CHRISTOPHER LEAGUE

The Christopher League is a baseball league run by Northside Youth Organization for children with special needs. This program is designed for “buddies” ages 11 and older to assist the players in the games. Typically, we have around 25 players in the league. Home games are played at NYO on Wilkins field (fall and the spring) on Saturdays at 9:00 am along with away games at Buckhead Baseball, Murphy Candler Park, and Morgan Falls Park.

CHRISTOPHER LEAGUE FALL BALL IS NOW THE MOSIES DOMINGUEZ FALL BALL LEAGUE

(Season Starts September 14 – Buddies )

As many in the NYO community know, we lost Moises Dominguez last year.  Moe started playing with the Christopher League at about the age of 5 in the early 2000’s and played with us for every season for the remainder of his life – including every Fall Ball Season from its inception at NYO.  Moe started his baseball career with a unique style, mostly dressed in his favorite super hero costume of the week.  Soon, his brother and sister (Sean and Theresa) became a part of our team in support of Moe and started a sibling movement that continues today in the Christopher League.  Over the years his baseball acumen progressed and Moe became one of our most dependable and fun players.  Moe developed great relationships with his Buddies, often regaling them with his reviews of horror movies.

Like the super heroes Moe adored, Moe and his family became heroes by donating his organs so many others could live.  I have attached a very moving tribute that Piedmont Healthcare posted of Moe’s Honor Walk.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKNE2OA4vk0

In tribute to Moe’s life and to all Moe has given to the NYO community, we are renaming our Fall Ball Program as the Moises Dominguez Fall Ball League.  From this point forward, Fall Ball is Moe Ball!

Our Moe Ball Season will start on September 14 and runs each Saturday morning through October 26 from 9:00 until 10:30 at the Wilkens Bronco Field.  All in the NYO community are invited to join us as Buddies for any game. We ask that the Buddies to be 10 and older (in the Fall, we have an older crew as the Oglethorpe baseball teams helps for most games).  We also encourage teams to help as a group. 

If you want to be added to an email list regarding future games or have any questions, please send an email to Leo Rose at [email protected]. 

JACK HANCOTTE – RECIPIENT OF THE 2019 NICHOLAS NAPOLITANO AWARD

The Nicholas Napolitano Award is given in honor of the memory of Nicholas Napolitano.  Nicholas Napolitano, like many of our children, spent his formative years playing sports at NYO which helped mold his character.  “Hoover”, as Nicholas was aptly nicknamed, was a high energy spark plug on every team he played for and a vacuum cleaner in the field.  Most importantly, Nicholas was a great teammate and volunteer for the then Challenger League (now Christopher League).  Nicholas was an NYO All-Star in every sense of the word.  Nicholas embodied the true nature of caring, giving and sacrifice and made the ultimate sacrifice to save the life of a close friend.  To learn more, all are encouraged to visit the Nicholas Napolitano Memorial Fund website.  http://nicholasvalnapolitanomemorialfund.org/

We honor Nicholas’ life by giving an award to one of our volunteers who has dedicated years of service to the Christopher League program.  It is with great pride that we bestow the 2019 Nicholas Napolitano Award to Jack Hancotte.  Jack has been a fixture at the Christopher for many years, both Spring and Fall.  Jack was initially inspired to volunteer with the program by his aunt, Ruby Freeman, our 2013 Nicholas Napolitano honoree (Davidson grad, now working at Sloan Kettering in NYC and studying for her MCATs).  We have seen Jack grow from a shy young teenager to a confident leader and great friend to our players and the league.  Jack has become a leader by example to the other volunteers and is now the inspiration in his family encouraging his younger brother to join the program.   We wish Jack success next year as he takes his talents and great character to the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Jack joins past Nicholas Napolitano Award winners Lee Miller (2012), Ruby Freeman (2013), Chad Davis and Sam Moss (2014), Matthew Gaudiosi (2015), Oglethorpe Baseball Team (2016) and Sarah Faith Davis and Grace Lawton Davis (2017) and Hollis Gottlieb (2018).  Jack’s name will  be placed alongside the past winners on the permanent plaque of honor hanging in the Dowis Building.  A well-deserved congratulations and thank you to Jack for all of his efforts with the Christopher League.

CHRISTOPHER LEAGUE SPRING BALL SEASON 2019 IS ON!  COME JOIN US AT THE BALLFIELD!

The Christopher League 2019 Spring Ball Season is in play with final game set for May 11th.  We have 4 home games and 4 games visiting other parks (Buckhead, Sandy Springs and Murphey Candler).

For those who are new to NYO, the Christopher League is a baseball league designed for children with disabilities.  The Christopher League Players are assisted by Buddies who come from the community at large, and we invite that the NYO community to come out to support us.  We request that the Buddies be at least 10 years of age.

All of the home games are at the NYO Wilkens-Bronco Field and run from 9:00 to 10:30.  We tried to schedule home games to not conflict with other NYO events (and not compete with the parking), so the first two games are during private school spring break.  If you are here for those games, please volunteer for those games if you can.

Please see the season schedule for the place and time for our away games.

NOTE:  We reserve the parking spaces near the field for Players only.  Thank you in advance for leaving these spaces available.

A few rules for Buddies.

1. 1. Safety is our first concern.  Stay with your Player at all time.  You must know where your Players are and do not let them leave the field or meander into a position of danger.

1. 1. Try to show up by game time (9:00 for home games).  Although you will arrive before most of our Players, it is better to have the Buddies ready to go when called upon.

1. 1. When we are batting, keep the Players either in the dugout or on the dirt patch along the fence.

1. 1. Keep your Player entertained and have fun.  If you are in the field and your Player does not want to play a defensive position, it is perfectly acceptable and even desirable to create your own game of any sort in the outfield, as long as it does not interfere with the batters, other fielders and baserunners.  Play catch, play tag, discuss the likelihood of the Braves making the playoffs or the possible solutions for Atlanta’s incessant traffic woes (are electronic scooters the last-mile solution?).   Try to keep your Player engaged as it can get a little boring just standing in the field.

1. 1. If you need to leave early, be sure your Player has at least one remaining Buddy.

1. 1. Uniforms, gloves or any other baseball equipment are not required.  I recommend tied shoes, but flip-flops have made more than one appearance.

1. 1. I do not need to know if you are not going to be able to attend any particular game.  I trust you will make it to all the games you can.

1. 1. I will sign any community service forms you give to me if you have a pen, but I cannot draft them.

1. 1. I will communicate to the Christopher League community by email or via notice on this website.  If the weather is questionable, keep checking your emails.

1. See rule #1.

Please contact Leo Rose ([email protected]) if (i) you are interested in becoming a Buddy, (ii) have any questions, or (iii) you know of a Player who may want to join our team.