Chiefs make boy's dream come true

PEORIA, Illinois -- In the Minor Leagues, a win or a loss is largely a secondary consideration. On Thursday at an overcast Dozer Park, the game itself was mostly an afterthought.
The Peoria Chiefs, Class A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, made a dream come true for 5-year-old Rocco Johnson, a baseball fan afflicted with cerebral palsy.

The Chiefs, led by general manager Jason Mott, gave little Rocco the star treatment, signing him to a one-day contract as bench coach to manager Chris Swauger.
"He got to go down to the dugout, gave him the behind-the-scenes tour, meet players, get a tour of the locker room and see the schedule for the day," Mott said. "We tried to get him to warm up, but of course at five years old, he's really shy ... but you could tell he was excited and overwhelmed.
"I've been waiting for this all week," he added. "I woke up this morning and already had a smile on my face."
Cerebral palsy is considered a neurological disorder caused by a non-progressive brain injury or malformation that occurs while a child's brain is underdeveloped. CP primarily affects body movement and muscle coordination, reflex, posture, balance and muscle control.
Rocco has little control over the left side of his body, his mother Tori said, and will eventually need total reconstruction of his left leg. That said, inside Dozer Park, especially with his brother Boh -- who is autistic -- nearby, Rocco had a spring in his step.
"He's not understanding all of it, but he just loves being at the ballpark," his mom said. "If you see Rocco, and he totters around pretty good, but there's a whole world that goes with it. The Chiefs doing all this and allowing us into their home, and just being there for Rocco is amazing. It just makes you tear.
"It has restored my faith that there are good people."

The Chiefs are also donating part of the proceeds from Thursday's ticket sales to Rocco's care, including a hand brace, leg brace and new medications, Tori Johnson said.
Doug Pinter, an owner of a gym in Peoria, club golf pro and a representative of the Front Nine Foundation, got the ball rolling for Rocco's big day by connecting the Chiefs front office to his family.
"The Chiefs organization has been exposed to Rocco and cerebral palsy face-to-face, and they're going to tell the whole world, and that's how our message will spread ... and that's been our goal," Pinter said. "The entire Chiefs organization welcomed us. ... I get goosebumps."
Mott said his goal is for the Chiefs to be a driving force in the region, and that starts with giving back.
"We do a thing called Home Run for Life, by bringing somebody who is battling a deadly disease, and we did one last year for a kid who was here for Scout Night," the GM said. "After that, he got sick, and his summer got ruined and we told him, 'We absolutely want to get you out here.'
"One of the players on our team, Juan Yepez, had a pair of batting gloves -- of course they were huge on [the boy] -- and he said, 'You're going to need these on the field.' And then the boy ran the bases and when he came home, Yepez was there waiting for him with his arms open, waiting to hug him."
Not surprisingly, Yepez was on the field prior to Thursday's game, too, running around the warning track with Rocco, and then carrying the boy on his shoulders as his mom beamed.

Juan Yepez and Rocco Johnson played on the Chiefs' field. (Allison Rhoades/Peoria Chiefs)
Pinter said the word on Rocco has spread beyond baseball to hockey as well, thanks to Tori's social media post about her son.
"I saw Tori's post, and she challenged people to learn about cerebral palsy," Pinter explained. "I want Rocco to know just how many friends he has. When Rocco starts school, he's going to be a rock star."
As much as the Chiefs did for Rocco, Swauger said his visit was just as important for his players.
"The biggest thing is they gained some perspective today," Swauger said. "In meeting Rocco and seeing how he's fighting through this disease and how he's staying upbeat, he gives them perspective.
"We're playing a child's game and getting paid. Having guys like Rocco and his family [lets] us know what's important, and sometimes we fall into feeling sorry for ourselves. ... It's a nice little reminder of what's really important."
Because of rain in the area prior to the game, the Chiefs didn't have batting practice Thursday, but Rocco will be back Friday, when he may get to run on the field, Swauger said. He'll also be asked to take the lineup card out to the umpires before the game, but he won't be in the dugout because of safety issues.
Although Rocco was a bit overwhelmed Thursday, Swauger said the boy definitely had a good time.
"His parents came up and said, 'He's acting a little shy, but he won't stop talking about this for the rest of his life.'"
Rocco was joined at Thursday's game not only by his family, but also his entourage -- a group called Rocco's Ninjas. They wore green shirts and were located near the Chiefs dugout. The logo on the shirts resembled logos from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which is no accident.
"Oh, he's a huge Turtles fan," his mom said. As for baseball, Rocco was immersed in it practically from birth because his brother plays travel ball.
"He lives at the ballpark," Tori Johnson said. "When I'm taking [Boh] to hitting lessons, Rocco's there, and as soon as he was able to hit a ball off a tee, he was doing it. Rocco loves to be active, and I don't want him to think there are limits to what he can do."
Anybody who watched Rocco on Thursday wouldn't put limits on him.