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by SeaWolf » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:59 pm The boy has only one good hand and is the Little League's star player.
At first glance, Dylan Miller seems a fairly typical kid. He likes his Xbox, hanging out with friends, watching TV, eating at McDonald's and playing baseball in the Marysville Little League.
It takes a moment to realize there is something different.
You see it on the baseball field, where 12-year-old Dylan catches grounders or flies with the glove on his left hand, and then throws with the same hand after tucking the glove under his right arm. Or when he pitches left-handed, and then quickly takes the glove from under his right arm ready for a come-backer or for the catcher's return throw.
Dylan, you see, was born with only a partial right hand. Doctors told Gail Miller, his mother, that the umbilical cord was probably wrapped around Dylan's hand in the womb, preventing it from forming properly. He has a small palm, a normal-sized thumb and a smaller finger about the size of a pinkie.
As he grew from infancy into childhood, Dylan began to realize that he was not quite like other youngsters.
"He used to ask me, 'When will my hand grow? When will I get the rest of my fingers?'" his mother said. "And I had to tell him, 'No, that's not going to happen.'"
Given his disability, you might think games such as baseball would be hard for Dylan, but actually the opposite is true. He is a very good athlete and does well, which in turn allows him to fit in well with the other players.
It's the day-to-day experiences that are sometimes difficult.
Imagine being in middle school with all the usual adolescent angst. Then imagine being different from other boys and girls, and being reminded of your difference by their stares and their occasional unkind remarks.
At Marysville Middle School, Dylan admits having heard "a lot of mean things" that tend to make him "sad." He has, for example, been told that his right hand looks like a foot. One callous classmate suggested he should be an alien for Halloween.
"He's at that age when he's sometimes sensitive, and it can be really difficult," his mother said. "I think it frustrates him because he's not like other kids, so we've just encouraged him by telling him what a great person he is, that he has a great attitude, that he's good looking, smart, good in sports and that everybody likes him."
When frustration sets in, she said, "all I can do is remind him what a great kid he is."
And that's not just a mother's pride. Dylan is, indeed, a terrific young man. He is well-mannered, bright, enthusiastic, articulate and funny, and on top of everything, he excels in sports. He has played soccer and basketball, and expects to take up football and track in middle school, but baseball, his mother said, "is his love."
Dylan plays for the Power Alley Bulldogs, and is one of the best hitters and fastest players in the league. He is working on switch-hitting but is primarily a right-handed hitter. He holds the bat firmly with his left hand, and then grips as best he can with his right hand to help guide his swing.
And it's a good swing, too. He is batting over .500 and teammates have taken to calling him Na-chiro, a hybrid nickname derived from Dylan's Native American lineage and his playing likeness to Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki.
"Dylan's so good," said Ernie Brown, manager of the rival Hacienda Sox, "you forget he's only got one hand."
Brown has coached against Dylan for three years during the league season and has been his coach for two postseasons with the Marysville Little League All-Stars, and says he has "nothing but respect for Dylan's playing ability and for the kind of the person he is.
"It's not like he's a novelty where anybody takes it easy on him," Brown said. "When I'm coaching against him and he's at bat, we're not thinking about his one hand. We're worried about trying to get him out, period."
"He is one of strongest players in our league," agreed Carlos Gonzalez, manager of the Dick's Towing team. On the baseball field, he added, "Dylan does not have a disability."
"What other guys have learned how to do with two hands, he's learned how to do with what he's been given," said Brett Merrick, who manages the Real Estate Guide Yardbirds. "And my observation is that the other players like to see him hit. They like to see what he can do.
"Some guys struggle to hit and field and pitch with both hands, so it's pretty special to be able to watch someone like Dylan play with what he's got and see him do a good job at it."
Though Dylan may sometimes get teased at school, Brown is pretty sure it never happens on the baseball field.
"And you know why?" he asked. "It's because the other players respect his ability. They know he can go out and outplay them with one hand."
Or as Dylan himself put it: "Everybody pretty much just knows me as the one-handed kid that's good."
Years ago, there was a baseball pitcher named Jim Abbott who reached the major leagues despite having just one hand. Dylan, in fact, knows all about Abbott.
"He's my favorite player," Dylan said. "I've seen (film clips) of him. ... I want to become that good with one hand and get into the majors, too. I didn't really believe that could be done until I saw Jim Abbott."
It might be a long shot, but no one who knows Dylan Miller would ever bet against him.
"In sports," Brown said, "a lot of times people will themselves to do well. That's what Dylan does. He won't let himself be beaten or slowed down by his disability. He might only have one hand to use, but truly his heart is twice as big as normal."
