Yesterday’s post was about Major League Baseball. We love the Indians, but when it comes down to it, Youth Baseball is where the true fun is: sweaty kids, hot summer days, dust blowing in your face kind of fun. This time of year, ballparks across America are filled with baseball action, and some of the best games are not professional by any means.
From T-ball up through the high school leagues, parents and grandparents are cheering their players on. This year, Don’s son is playing Pony League – 13 and 14 year-olds. There is always a crowd at the games, even when it’s rainy, cold or really, really hot. Nathan’s team is 12-3 which makes it even more fun! The good thing about Youth Baseball is that win or lose, we are watching our kids learn, grow and have fun with their friends. That is a win-win situation!
A lot of work goes into Youth Baseball, and most of it is volunteer. The umpires get paid in this league, but there are several coaches for each team who give hundreds of hours of their own time for practices, games and field preparation. Not to mention the folks that are not “official” coaches but still go to every game, doing things like scorekeeping and being dugout parents.
The kids learn things by playing baseball, and since they are having fun, hard life lessons don’t seem so hard. Sometimes the officials get it wrong; parents get a little out of control; the coaching decisions on some teams aren’t always fair: lessons that will help them somewhere down the road. They can get really caught up in the game, but afterwards they are still friends with the kids on the other team. Maybe the adults can learn a thing or two from the kids?
