Baseball With a Blindfold

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Welcome back to the newsletter that loves an epic comeback.

Today’s email features an Underdog Newsletter exclusive – courtesy of our long-time contributor, the fantastic Alex Horowitz.

It’s a heartwarming story.

After a rare condition turned his life upside down, Zach Ship found solace in an unlikely place:

A blind baseball league that helped him rediscover his love for the game and transform his outlook on life.

Let’s dive in 👇

How A Blind Baseball League Helped A New York City Man Find Meaning

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Baseball has always been in Zach Ship's blood.

Until it wasn't.

Try eight years out of college without playing the sport he loves.

Today, Zach is back on the diamond in a way he never could’ve expected.

In high school, Zach excelled in four years of varsity baseball. He was pretty good at bowling and diving too.

Along with his best friends, he was living the high school athlete's dream.

At NYU, where he graduated in 2015, Zach found a new passion – throwing the shot put and discus.

Still, baseball never left his mind.

In early May of 2023, Zach started to display symptoms of hearing loss.

After a quick doctor's visit, he received antibiotics as a remedy.

But this was the start of something deeper. The tipping point of physical ailments he’d experience over the next few weeks.

While vacationing in Miami, Zach noticed more changes.

His vision got worse, and normal light patterns seemed brighter than usual.

Fear crept in.

Then the end of May rolled around. 

Zach planned a trip to Spain with his fiancée, Jess.

But their vacation quickly went off the rails.

A tingling sensation began in Zach’s fingertips and quickly spread to his right arm, torso, and leg.

“I flew back to New York and went through a week and a half of constant testing at the hospital,” Zach said.

“After two or three days there, I had around 10% of my vision and like 5% hearing.”

Within days, he was unable to move, eat, or do much of anything at all.

The scariest part was not knowing what was actually going on.

Doctors ran blood tests, a spinal evaluation, and a biopsy of his brain.

Finally, a diagnosis came.

The result: Zach suffered inflammation in his brain.

In medical terms: a rare condition called encephalitis.

Retinal damage impaired his vision, and optic nerve damage obstructed it further.

For two months, Zach did three to five hours a day of grueling physical rehab.  It shifted his mindset.

Instead of taking a negative view, he began appreciating life more.

He was even more motivated to continue being the best person he could be.

“I get up every day and get to be with the people that I love,” Zach said.

“And if this is it, I’m going to do everything I f*cking can to adapt and heal and figure this sh*t out.”

Zach had a lot of adjustments to make upon returning to his New York City apartment.

Life skills were rebuilt from the ground up after losing the majority of his sight.

Was that going to deter him in the slightest? Of course not. 

“I went to f*cking work with rehab and the entire [rehab] process,” he said.

Some might’ve seen this as a major hurdle to overcome. But Zach embraced it as a unique challenge he’d integrate into his life moving forward.

He registered with the New York State Commission for the Blind.

They assigned him a mentor provided by the city to help him relearn some of the skills he lost – everything from using his iPhone to relearning to cook.

It also included how to cross the street safely. 

“Siri [on the iPhone] became my girlfriend,” he joked. 

As for cooking, “they call it ‘cooking without looking'," he added.

Quickly, Zach was living the life he’d known before.

By making some technical and personal changes, he returned to work at Harry’s – a personal care company where he’s a Director of Finance IT.

As a self-proclaimed food lover, he got back into cooking.

He regained his independence and did all he could to battle back from such hard times.

But still, one thing was missing – until fate knocked.

“Some guy in our building posted about a fundraiser for blind baseball.”

It was in support of Flight for Sight, an organization that provides travel support to people with vision loss.

In the early winter, Zach jumped right into the league.

He quickly found that blind baseball was a bit different from the sport he grew up playing.

First, there is no pitcher.

Instead, the batter throws the ball to himself, like a fungo, and hits it between second and third base. All five fielders are there.

The batter, now a runner, must run to second base. They must get there before the fielder makes a clean throw to the second baseman.

Each player in the league has differing visual acuity levels. So, players wear blindfolds to put all players on an equal playing field.

“It’s a very auditory game,” Zach said.

“We follow a series of bells on the field and follow the sound to direct us towards the bases.”

Each base makes a unique sound.

At first base, there’s a beep. A coach positioned at second base holds a clapper. Third base has another coach with a different clapper to mark the spot.

A runner advancing toward home plate scores by direction of a coach, who points the runner toward home plate without the help of a noise guide.

If the runner is within three feet on either side of the plate, the umpire deems them safe and scores a run.

In a short time on the team, Zach has taken on a clear leadership role. He combines baseball expertise with a charismatic persona, blending charm and insight. 

“It very much feels like a gift getting to be involved in baseball again, just getting to play the sport,” he said.

"I'm a very competitive person, and I want to be the absolute best and kick everyone’s ass while out on the field. So, in that sense, it’s been fun to reignite the competitive juices."

"But also, I’ve met others who are visually impaired and heard their stories. I've learned from them and become part of what has become a special group of people."

For around seven years after college, Zach worked a tough management consulting role, traveling around the country almost every week.

It was a busy, yet rewarding job that helped him advance in his career and find happiness in the Big Apple.

But a year later, after a near-death ordeal, his life looks a little different. To him, that’s not a bad thing.

“I’m living a life that's very fulfilling and exciting to me, surrounded by loved ones.”

Zach Ship is a testament to finding happiness in hard times. It’s something we can all strive for in this crazy whirlwind of life.

🐶

Today’s story was written by Alex Horowitz. If you know a friend who’d enjoy it, why not share it with them?

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What did you think of today’s story?

Hit reply & send me your thoughts.

I love getting feedback straight from you. Positive or negative, it helps me make our stories better every single week.

Til next time,
Tyler

Extra Innings…

👀 In case you missed it: Teammates thought he was dead. What happened next shocked everyone. Here’s how Tony C pulled off the most miraculous comeback in MLB history.

🏈 “All I see is red.” Check out Tyler Dunne’s incredible profile of Dolphins linebacker David Long Jr.

🫶 My favorite reader reply from last week: “I was born with Cerebral palsy. My Father's favorite phrase was “There's no such thing as 'Can't', and 'Can't means 'Won't.’” He had to convince the school district to put me in regular classes. This was back in 1958. I spent 2 years in kindergarten because I spent too much time with the adults. The kids laughed at my leg braces. In 8th grade, I was taken off all meds, and my grades shot up. I was told I would never go to college. In 1996 I obtained my MS Ed in Vocational Rehabilitation and Psychiatric Rehabilitation from Hofstra University. So much for the 'experts'!! 'No such thing as the word 'Can't'.”