Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Oh say can you sign?
Dozens of local deaf youth performed the National Anthem in sign language prior to the Iowa Cubs game on June 26 at Des Moines' Principal Park, a highlight of the Triple-A team's annual Deaf Culture Night. The players wore jerseys that spelled out "Iowa" in American Sign Language, and those same Anthem signers -- participants in the Iowa Baseball Camp for the Deaf -- threw out ceremonial first pitches and participated in between-inning promotions throughout the evening.
June 26 was a rainy night, but the enthusiasm of the campers was undampened. The following day they returned to the ballpark for a tour and to play on the field, interacting with players along the way.
As the Iowa Cubs' team photographer, Dylan Heuer was, as usual, in the center of it all. On this night, however, Heuer's role exceeded that of on-field documentarian. Deaf Culture Night, and the Iowa Baseball Camp for the Deaf that it benefits, are his creations.
Born and raised in Des Moines, Heuer lost his hearing after contracting spinal meningitis when he was seven months old. Growing up deaf could often result in feelings of isolation, but baseball provided a refuge.
"When I was little, I used to go to a baseball camp. I met a lot of friends and people through the Iowa Cubs through this camp," said Heuer, in an in-person ballpark interview translated via FaceTime by interpreter Amanda Gallant. "And when I got older, I was able to get a job here [at Principal Park] as a bat boy."
Heuer transitioned from bat boy to a press box role when he was 16, staying with the Cubs until he enrolled at the Rochester Institute of Technology. During his college years he spent two years as a photographer for the Rochester Red Wings; upon graduation he returned to Des Moines and, in short order, became the I-Cubs team photographer.
Heuer soon discovered, however, that the baseball camp he had attended in his youth no longer existed. This, in his estimation, was a void that absolutely needed to be filled.
"There are so many deaf kids in so many different areas that don't have the opportunity to socialize with each other, especially during the summertime," he said. "So I decided to set up a baseball camp again, just to give the deaf and hard of hearing children an equal opportunity to play baseball and meet other deaf and hard of hearing children across the state."
Heuer established the Iowa Baseball Camp for the Deaf in 2015, a one-week camp for kids ages 7-14 highlighted by the time they spend at Principal Park. The camp is free to attend thanks to the support of donors and sponsors; one way that the organization raises funds is through the auction of the ASL theme jerseys worn by the I-Cubs.
"[The jerseys] were my lifelong dream and last year it came true," said Heuer. "The best thing is that I was able to design the logo that they used. … ASL is our language, valued as a big part of deaf culture. The team was willing to wear 'Iowa' in ASL, and it just shows that we are proud and we are here."
In 2025, 41 kids participated in the camp, the most ever. "What a celebration it was!" wrote Heuer in a follow-up email.
Despite battling off-and-on rain all week, we held camp every single day at Johnston Little League," he continued. "Let's just say the fields had more puddles than bases at times. The infields turned into mud pits, shoes squished with every step, and there were some unexpected 'lakes' at the fields. But the kids loved every second of it. Seeing their smiles as they played through the wet grass made every soggy shoe worth it.
"Most of these kids are often left out of organized sports and other activities in life because of communication and language barriers as well as a lack of accessibility. At IBCD and ASL Night with the Iowa Cubs, they didn't have to struggle to communicate. Everyone signs. Everybody understands how to communicate. Everyone belongs. It's a space where they’re not just the 'deaf kids.' They're just themselves. And it's quite the freeing experience for them."