Football and basketball had been his passions at Alter HighSchool, but that was 30 years and eight spine surgeries ago.
So when Oakwood resident Tim Sullivan decided to test himselfphysically again, the Miami Valley Adult Baseball League -- which heonce dominated -- became his chosen outlet.
So far, so good. He's the designated hitter for the defendingchampion Dayton Rangers, and doubtless the only player in leaguehistory to sport a spinal cord stem implant.
Sullivan, 47, suffers from bilateral stenosis, a condition thatcompresses nerves, weakens discs, compromises ligaments and causesdebilitating pain. He's also been hospitalized with heart problems,but now his health issues seem to have plateaued (his word) to thepoint where he thinks he can perform baseball tasks.
'One thing I can still do is swing,' he said. 'Other stuff isvery questionable.'
Semi-retired after a career in marketing, Sullivan has only beenwalking on his own again for about six months, but in a scrimmage,facing live pitching for the first time since giving up baseball in2002, he drove in a run with a double and later scored with a head-first slide.
'He didn't tell me his situation until after the scrimmage,' saidJonmarc Lippincott, who manages the Rangers and works in the DaytonDaily News sports department. 'He just wanted to prove it tohimself. He got up and things were OK.'
Sullivan credits the support of his children -- Kenny, 29, Robby,25, Suzy, 21 and Alissa, 8 -- for inspiring his recovery.
In his words
'It's kind of a knock-on-wood type of thing, but I'm gettingbetter. I firmly believe that pushing myself is what's helping me.I've developed my own weight-training program, and I think it'shelped. The nerve damage in my left leg and arm is doing better.
'It's been rough the last eight years, that's for sure. It's beena long road. I've gone through paralysis, lost bodily functions. Istill have struggles daily, but it's just gotten to the point wherethe nerves have regenerated enough to enable me to start walkingagain.
'The wires (from the stem implant) run up my spine. I control itwith a keyboard. It almost looks like a beeper. If anyone sees it inmy bag in the dugout, that's what they'd think. There's an antennayou put up against your side. It sends electrical shocks to thespine, which relieves pain.
'During a game, it's always on. It's just a matter to whatdegree. At night, I can turn it up high enough that I can't feelanything from my breastbone down.
'I think the other guys think I'm just an old guy who doesn't runvery well. I haven't said anything to anybody.
'It's hard to describe the impact this has had on my life, butI'm getting to the point where I'm feeling somewhat like myselfagain.'
