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Best of Hudson Valley

Bob Baird at Touching Bases

Categories:
  • People
  • 2009: Regular Guy Do-Gooder

Essential Information

Rockland, NY

845-598-1657

In 2002, longtime Journal News columnist Bob Baird founded Touching Bases, a baseball league for adults with special needs, after he realized players who aged out of a similar Little League program had nowhere else to play. Seven years later, the volunteer-run Touching Bases is home to 15 teams and 240 players. Its season begins in mid-August and ends when “we have to chip ice off of them,” Baird says. “I’ll run into them around town during the winter and they’ll say, ‘Hey, Coach! When does the season start?’ ” Players range in age from 21 to 87 — no, that’s not a typo — with three dozen or so over the age of 60. Baird hopes to see similar leagues pop up in other counties in the Valley. “We’re happy to share information and advice,” he says. “There’s every reason in the world to do it, and not one good reason not to.”

Additional Information

Best of Hudson Valley Winners: 2009

County: Rockland

Pick: Editors' Picks

Best of Hudson Valley History:

Best Regular Guy Do-Gooder 2009
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