing a functional copy of the SMN gene to halt disease progression. It is intended to replace a lifetime of chronic therapy for pediatric patients with SMA.

“This treatment has truly created a paradigm shift for what was previously a uniformly devastating and fatal disease,” Norman said. “SMA is essentially the ‘Lou Gehrig’s Disease’ of childhood. With early treatment, we can now give these kids a normal life. That was essentially unthinkable even just three years ago. It has truly revolutionized the practice of neuromuscular medicine.”

Advances in Culbertson’s health have already arisen in August, which is fittingly SMA Awareness Month.

“She’s significantly louder already, where before she had a really weak cry and couldn’t really cough like you or I can. Now she can,” Shanna Culbertson, Makynlee’s mom, said. “Her grip and strength in her arms; her head control has gotten significantly better; her core strength; she can hold herself up for longer. We see little things every day. We just hope to keep gaining off of it.”

Shanna Culbertson noted that while the treatment is not a cure for SMA, it will continue to help improve her daughter’s quality of life.

“She’s still going to have a lot of therapy and rehab and stuff to gain back what she’s lost, but it stops the progression of it,” she said.

The Culbertson family, of Moore, Okla., feels very fortunate that their primary and secondary insurance plans covered 100 percent of the therapy that comes with a hefty $2 million price tag.

“It is definitely crazy expensive,” Norman said. “But ultimately, over the course of a child’s life, the one-time cost is actually a substantial savings compared to what insurance companies and families would spend for the intensive medical needs children with this disease would otherwise require.

“In addition to overall cost savings, there is also a huge quality of life benefit to the drug, which really can’t be described with a dollar amount.”

To read Culbertson’s full story, visit the Dodgers’ “Beyond the Bricks” website at: medium.com/beyond-the-bricks.

The Dodgers continue their homestand with 7:05 p.m. games tonight and Thursday against the Iowa Cubs at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. An on-field naturalization ceremony will take place prior to tonight’s game as 40 people will be naturalized as United States citizens in conjunction with a U.S. District Courts initiative. The series then concludes on a $2 Thursday, featuring $2 select beer, bottled water and Pepsi products.

Fan Appreciation Weekend opens at 7:05 p.m. Friday when the Dodgers begin their final series of the season against the New Orleans Baby Cakes at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the first 1,000 fans will receive a Dodgers hat. Select players will be available for pregame autographs and the OKC Disc Dogs will perform on the field. Friday Night Fireworks, presented by Supermercados Morelos, are scheduled to follow the game. Culbertson’s “Home Run For Life” will take place following the third inning and fans will have the opportunity to bid on game-used, game-worn and autographed Dodgers memorabilia during the Clubhouse Collectibles silent auction, presented by The Oklahoman.

Saturday’s game between the Dodgers and Baby Cakes starts at 7:05 p.m. and fireworks are slated to follow, presented by Allstate. Select players will be available for autographs prior to the game and fans will receive a complimentary 2019 team poster when they exit the ballpark.

Sunday’s game against New Orleans starts at 2:05 p.m. on a Chaparral Energy Family Sunday, featuring many family friendly activities including inflatables, face painters and kids can run the bases after the game. Red the Bat Dog will assist on the field during pregame activities and serve as bat dog for the game’s first three innings Sunday before interacting with fans on the concourse during the game. Red is a three-year-old Labrador retriever/German shepherd mix trained by Lukas Miller of Sit Means Sit dog training in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Catch the final OKC Dodgers game of the season on Labor Day starting at 11:05 a.m. Monday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

Dodgers public address announcer Jared Gallagher will work from the concourse during the game. Fans can also celebrate the unofficial end of summer with the OKC Dodgers and Downtown OKC by participating in fun activities on the Mickey Mantle Plaza, including sidewalk chalk, bubbles and hula hoops.

Tickets are available through the OKC Dodgers ticket office located on South Mickey Mantle Drive, by phone at (405) 218-2182, or by visiting okcdodgers.com.  Live radio coverage of each game begins 15 minutes before first pitch on AM-1340 “The Game,” 1340thegame.com and through the free iHeartRadio or MiLB First Pitch apps.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

Little League champs to be honored Thursday

The Eastbank All-Stars, Little League World Series champions from River Ridge, will be honored at the New Orleans Baby Cakes’ home finale on Thursday by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

The Eastbank Little League softball team, national runners-up, will also be honored during the pregame ceremony preceding the Baby Cakes’ game against the Memphis Redbirds at 7 p.m.

Eastbank won the Little League World Series with an 8-0 victory over Curacao in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Sunday.

The ‘Cakes wrap up the home schedule on Thursday with fan appreciation giveaways, Thirsty Thursday drink specials, and a postgame fireworks show.

For more information, contact the Baby Cakes at (504) 734-5155.

Eight-year-old Pensacola girl embraces Home Run For Life moment

Before she ever got the go-ahead signal, Scarlett Helm was ready to race around the bases.

Helm, an 8-year-old Pensacola girl, who successfully battled through attention deficit disorder and undiscovered diabetes, was honored for her courage and spirit Saturday in the season’s final “Home Run For Life” celebration during the Blue Wahoos game against the Jackson Generals.

Smiling and eager to embrace the moment, Helm raced around the bases as a sellout crowd cheered and both teams’ lined the baselines to congratulate her.

Her life has changed since February. Back then, her parents noticed she was often exhausted and experiencing frequent, erratic, mood swings. Her appetite decreased. She couldn’t gain weight.

Her parents figured it was part of side effects from the medication she was taking for attention deficit, hyperactive disorder. But as she began to fall into worse symptoms, her parents suspected something more serious was happening.

Her pediatrician conducted a blood test which revealed her blood-sugar levels were almost three times the normal range. She was immediately admitted into the Pediactric Emergency Room at Sacred Heart Hospital. It was then discovered she had Type 1 diabetes.

With treatment, care and her parents help, the diabetes in now under control and Helm is a normal, young girl.

She recently started second grade at the Montessori School of Pensacola. She listed her favorite animal as a sloth on her biography. He favorite movie is Rapunzel.

She is now enjoying gymnastics.

As she showed on Saturday, Helm sped around the bases, her hair waving, her face aglow as she easily touched every base and jumped on home plate, then into the arms of Kazoo, the Blue Wahoos mascot.

It was another special moment provided by the Blue Wahoos and the Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

Blue Wahoos, Covenant Care help 97-year-old WW II fighter pilot fulfill wish

Attired in a fighter pilot’s suit, Albert J. Lane clutched a cold beer in his left hand and a century of life spirit in his heart.

Mr. Lane, a U.S. Army fighter pilot in World War II, had just taken one final flight Friday night, which included a flyover at Blue Wahoos Stadium, perfectly timed after the National Anthem, as a cheering, sellout crowd waved at the vintage aircraft.

Through Pensacola’s Covenant Care, a Blue Wahoos corporate partner and its “My Wish” program, Mr. Lane was able to exit his wheelchair and settle into the co-pilot’s cockpit of a vintage, dual-wing, 1943 Boeing N2S-4 Stearman aircraft and fulfill his own wish.

It was 82 years ago when Mr. Lane, a Michigan native, last climbed into an open cockpit plane of that era, training for a future role as a B-17 Bomber in the United States Army. He remembered how to do it again Friday night.

“How about that! I got in that plane,” said Mr. Lane, excitedly, about an hour after the flight, as young children and admiring adults gathered around him on the stadium concourse.

It created a powerful, emotional scene that made even Jhoan Duran‘s no-hit bid into the seventh inning, along with the Blue Wahoos eventual 3-2 win against the Jackson Generals, seem secondary on this memorable night.

“That was really special to see,” said Blue Wahoos manager Ramon Borrego, who stood and cheered from the dugout as Mr. Lane was honored on the first base line in the bottom of the sixth inning. “When you see a guy like him who went to World War II and served this country…I was thinking about it and thought, ‘Wow, this guy fought in World War II. He gave everything to his country.’

“And he still had energy. He began to get up from that wheelchair. That was amazing to see. I could think and see this man, say back when he was in his 20’s in that airplane.”

Mr. Lane lives in Greenwood, a small town near Marianna in Jackson County, about two hours east from Pensacola. When Covenant Care got involved and arranged a My Wish request, the Blue Wahoos joined to help provide the flyover experience at the stadium.

“It’s such a great tie-in for us,” said Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith. “The wishes Covenant Care grants are local and regional and in our own footprint, so it’s awesome to be part of, and meets our own mission to improve the quality of life in our area. It’s very cool to be part of this.”

The My Wish program began about a year ago and has provided a couple hundred such final wishes, according to Covenant Care president and CEO Jeff Mislevy.

“We thought about how do we connect donors to these wishes. And it’s a unique platform,” Mislevy said. “Because an individual donor has an opportunity to entirely support a wish for someone. You make that person to person connection and there is just so much power in that.

“I wanted to be here to see him fly over. It chokes you up in a way. I can’t imagine the emotion that must be pouring through his veins right now. That’s what powers us to do this. And this was unique to him.”

The gold vintage bi-plane that Mr. Lane was flown in was provided by Pensacola’s Roy Kinsey, who operates Veterans Flight and annually participates in the Pensacola Beach Air Show.

Kinsey and others at Pensacola Aviation Center helped Mr. Lane from his wheelchair. They aided him to climb on a step-stool, hoisted him on the wing and into the open-air co-pilot cockpit of the plane. Kinsey then flew the aircraft.

Lane’s physician, Robin Albritton, who lives in Marianna and works there at Jackson Hospital, was at Blue Wahoos Stadium standing on the concourse, watching the flyover.

“When Covenant Care called me two weeks ago to tell me what they were doing, I put my phone down and cried,” said Albritton, his voice wavering with emotion. “He is a real American hero. He deserves this so much.

“Having taken care of him for the past eight years, I knew he probably got into that plane by himself. That man is sharp as a tack. He first came to me at 90-years-old and gave me the biggest, ol’ hug. I’ve had long conversations with him when he visits. I have done just enough to not get in his way these years. To see this is unbelievable. People like him remind me of why I do this.”

After the plane returned to Pensacola Aviation, Mr. Lane and his group traveled to Blue Wahoos Stadium. Covenant Care staff were there waiting to congratulate the World War II veteran.

The smile on his face, the throng of strangers, including so many children, who wanted to meet him and get his autograph, were poignant examples of how meaningful, how special this experience became.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

Home Run for Life: The Story of Lainey Loftus

  While baseball may be our focus here at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium, the IronBirds take pride in being a part of the Aberdeen community and strive to make an impact that goes beyond the sport itself. On August 18th, the IronBirds recognized fourth-grader Lainey Loftus, whose brave story has inspired us all.

Last November, Lainey began having vision issues, which led her parents to bring her to an Ophthalmologist. It was there that they discovered something was pressing on her optic nerves and causing her loss of vision. After a CAT scan revealed a brain tumor on her optic nerves and Pituitary gland, her family was sent to Oncology at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. The doctor at Johns Hopkins decided the best course of action for Lainey was chemotherapy and radiation. Over the next few months, Lainey had four rounds of chemo and 24 proton radiation treatments. After many long months of fighting, an MRI in May showed that the tumor was gone, and her treatments were over. With her tumor gone, Lainey is gaining strength every day and begins fourth grade in a month.

Lainey enjoys playing softball and is excited to get back onto the field soon now that she is healthy again. She has always been a big Orioles fan and even got the chance to go to a game recently. At last Sunday’s game, Lainey threw out the first pitch before the game. The IronBirds are proud to honor Lainey for her bravery in fighting this terrible disease, and so happy for her and her family now that she is growing stronger every day. No family should have to go through what the Loftus family has gone through in the past year. The IronBirds wish Lainey and her family the best as they begin a new chapter in their lives.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.