Miracle's Education Day helps teach kids about sport

By David Dorsey
Fort Myers News Press

Of the announced crowd of 6,683 fans Wednesday morning at the Fort Myers Miracle game, about 5,000 of them were elementary school children.

They weren't playing hooky.

The Miracle minor league baseball team played host to Education Day at the Lee County Sports Complex, where each youngster was given a hot dog, soda and ticket for $5, and where they discovered how their homework in math, science, geography, language arts and even music classes could relate to baseball.

And, of course, they also watched the game.

The Miracle defeated the Tampa Yankees 5-3.

"This is kind of different," said Hector Santiago, a 10-year-old fourth-grader from Country Oaks Elementary School in LaBelle. "We learned how far apart the bases are, which is 90 feet. We learned that the pitcher's mound is about 10 inches higher than home plate."

Brian DiBernadino, 9, has learned something else.

"I love baseball," he said. "I can't even explain how much fun this is."

Although the players grumbled about having to wake up early — most Florida State League games begin at 7:05 p.m., and many of the players usually wake up around 11 a.m. — they were happy to compete in front of such a large and enthusiastic crowd.

"You hear them," Miracle starting pitcher Glen Perkins said. "I really have to concentrate on the game.

"I usually get anxious before the game. I hate waiting for a 7 o'clock start."

When the loudspeakers played the song "Who Let the Dogs Out," in the middle of the second inning, the second-, third- and fourth-graders from Tice Elementary answered the rhetorical question with the Pavlovian response "Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!"

"We did a lot of things to get them ready for the game," said Cathi McWhirter, a second-grade teacher at Tice. "First of all, they didn't even know the words to 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame.' A lot of them didn't understand the base running and how it works.

"A lot of them have never been to a ballgame. Never. They love it. They truly love it."

Several children retrieved foul balls that were hit into the stands. So did one of the adults, Country Oaks fourth-grade teacher Kevin Lutkenhaus, 44. He raced for the ball and beat out two children trying to make the catch.

But after making the two-handed grab, Lutkenhaus quickly handed the ball to one of his students.

"The last couple of days, we've done a lot of baseball background," Lutkenhaus said. "The kids in the fourth and fifth grades, they have gotten away from the national pastime."

New York Yankees minor league pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras enjoyed the atmosphere.

"It's a kid's game," Contreras said. "This is how you develop a fan base in baseball. The Miracle are doing a great job of keeping the kids involved. They're all enjoying what this ballpark has to offer."

Evangelical Christian elementary school principal Jon Wilson admitted that many of the students and teachers were treating the field trip as a day off. But what's wrong with that?

"Some of them are sports fans, so they'll get into it," Wilson said. "Some of them view it as a day off. They needed it. I needed it. We needed a break."

MIRACLE POP QUIZ

Here's some of the questions that elementary school fans answered Wednesday morning at Education Day with the Fort Myers Miracle.

Answer key is at the bottom. No cheating:

1. How many tons of clay are on the baseball field?
A. 20 tons
B. 60 tons
C. 70 tons
D. 100 tons

2. How many pounds of chalk does the grounds crew use during the 70-game home season?
A. 2,500 pounds
B. 3,000 pounds
C. 3,500 pounds
D. 5,000 pounds

3. How many acres of grass are on a baseball field?
A. 1
B. 2.5
C. 3
D. 5

4. A pitcher's mound is 10 inches higher than home plate.
A. True
B. False

5. How much does a baseball weigh?
A. One pound
B. Two gallons
C. Five ounces

6. How many red stitches hold on a baseball cover?
A. 89
B. 104
C. 527

Bonus question: There are 29 players on the Miracle roster. How many countries do those players come from?

Answers:

1. C; 2. C; 3. B; 4. A; 5. C; 6. B; Bonus: Five. They are Australia, Germany, Puerto Rico, the United States of America and Venezuela