Print edition: 
In this baseball game, there are no outs. No one keeps score. No one is left sitting on the bench. No one loses.
There are 14 players on the field, and not everyone pays attention. Some pick flowers; some play in the dirt. But every player is smiling.
It's a typical game in the Miracle Baseball League, said Lainie Armstrong, who founded the league for players with special needs.
Three years ago, Armstrong created For the Love of Chance, an organization for special-needs children. That includes her son, Chance, who has significant developmental delays.
"Chance had beat a lot of odds," Armstrong said, "but he was still having a lot of development delays.
"It was then that I realized there are not a lot of opportunities in Wichita for special-needs kids to be involved in the things normal-needs kids are."
For the Love of Chance offers sports, music and art programs for special-needs kids. One of its most successful programs is the Miracle Baseball League.
The first year about 40 kids participated. This year Armstrong expects to double that.
"Baseball is supposed to be America's pastime," she said. "And this gives special-needs kids a chance to experience that.
"These kids get to hear their name over a loudspeaker when they come up to bat, they get to wear a jersey with their name on the back, they get to feel a sense of pride that comes with being on a team."
The season begins the last Saturday in April with a practice. Each team then plays one game every Saturday in May.
Each member of the team is paired with an "Angel in the Outfield." These volunteers help players run the bases and field balls.
The games not only have an impact on the children, but also their parents.
"You see parents sitting in the stands with tears of joy," Armstrong said. "Their children are running around on the bases. These are experiences they never thought their children would have."
Armstrong challenges people to come to one game.
"The smiles will change you," Armstrong said. "If it doesn't change you, nothing will."
