Baseball tourney memorializes young man who died after battle with muscular dystrophy

NEW BERLIN -- Muscular dystrophy took Mike Neufeldt's  life -- but it never stood a chance of taking his spirit. It's a spirit that will live on, thanks in part to one of his biggest passions, and to some of the many people he touched.

"It is always good when we see boys playing baseball at Mike Neufeldt Field. We always know Mike is smiling," Carol Neufeldt said.

There is no doubt that Carol and Ray Neufeldt's son was watching New Berlin Eisenhower play Menomonee Falls High School as part of the inaugural Mike Neufeldt Memorial Wood Bat Baseball Tournament on May 28th.

"To have an event like this where not everybody might know his name, or they come to the stadium here and it's named after him, but they don't know why or who he is, just to keep his name out there -- because he was such a great guy," Tom Kurtz said.

Kurtz was one of Mike Neufeldt's most cherished friends.

"He was such an impactful person. Everybody who knew him, knew of him, just waking up in the morning and seeing what he has to go through -- never complaining about anything. This is something that is great to see," Kurtz said.

Neufeldt had muscular dystrophy, but that didn't stop him from having a Hall of Fame life.

An avid sports fan, to put it mildly, Neufeldt was the team statistician for baseball and basketball at Eisenhower before he graduated in 1996. The next year, the baseball booster club honored Neufeldt by naming the field after him. A new scoreboard was built last year.

"We want to make sure that people know who Mike is," Tom Potts, baseball booster club presidents aid.

Potts and his team at Eisenhower have made that happen.

"The booster program and our coach Mike Vahovick have worked hard to keep Mike's name in the forefront for the kids, and we want to honor the past by working hard for the future," Potts said.

This generation of high school ballplayers shouldn't be expected to know that Neufeldt was a two-time national poster child for muscular dystrophy, that he made a McDonald's commercial and became friends with Michael Jordan, that he graduated with honors from Marquette University, where there is an award given out in his name, that he co-authored a book on his Alma Mater's basketball program, or that he worked at Harley-Davidson. But there are a few things that would be good for them to know about him.

"He didn't accept his disability. He outshined it, and he pursued his dreams. He did that -- so it shows our kids that they can pursue their dreams and they can achieve what they want if they put their mind to it," Vahovick said.

"He had a positive word for everybody, and he was probably the best person I ever knew," Kurtz said.

"Mike was a fighter. He never gave up. He lived his life doing the best each day -- glass half full, not half empty, and he always had a positive outlook on life," Carol Neufeldt said.

"A very motivating guy. A humbling guy. Any time you're having a rough day, you can think of Mike and go, you know, he's got a smile on his face, and I should too," Alex Izzo said.

"Hard-working, honest, smart -- a good friend. He's touched a lot of people. It is, of course, bittersweet, but we know Mike is here with us. Any time we're with friends and family and people who knew Mike, people who knew of Mike, bring us closer to him," Ray Neufeldt said.