Little Leaguer has all the Wright stuff
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Dusty Wright is just like hundreds of youngsters who spend their summer playing baseball at Shaffer Park. He runs bases, adjusts his baseball cap and swings the bat each time he sets foot in the batter’s box.
But one thing sets Dusty apart from other kids who play baseball in the summer. Like Pete Wyshner (Pete Gray) and Jim Abbott before him, this 12-year-old first baseman plays the game of baseball with just one hand. But not for a moment does he let that be an obstacle or a setback to his athletic goals and dreams.
“Playing sports the way I have to is just normal to me,” Dusty said, while eating an ice cream cone after playing a game Wednesday at Shaffer Park. “It’s easy. I started when I was little and it is just normal.”
Dusty’s mother, April Muth, said the way doctors explained it to her about Dusty’s condition that it was as if a rubber band was wrapped around his arm during the first part of her pregnancy and it cut off all the circulation to his hand.
With it being summer, Dusty can be seen on baseball fields playing for the NCB team, but he isn’t strapped down to just one sport.
His favorite sport to play is basketball. He is a member of an East Clinton traveling team. Dusty also has raced dirt bikes competitively and, for one year, played flag football.
“Basketball is my favorite sport,” he said. “I like basketball the best because it is bigger than baseball.”
In basketball, he plays forward and he is a fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I like LeBron James because he is the best player in the NBA and he plays for my team. I like how he was so good that he didn’t have to play in college,” Dusty said. “I like his attitude, even if he loses a big game he is still the same.”
Dusty raced dirt bikes from age 5 until age 10 in different areas, including the Highland County Fairgrounds and a course near Bainbridge. After one race, he won a trophy that was four feet in height. “One trophy I won was taller than me,” Dusty said.
But his love of sports came at a very early age and his love of baseball started with a baseball card of then Chicago White Sox pitcher Jim Abbott.
“My dad gave me a baseball card of a player who had just one hand, so he was like me,” Dusty said.
Muth said the card inspired her son.
“Seeing the baseball card and watching him (Abbott) play baseball showed Dusty he could do it as well. It inspired him.”
Abbott played college baseball at the University of Michigan and in MLB from 1989-99 for four teams, winning 87 games.
While at a younger age, Muth had to make sure Dusty did things on his own, rather than doing everything for him.
“We had to make him do things on his own, like if he had two hands,” she said. “We didn’t do everything for him and he had to practice harder. He taught himself how to ride a bike and he learned how to play basketball.”
Sports continued to be a part of Dusty’s life as he grew up, choosing to watch sports rather than cartoons – like most kids his age.
“He was just a natural when it came to sports,” Muth said. “He wouldn’t watch cartoons, but would watch baseball. He liked to watch the Dukes of Hazzard because of the cars. He wasn’t like typical kids with cartoons, he would only want to watch sports.”
One quality Dusty has is a “no-quit” attitude.
“He doesn’t give up at anything,” Muth said. “He will prove he can do it when most kids with two hands would stop. But Dusty will not quit until he shows he can get a task done.”
Just like Abbott, Dusty switches his glove in a quick, effortless motion that amazes fans. He switches the glove in order to catch the ball while covering the bag. He also swings the bat with one arm.
“Using the glove like I do is easy,” Dusty said. “I don’t think I had to do more. It was just normal. I learned how to use a glove before T-Ball.”
Muth decided against an artificial hand because she didn’t want her son to feel ashamed or think she was trying to hide his disability.
“I thought I’d wait until he was older and let him make a decision. Another reason why I was against it was because if he had an artificial hand he wouldn’t be able to feel hot or cold on his arm.”
In being an inspiration to other kids who may have the same physical attributes as himself, Dusty said hard work is the way to go.
“It doesn’t matter how many arms you have, you can still play, but you just have to work 10 times harder.” he said.
Muth spoke proudly of her son and also had words for parents who may be in a similar situation.
“Don’t disable your kids,” she said. “They can do anything like other kids. Give them credit; if given the option, they can do whatever they set their mind to. Kids just need encouragement.”
Dusty lives in Hillsboro, but is enrolled in the East Clinton School District.
He will turn 13 in October. You can see him this summer at Shaffer Park, playing baseball, just like every other youngster at the park.[[In-content Ad]]
But one thing sets Dusty apart from other kids who play baseball in the summer. Like Pete Wyshner (Pete Gray) and Jim Abbott before him, this 12-year-old first baseman plays the game of baseball with just one hand. But not for a moment does he let that be an obstacle or a setback to his athletic goals and dreams.
“Playing sports the way I have to is just normal to me,” Dusty said, while eating an ice cream cone after playing a game Wednesday at Shaffer Park. “It’s easy. I started when I was little and it is just normal.”
Dusty’s mother, April Muth, said the way doctors explained it to her about Dusty’s condition that it was as if a rubber band was wrapped around his arm during the first part of her pregnancy and it cut off all the circulation to his hand.
With it being summer, Dusty can be seen on baseball fields playing for the NCB team, but he isn’t strapped down to just one sport.
His favorite sport to play is basketball. He is a member of an East Clinton traveling team. Dusty also has raced dirt bikes competitively and, for one year, played flag football.
“Basketball is my favorite sport,” he said. “I like basketball the best because it is bigger than baseball.”
In basketball, he plays forward and he is a fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I like LeBron James because he is the best player in the NBA and he plays for my team. I like how he was so good that he didn’t have to play in college,” Dusty said. “I like his attitude, even if he loses a big game he is still the same.”
Dusty raced dirt bikes from age 5 until age 10 in different areas, including the Highland County Fairgrounds and a course near Bainbridge. After one race, he won a trophy that was four feet in height. “One trophy I won was taller than me,” Dusty said.
But his love of sports came at a very early age and his love of baseball started with a baseball card of then Chicago White Sox pitcher Jim Abbott.
“My dad gave me a baseball card of a player who had just one hand, so he was like me,” Dusty said.
Muth said the card inspired her son.
“Seeing the baseball card and watching him (Abbott) play baseball showed Dusty he could do it as well. It inspired him.”
Abbott played college baseball at the University of Michigan and in MLB from 1989-99 for four teams, winning 87 games.
While at a younger age, Muth had to make sure Dusty did things on his own, rather than doing everything for him.
“We had to make him do things on his own, like if he had two hands,” she said. “We didn’t do everything for him and he had to practice harder. He taught himself how to ride a bike and he learned how to play basketball.”
Sports continued to be a part of Dusty’s life as he grew up, choosing to watch sports rather than cartoons – like most kids his age.
“He was just a natural when it came to sports,” Muth said. “He wouldn’t watch cartoons, but would watch baseball. He liked to watch the Dukes of Hazzard because of the cars. He wasn’t like typical kids with cartoons, he would only want to watch sports.”
One quality Dusty has is a “no-quit” attitude.
“He doesn’t give up at anything,” Muth said. “He will prove he can do it when most kids with two hands would stop. But Dusty will not quit until he shows he can get a task done.”
Just like Abbott, Dusty switches his glove in a quick, effortless motion that amazes fans. He switches the glove in order to catch the ball while covering the bag. He also swings the bat with one arm.
“Using the glove like I do is easy,” Dusty said. “I don’t think I had to do more. It was just normal. I learned how to use a glove before T-Ball.”
Muth decided against an artificial hand because she didn’t want her son to feel ashamed or think she was trying to hide his disability.
“I thought I’d wait until he was older and let him make a decision. Another reason why I was against it was because if he had an artificial hand he wouldn’t be able to feel hot or cold on his arm.”
In being an inspiration to other kids who may have the same physical attributes as himself, Dusty said hard work is the way to go.
“It doesn’t matter how many arms you have, you can still play, but you just have to work 10 times harder.” he said.
Muth spoke proudly of her son and also had words for parents who may be in a similar situation.
“Don’t disable your kids,” she said. “They can do anything like other kids. Give them credit; if given the option, they can do whatever they set their mind to. Kids just need encouragement.”
Dusty lives in Hillsboro, but is enrolled in the East Clinton School District.
He will turn 13 in October. You can see him this summer at Shaffer Park, playing baseball, just like every other youngster at the park.[[In-content Ad]]