Wake Forest Athletics
Former Deacon Borrell Helping Others
4/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 14, 2014
Story courtesy of the Wake Forest Magazine
Former Wake Forest pitching ace and professional baseball player Danny Borrell ('09) is used to being in the limelight. But it was an entirely different feeling when he walked into Yankee Stadium with Zasheed McNeal, a 14-year-old with sickle cell anemia, and his 9-year-old brother, Zebulon, who has cerebral palsy.
Borrell realized his childhood dream of playing professional baseball when he was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2000. Now, he's helping make sports dreams come true for children with serious health problems through a family nonprofit, Dream On 3, based in Charlotte.
The McNeal brothers' dream to attend a Yankees game came true last fall. After a first-class plane ride from Charlotte to New York City, Borrell was their guide for the day as they donned Yankees hats and replica jerseys to tour Yankee Stadium, meet some of their favorite players and cheer on the home team.
The name for Dream on 3 comes from a sports team huddling up and yelling "Dream!" on 3. The name comes from a sports team huddling up and breaking the huddle by yelling "Dream!" on 3.
It was an unforgettable day for the brothers - and for Borrell, now a pitching coach for the Tampa Yankees. Borrell played in the minor leagues for seven seasons with the Yankees and two with Oakland before injuries ended his career in 2008.
"When you play professionally, it's all about you," he said. "It's great to be part of something for someone else. It's so much more rewarding to see the kids, and they're star-struck, and to see how thankful their families are. The most rewarding thing is to see the faces of these kids."
