BAYONNE — To the delight of parents and children alike, Mr. Met visited a special-needs baseball program this morning.
The official mascot of the New York Mets came to 11th Street Park to support the Buddy Baseball League, which was started last year for mentally and physically challenged city residents ages 4 to 21.
Earlier this year, SportsNet New York, the TV home of the New York Mets, awarded the league a $5,000 “Play Ball” grant for the repair and installation of a new backstop and fencing.
SNY spokesman Kevin Sornatale said today that SNY organized Mr. Met’s visit to Buddy Baseball in collaboration with the Mets as a way to additionally support the players in the program.
“We said this is one of those things that we need to support,” he said. “Running a league isn’t easy…we wanted to do what we could.”
Director of Bayonne Recreation Pete Amadeo said “this is just a great day to show SNY supporting Buddy Baseball in the city of Bayonne.”
“The field looks great, the backstop looks great — but most important, this is all for our players, our children, and the families of Buddy Baseball,” he said.
SNY Play Ball supports youth baseball, softball, football and basketball programs in the New York metropolitan area through unique and comprehensive contributions. This baseball season, SNY has teamed up with the New York Mets to award grants, donate equipment, conduct clinics at Citi Field, invite youth to a Mets game, and provide employee volunteers for a league project.
SNY will honor the players of the Buddy Baseball league on television during SNY Play Ball Week, which starts Monday, May 16.
As part of the program, “buddies” assist players according to their needs. This may include helping a player bat or field the ball, pushing a player in a wheelchair around the bases or simply cheering on a player.
For more information on the Buddy Baseball League, contact Amadeo at 201-858-6129 or email BAYONNEREC@AOL.COM.
Jonathan Lin may be reached at jlin@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @jlin_jj. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
