The Wounded Warriors Amputee Softball Team has named former Major League Baseball pitcher and Olympic gold medalist Jim Abbott as the 2017 honorary chairman of its alumni kids camp, according to a press release.
The Wounded Warriors Amputee Softball Team (WWAST) Alumni Kids Camp will be hosted by Ballparks of America and is scheduled for Sept. 28-Oct. 1 in Branson, Miss. According to the release, 20 children with limb loss who have participated in previous WWAST Kids Camps will have the opportunity participate, at no cost.
“I am a fan of Jim Abbott, and had the distinct honor to observe his remarkable skill while attending [the] University of Michigan with him in the ‘80s,” Hamilton Chang, chief executive officer of Ballparks of America, said in a press release. “I am astounded at his accomplishments throughout his career, and consider him a true example of leadership and hope for all people with or without physical limitations.”
Born without a right hand, Abbott threw a 4-0 no-hitter for the New York Yankees against the Cleveland Indians in 1993. He played 10 seasons of Major League Baseball, from 1989 to 1999, for the California Angels, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers. Before his professional career, he pitched for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team, which went on to win gold in Seoul, South Korea. Abbott travels as a motivational speaker. He has published an autobiography titled, “Imperfect: An improbable life.”
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