| When was the last time you drove through an | | | | day's game. And if we weren't playing hardball we |
| American neighborhood and witnesses a group of | | | | were playing whiffle ball or pitchback ball. Or |
| kids playing a game of pick up baseball? | | | | countless other baseball related games we made |
| While I didn't realize it at the time I consider | | | | up. |
| myself fortunate when I was growing up to have | | | | I don't know when this type of baseball |
| a ball field five minutes walk from my house. | | | | "experience" became extinct in our country but it |
| When I was a kid I remember riding home on the | | | | seems to be long gone. For one, planned |
| school bus getting my homework done so I could | | | | neighborhoods generally don't have a ball field as |
| ride my bike to "The Park" right after I checked | | | | part of the master plan. In order for most kids to |
| in with Mom. During the trip I would prepare | | | | play ball they have to be driven to a ball field. I |
| myself for the daily selection which determined if | | | | guess this closed the door on sandlot pickup |
| you were picked to play with the big kids on the | | | | games and made way for the purely organized |
| big field or if you were sent down to the so called | | | | baseball life today's kids experience. |
| "minors game" which was played on the grass | | | | In today's youth baseball society the adults make |
| field with the younger kids. It was baseball until | | | | the rules, evaluate talent and pick the teams. The |
| sundown. And when school was over in mid June. | | | | kids are merely participants who have no real say |
| It was baseball sun up to sun down. | | | | over what positions they play or who they play |
| Every day you honed your skills and perhaps | | | | with. Maybe I'm in the minority but I think there's |
| dealt with the harsh reality that you needed to | | | | something to be said for kids picking teams and |
| improve to play with the big kids... and this drove | | | | playing the game on their own. Baseball is a |
| us to improve... on our own... without $45 per half | | | | survival sport... back in the day those who fended |
| hour instructors and Elite baseball camps. We | | | | their way through the maze of peer pressure to |
| learned from the older kids, from the pro players | | | | be part of a "big kid" sandlot game earned and |
| we watched on TV, from our little league | | | | learned something truly unique. |
| coaches, from our older brothers. We learned by | | | | I wish we as parents would slap ourselves in the |
| playing... every day... without parental supervision. | | | | face and remember the great life lessons we |
| We would challenge other neighborhoods to | | | | learned during those pick up games. No. I don't |
| games riding our bikes to other neighborhoods to | | | | want to abolish organized baseball, but bringing |
| play for bragging rights. The older kids would | | | | back "kid baseball" as part of the experience |
| captain us and would decide who pitched and who | | | | would go a long way to help mold and shape well |
| played what positions. It had sort of a perfect | | | | rounded kids with not only baseball skills but life |
| harmony to it now that I think back about it. We | | | | skills. |
| went to bed each night thinking about the next | | | | |