SOLANA BEACH
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Call it the field of miracles. Or, by its official name, the San Dieguito Miracle Field, which was launched yesterday at a groundbreaking ceremony at San Dieguito County Park.
The field, a partnership between San Diego County and the nonprofit Miracle League of San Diego, will allow children with physical or mental challenges to play baseball in an organized league.
The field is covered with hardened dirt and is “of little or no use as it is now,” said county spokesman Brian Albright.
Construction is scheduled to begin Monday. When it ends, the field will have a rubberized surface to accommodate wheelchairs and to help prevent injuries, said Dennis Parker of the San Diego County Parks and Recreation Department.
“Every child bats, every child scores, every team wins” because all of the league's two-inning games finish with tied scores, said Dan Engel, a financial executive who founded the Miracle League of San Diego two years ago with his wife, Suzie.
There are 160 Miracle League organizations in the United States and Puerto Rico, and 48 were using the special fields as of September, said Engel, who lives in Carmel Valley. The local group donated $300,000 toward the $1.2 million project, and the county Board of Supervisors supplied the remainder.
A key part of Miracle League play is the buddy system, Engel said.
“Every player is assigned a buddy, mostly children or teens, who provide encouragement and assist on the field. It's a commitment for the whole season,” he said.
The Miracle League is open to boys and girls ages 4 to 18 who have any mental or physical challenge, Engel said. The field will have moveable fences so it will be possible to hit a home run.
“It's really all about the kids . . . (and) the self-esteem it brings them,” Engel said.
League play will begin in May for about four to six weeks and resume in the fall for about eight to 10 weeks. The field will be available for wheelchair softball and other special activities, Engel said.
Engel plans to raise $1.2 million for a second phase of construction that will include some parking and special access to the playing field. San Dieguito County Park is on Lomas Santa Fe Drive, about three miles east of Interstate 5.
Information about the Miracle League of San Diego is at www.miracleleagueof-sandiego.org.
James Steinberg: (619) 542-4569; jim.steinberg@uniontrib.com
