CRANBERRY TWP - Mike Sherry pulled a small piece of rubber from his pocket.

He carries it with him wherever he goes. The Cranberry Township resident has given similar pieces of rubber to others.

"When you're having a bad day, you pull it out and look at it," Sherry said. "It reminds you there are kids out there having a bad day every day."

But not for long.

Because of a movement spearheaded by Sherry, the Miracle League a baseball league for children ages 5 to 18 with special needs, played on a level, rubberized surface is coming to southwestern Pennsylvania.

The 14,900-square-foot facility cost $300,000 to build and will be part of the new 115-acre Graham Park off Rochester Road in Cranberry Township.

Opening Day is May 16.

"So many people have gotten behind this," Sherry said. "The snowball keeps growing as it rolls along."

Pirates Charities of Pittsburgh put $200,000 toward the project, $50,000 of which was donated by Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez and his wife, Alissa. Sanchez was born with a club right foot and struggled to play baseball as a youngster.

Cranberry CUP (Community Uniting People) donated $25,000 toward the project. Local Rotary clubs, individuals and businesses contributed funds as well.

Sanchez and other Pirates players and officials will be at Graham Park when the Miracle League debuts there.

"We asked that they have Opening Day when we (Pirates) are at home because we want to be there," said Patty Paytas, the Pirates' director of community and public affairs. The Butler resident also is in charge of raising funds for Pirates Charities.

"This is the largest contribution Pirates Charities has made to any one project, and it's well worth it. This is giving all kids a chance to play baseball," Paytas said.

Games will last for two innings. Every player bats, reaches base safely and scores. The league's theory is that every player and team wins.

A "buddy" will accompany each individual player on the field and will assist the player wherever necessary, whether it be running, hitting or fielding.

A majority of the 100 children registered for the league so far have Down syndrome, autism or multiple sclerosis. Some need wheelchairs; others use walkers; some get around on their own.

All will play together.

"Special needs mean some type of handicap in physical or psychological development," said Joe Argyros, who's handling registration for the league.

"Some players will need to hit off a tee. Some won't. All will be accommodated."

Already involved in the Cranberry Township Athletic Association, Argyros attended the original meeting called by Sherry to propose the Miracle League.

"He showed us a video of personal interest stories, human emotional stories. ... There wasn't a dry eye in the place," Argyros recalled. "We had to make this happen.

"My wife has a brother who's in his 50s now, born with a neurological disorder where his muscles tighten up and pull hard on his body. A huge Pirates fan growing up, he couldn't play baseball. ... He would have loved something like this."

While employed at a radio station a few years ago in Alabama, Sherry saw a Miracle League game in the city of Moody.

"That experience never left me," he said. "Then in the spring of 2007 in Cranberry, a parent asked if his son could use a tee when he batted because he couldn't physically hit a pitched ball.

"I thought, any child should be able to do this. We need a league where that's the rule, not the exception."

The Miracle League is not just about baseball. It's about socialization."The No. 1 cause of death among kids with special needs is suicide because of bullying," Sherry said. "Bullying is a part of life for all of our children."The buddy system will enable able-bodied kids to see that special needs children are OK. They'll experience what they're all about."When they see a kid struggling with a walker or wheelchair in the hall during high school, instead of poking fun or making a rude comment, maybe they'll say, 'Hey, I saw you playing baseball,'" Sherry added.Sherry's 5-year-old daughter, Jordan, is autistic and will be playing Miracle League baseball.She won't be alone.Nan Beachem of Portersville, Robin Elsesser of Saxonburg and Lynda Sabo of Butler are some other parents who have registered children to play.Domenik Beachem will turn 6 on April 24. One of seven children in his family, he is autistic."Our other children played ball, a couple on traveling all-star teams," Mrs. Beachem said. "This is a perfect opportunity for him to experience the game, too."Domenik is so excited about playing. His brothers and sisters are excited for him, too. Some will be involved in the league as volunteers."Lacey Beachem, 20, is an older sister of Domenik's. She is a league volunteer and might be her brother's buddy during the games."I'm going into social work right now, and this is an opportunity for me to learn and help my little brother at the same time," Lacey said."He can't wait to play. We're trying to figure out if he bats right-handed or left-handed. He doesn't care, as long as he gets to hold a bat."Jacob Sabo, 7, of Butler has Down syndrome and has never played a game of baseball.

"He's been to Pirate games, but he's more interested in the parrot," Lynda Sabo said. "He doesn't quite understand what this (Miracle League) is about yet, but I think he's going to like it."I know it will be a big thing for him socially. I'm a single parent, and Jacob has no siblings. The gains from a social aspect just getting out and participating in an activity with kids his own age I can't begin to describe the benefits."I need to get him involved in things, acclimate him to other children, just the exercise of it all, keeping him fit ... This will help his development in so many ways," Sabo added.Sabo belongs to a support group known as Care 21, which meets at the Glade Run Presbyterian Church."A bunch of kids from our group are going to play in this league. They're going to put them all on the same team," she said.Each Miracle League team will have 10 to 13 players. The teams will be named after major league teams and will wear uniforms with those teams' respective logos."There will be a professional feel to this, from the uniforms to the design of the ballfield," Sherry said. "These kids are going to feel like big leaguers."Clayton Elsesser, 15, of Saxonburg has severe speech problems and developmental disabilities. He also plays baseball in the Challenger League, a baseball league in Franklin Park played on a regular field for special needs children.Elsesser and his mother, Robin, attended the news conference at PNC Park that formally announced the formation of the Miracle League."The Pirates are his favorite team in any sport," Robin Elsesser said. "When he met Freddy (Sanchez) that day, he fell in love."Clayton loves baseball. He would play every day of his life if we could find a game for him."Because Clayton is more physically advanced than many other special needs children, his mother is unsure of what role he'll play in the Miracle League."He may play, he may help the other kids he'll probably do both," she said. "Either way, the sportsmanship, accomplishment and socialization that will come out of the experience is priceless for children like him."Clayton also has played basketball and soccer through the Challenger athletic program."He's a sports nut," his mother said. "We have football goalposts up in our backyard. I mean, nobody does that. But this stuff motivates him."The Miracle League will likely motivate others, which is why so many groups have climbed on board.Cranberry CUP has raised $475,000 since its inception in 2000. Cathy Cortazzo is founder and president of that organization."Cranberry is a tight community. We help each other," Cortazzo said. "People aren't into things just for themselves. When we learned about the Miracle League and what they needed ... We were on board immediately."Mike Diehl is the director of Cranberry Township Parks and Recreation, and one of the driving forces behind the formation of Graham Park, which will have three football fields, four soccer fields, five baseball/softball fields and one Miracle League field."When you have a growing community, growing resources are needed," Diehl said. "In terms of baseball, softball, soccer and football, we simply ran out of room."Our kids need a place to play. ... All kids need a place to play."