NY Rockers/ American Adaptive Blind Baseball League

TOUCHING ALL BASES:
A History and Heartfelt Farewell to our Fans and Supporters

The DeRosa name carries a powerful legacy in baseball, representing professional excellence and pioneering inclusive play within Adaptive Blind Baseball. Thomas J. DeRosa “Tom” revolutionized accessibility as the first-ever totally blind baseball coach and co-founder of the NY Rockers, the first Adaptive Blind Baseball team in the USA. 🕶️ ⚾️

In the early development of the sport, international ambassadors from Italy played a vital role in introducing adaptive blind baseball to the United States. Matteo Briglia and Ada Nardin, along with Alberto Nardecchia and Romualdo “Aldo” Signori, were key members of the AIBxC delegation who helped bring the Italian style of the game to New York during early visits (2014 - 2016). Their mentorship and collaboration helped lay the groundwork for the formation of the NY Rockers and the introduction of structured adaptive play in the USA. All four were later honored as part of the broader NY Rockers family as they stood alongside the team in full NY Rockers uniforms during the Moles Cup. 🏆

Tom and his wife, Sandra Dickson-DeRosa, the team’s General Manager, strengthened the foundation of the sport (2016) by building the NY Rockers team after others walked away. Tom brought compassion, communication, and people-centered skills from his work as a therapist, while Sandra brought strong organizational, analytical and ethical skills from her background as a paralegal, helping guide the program’s development.

One of Sandra and Tom’s greatest milestones in the development of the sport in the USA was leading the NY Rockers to the 2019 Moles Cup in Rome, the first international tournament involving a USA team. At that time, the NY Rockers were the only USA team, marking a historic moment in adaptive blind baseball. 🇺🇸🇮🇹🇫🇷🇬🇧🇩🇪🇨🇺

Prior to competing in the Moles Cup, the NY Rockers became affiliated with the New York Financial District Lions Club in anticipation of support. After the tournament, that partnership did not continue, and some players remained with the NY Rockers while others formed a new team with the Lions.

In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented disruption, but it did not stop the effort to rebuild and support the team.😷 Training continued through creative indoor spaces and in Central Park. The team quickly rebuilt and later began discussions regarding nonprofit structure and long-term league development. They also continued outreach, including teaching the children of the Lighthouse Guild how to play adaptive blind baseball in a widely publicized event featured on FOX 5 and other media coverage.

Tom and Sandra later worked toward advancing the organization through the formation of their 501(c)(3) and the creation of the American Adaptive Blind Baseball League, pronounced ABLE, reflecting the belief that we are all able regardless of disability. They received strong legal support from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, who handled both filings. This milestone came after years of groundwork and was planned as a celebration for players following their return from the 2022 WBSC Blind Baseball International Cup in Beek, Netherlands.🎉

During this time, they received outreach from AIBxC to assemble the first USA All-Star team for the 2022 WBSC Blind Baseball International Cup in Beek. This All-Star team required players from the NY Rockers and the Lions, the only teams that were officially formed at that time in the USA. Tom, longtime coach of the NY Rockers and pioneer of the sport in the USA, began training players for the competition. After all players were selected, Tom was informed he could not continue coaching due to eligibility determinations connected to his blindness. He was removed from team training for the event. Despite this, Sandra and Tom encouraged their players to continue, and the team went on to win the bronze at the 2022 International Cup.🥇

While in Beek to support their players, they faced the heartbreaking irony of being kept off the field and away from their players by those who claimed a blind man could not coach the team they had built. Both Sandra and Tom were deeply affected by the lack of recognition for their work and by separate allegations that were made and contributed to the difficulty of that period.

Following the 2022 International Cup, the Lighthouse Guild quietly formed a team from many of those USA All-Star players. Sandra and Tom hope the Lighthouse will continue their dream and that the sport might one day light the torch at the Paralympics. 

The DeRosa name has become synonymous with excellence and love for the sport, reflected through its deep connection to the growth and development of adaptive blind baseball.

This legacy extends beyond Tom and Sandra, reflecting the broader significance of the DeRosa name in baseball and its many levels, among those connected to the DeRosa name are Mark Thomas DeRosa, MLB player, World Series champion, and Team USA Manager; Alex DeRosa, MLB system player; Thomas A. DeRosa, Minor League pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization; Joe DeRosa; Jim DeRosa; and Matt DeRosa, who all contributed to the game at various levels, and Tom DeRosa as recognized through the PBS documentary “A Season to Remember: The Baseball Boys of Mon City.”

Thomas J. DeRosa and Sandra Dickson-DeRosa remain central to the NY Rockers legacy as co-founders and pioneers of Adaptive Blind Baseball. All of these DeRosas gave their heart to baseball, and their legacy will continue to live on.

To their fans and supporters, Tom and Sandra thank you for being part of this journey from the beginning. When you love this game, you are part of a family that never forgets its roots.

The NY Rockers co-founders came out on top at the bottom of the ninth with their heads held high and the game still in their hearts. Now Tom and Sandra are rocking on to other things, and hope you continue to hit home runs on and off your own field of dreams. ⚾️

People are liking my content in a fan challenge by MLB. Check it out!
Like the MLB we chose the colors, red, white, and blue for our team and then added a splash of orange for New York!
As the first adaptive blind baseball team founded right here in NYC we proudly wore the colors of MLB, NY and the USA.

Give the gift of Freedom by making a donation today! For a limited time, you can also pick up a beautiful commemorative 30 year t-shirt for only $10 https://freedomguidedogs.com/shop/

It’s a beautiful day to support the success of a guide dog! Did you know it costs $30,000 to raise, train and place ONE guide dog with someone who is legally blind? At Freedom we place our trained, qualified guide dogs completely FREE of charge to our recipients!

Your generous tax-deductible donation will help us provide a guide dog at no cost to someone who is blind this Fall. We appreciate your support in helping us fulfill our mission each and every day! Visit the link below to make your donation today.

https://freedomguidedogs.com/donate-today/

Pictured: Mac, a Male Yellow Labrador sitting in harness. He is sitting infront of our Freedom Guide Dog sign with an assortment of flowers behind him.

The NY Rockers are so proud to have contributed four of their players making it possible to form the very first all-star team from the USA to compete in this first WBSC sanctioned Blind Baseball International Cup. They ROCKED it and brought home the bronze!

WBSC Blind Baseball International Cup - The Netherlands 2022 (Beek) Wereldtoernooi honkbal voor blinden en slechtzienden.Mede mogelijk gemaakt door:Ecsplore, Iedereen Kan Sporten Westelijke Mijnstreek, Iedereen Kan Sporten Pa...

Back in the USA after travels throughout the Neatherlands & Germany and vacation continues in FL with Sandra & Tom’s 21st wedding anniversary celebrations!

The NY Rockers paved the way as the first adaptive blind baseball team in the USA. Through honesty, integrity and years of dedication they kept the dream alive and as a result a second team was formed in 2020 followed by the first USA All-star team this past summer.
https://lighthouseguild.org/news/visually-impaired-rockers-play-ball/?fbclid=IwAR0w_F-_yjKPR0OgeeCg8L-fKc9cdBudaN83fNu_KKF7ShisCHsHmubp358

Visually-Impaired Rockers Play Ball - Lighthouse Guild Lighthouse Guild's Jeremy Morak writes about Adaptive Blind Baseball - baseball without the barriers for visually impaired persons.

“The only real treasure is in your head. Memories are better than diamonds and nobody can steal them from you” ~ Rodman Philbrick

It was an amazing weekend!!! Congratulations to our All-Stars,Amanda Makson, Kiana V. Glanton, Mike Walsh & Ed Plümacher on Rocking the Park and bringing home the bronze!!!

All participants of the inaugural WBSC Blind Baseball International Cup at the Medal Ceremony beautifully captured by Franza Brink