In 2012, Skip Flanagan the current captain of the RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) baseball team was asked to participate in this annual game that celebrates the history of baseball with some of the best collegiate players in New England. They wear some the most famous old time uniforms one could find in one game at the same time anywhere in the USA.
Skip is the first Deaf baseball captain at RIT and the first Deaf player to play in this charitable game. He responded and represented the Deaf community well by going 3 for 4 and winning the MVP! This game was created by Steve Buckley, the talented sports columnist from the Boston Herald. Each year the game raises money and awareness for charity and after seeing what Skip and the connection of Dummy Hoy has to baseball we were blessed to be chosen as this year’s charity of choice.
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This year in addition to fantastic baseball and entertainment, we have the opportunity to celebrate the relation between Deaf culture and the game of baseball. In the early 1900’s a very talented player named Dummy Hoy worked with umpires to create ‘signs’ that can be used in baseball games so the Deaf can understand what is happening and even now hearing and Deaf people can follow baseball at all levels by seeing the signs the umpires and players make to communicate and make this a wonderfully seamless entertaining game.
This game will be educating many on Deaf culture, the role of Dummy Hoy and hopefully push the awareness of his creativity to get him into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
We hope to have multiple connections with the Deaf community on August 27th. They include having Curtis Pride, the last MLB player join us as a player coach; include several current Deaf collegiate players be part of the game and have our own RIT’s Skip Flanagan help educate many on the skills that so many Deaf people can bring if given the chance.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]