Margo Price: Miracle Worker

The late, great Henry Aaron was renowned for his five-tool ability on a baseball diamond. But he was also a deep thinker who spoke words of wisdom. During his Hall of Fame induction speech in 1982, the slugging outfielder paid homage to Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella, saying, “A man’s ability is limited only by his opportunity.”

Margo Price understands opportunity too. In 2002, in the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond, she made it her mission to assure children with disabilities had the opportunity to play baseball.

The mother of three boys, she learned that her youngest, James, was autistic when he was 2 years old. She knew he would grow up to be different than his older brothers. As James was finishing grade school, the Miracle League’s first field was being christened in Conyers, Georgia. The purpose of the organization was to bring the game to kids who might otherwise be left behind because of their limited abilities.

“James was 12 years old and loved sports,” Margo recounted. “He loved watching his brothers play baseball and basketball and asked himself, ‘Why can’t I do that?’”

After reading all she could about the Miracle League, Margo traveled to Georgia to attend meetings and do the necessary homework to start her own league in Edmond. She began her quest by finding a baseball field where James and other children with disabilities could play on Sunday afternoons. She spent countless hours raising awareness, building consensus and soliciting funds. With the help of the Edmond parks department, she not only found a field but also a community that would support her dream.

Miracle League playing surfaces, made from recycled tires, are built for accessibility, safety and durability—they must be level, with no holes that might trip up the players, and they must accommodate wheelchairs, both on the base paths and in the dugouts. The whole purpose of baseball is to go home, and that’s exactly what Margo provided for the players: a haven where they could enjoy this great sport.

Margo’s vision became a reality in 2006 when Edmond’s first Miracle League field was christened. “It’s a happy place,” Margo told me. “I can’t recall one bad experience. It’s always been very positive.”

She wanted the people of her community to see what a miracle baseball was for these youngsters, so she sent flyers to the special education departments in the area and rounded up volunteers to coach and staff the organization. She didn’t have to look too far for two of her first disciples—both of James’ brothers raised their hands. She reached out to players on local high school baseball teams to come and coach, and she convinced some members of the University of Central Oklahoma baseball team to lend a hand. She also found a corporate partner in Chesapeake Energy, whose employees volunteer at the games. “They help them play,” she says, “but they also establish personal relationships that extend beyond the field.”

One of her goals was to give the parents of the players an opportunity to be able to sit back and enjoy the games, because in many cases, they were doing everything else for their children the rest of the time. Parents of children with disabilities share the common thread of raising their special needs children and making life joyful for them. She wanted them to sit in the stands, get to know each other, and watch their children play.

Margo, too, can now sit back and watch the fruits of her labor.

The first team she put together was the Cardinals, named for the team in St. Louis that was her dad and brother’s favorite team. “I grew up listening to Harry Caray,” she remembers fondly. When the Cardinals’ roster was filled, she added the Red Sox, dividing the group of players between the two teams by age. Eventually, the league grew to 10 teams and 200 players, with players never aging out – they could play for as long as they wanted.

The Cardinals have been coached since Day One by Jeff Wedel. His son, Mark, plays on the team and Jeff pitches to him and all of the other players every game. “You can see it in his rapport with them,” says Margo. “When he learned there was a league for Mark, it was a dream for Jeff. He’s so happy being on the field and pitching to them, even 20 years later.”

By her own account, Price has loved every minute of building the program—ordering the jerseys, convincing sporting goods companies to donate bats and balls, watching the shed fill up with enough equipment to ensure that everyone who wants to play will be able to do so.

She has welcomed children as young as age 4 and encouraged them to continue playing well into adulthood. The league today has players as old as 60.

“Most of the players see through people,” Margo says. “They see what’s in someone’s hearts. They don’t care if people have black, white, green or purple hair, tattoos, or earrings. If someone says Hello to James, he says Hello back. Special needs kids don’t know danger or have any fear about life. They have taught me a lot.”

The league has provided people with disabilities the opportunity to play sports they otherwise would not have thought about it. According to Price, those who develop the most are low-functioning children, because the concept of sports once seemed so distant to them.

“I saw one little guy who needed his dad to lead him around the bases,” says Margo. “His dad wanted him to play so badly, and the young boy didn’t really understand what was going on. By the next season, the little boy had it figured out and was really enjoying himself. You see the light bulbs go on with these kids, once they have a chance to experience being on a ballfield. There is no scoring, or winning, but everyone cheers if a ball goes over the fence. It’s pure joy.”

For nearly 20 years, Margo had been at the field almost every night. She loved getting to know everyone in the community. A few years ago, she determined that it was the right time to pass the program along and spend more time with her grandchildren. She approached the people at the Edmond YMCA about taking over the program, and they readily accepted. But she’s still an active volunteer. It is, after all, her child.

And James, now 32, is still a kid at heart. He’s 6-3, 210 and still loves to wear his uniform and eye black. On game days he will put on his Cardinals jersey in the morning. Margo does not foresee him ever quitting baseball. He still loves to hit the ball over the fence and interact with the other players.

Margo call James the “Mayor of Edmond” because he knows everyone and will never forget a name. He loves his teammates. He’s a kind soul who hugs and high-fives everyone on his team—and the other teams, too.

And as long as he continues to play, Margo will be at his games, cheering alongside the other parents who only needed an opportunity for their children.

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