Lake Erie Crushers Help Blind Student See the Game

The commentary of Andy “Bull” Barch and Mark “Munch” Bishop has enhanced the game day experience for Lake Erie Crushers fans over the years. For one baseball lover, their commentary isn’t just an enhancement, it is a lifeline to experience the game he loves.

Thursday, May 14th marked the final Education Day of the season for the Crushers. Crushers Education Days are meant to give local schools the chance to get kids out of the classroom and into a new learning environment. They allow the Crushers to continue their commitment to being an asset for the community of Lorain County, not only through entertainment, but also enriching the youth in physical and intellectual ways. They are designed to promote student growth and development in fun and captivating ways.

Meadowlawn Intermediate School arrived at ForeFront Field along with a dozen other middle schools for the Thursday Education Day like a loud raucous mob. One Meadowlawn student is a massive baseball fan who has listened to countless Cleveland Guardians games, but this day was the first he could ever attend a baseball game in person.

Chase is just like the other 21 students in his class, he likes sports, enjoys spending time with his classmates, and learning new songs on his guitar. There is, though, one thing that makes him different from his classmates. Chase is legally blind.

However, even though Chase cannot visualize the game, it does not mean that Chase can’t enjoy the product on the field. He relies on the voice of the radio or TV announcers to understand the full scope of the game. While at ForeFront Field, the Crushers staff provided Chase with an iPad to allow him to tune in to the TV broadcast with “Bull” and “Munch” giving the commentary.

While listening to the play-by-play, Chase was able to experience the crack of the bat, the snap of the glove, and the roar of the crowd in person for the first time.

The inquisitive 5th grader had no shortage of questions for his orientation specialist, Lisa Johnson, who chaperoned him during the trip. In addition to helping Chase with his walking cane and travel skills, Johnson served the role of an additional interpreter for much of his energetic questioning.

In the third inning, the Crushers had a surprise for Chase. He was given the opportunity to meet the voices he was hearing through the iPad. He went up to the broadcast booth to meet “Bull” and “Munch”, and on top of that, he made his broadcasting debut.

“This is really great for Chase,” said Johnson. “Trying to understand what’s going on at the baseball game is difficult visually, so the auditory input is going to help him understand much more than if he was trying to get it solely through the public address announcer.”

Chase raced up the stairs at ForeFront Field toward the press box with excitement. He used the braille sign outside to get an understanding of where he was. Once inside the press box, Chase was eager to meet “Bull” and “Munch”, who met him with equally as much excitement as he did.

“Bull”, who is no stranger to broadcast guests, didn’t skip a beat. He asked Chase if he wanted to put on the headset and join him for an inning of commentary. Chase eagerly grabbed the headset and was excited to interact with the people who made his game day experience possible.

On the broadcast, Chase and “Bull” got into the ins and outs of the day. They discussed the excitement a trip from the ball park brings for a middle school class, the bumpy bus ride to ForeFront Field, and what Chase enjoys in his free time – which includes ripping “7 Nation Army”, “Smoke on the Water”, and “Iron Man” on his guitar. Click here for the link to their conversation. It is safe to say that Chase and the broadcast crew became fast friends.

After the top of the third that felt like it had ended too soon, the trio had to part ways. Bishop and Barch took a quick photo with Chase to make one last capture of the moment.

As Chase returned to his seats with Johnson, he was eager to rejoin his classmates and enjoy the rest of the game. He brought a winning energy to ForeFront Field as the Crushers were able to beat the Windy City ThunderBolts in front of one of their newest fans.

In many ways, Chase’s experience at the ballpark highlights the ideals of Crushers Education Days. Placed in a new learning environment, Chase was able to enjoy and learn more about the game of baseball than he ever could elsewhere, sharing the experience with part of his school community.

Sports are a wonderful avenue for moments like the one Chase experienced, and especially for as beautiful a game as baseball is when it comes to the auditory ecstasy. These are the moments the Crushers live for – providing lifelong memories for every fan.