Soon we shall turn the calendar page to August, suddenly those kids will be back in school and another summer will give way to fall colors. I've lost track of the number of consecutive summers where I did not 'see' boys engaged in informal pick-up sandlot baseball games or even a young boy with a baseball glove strung onto his bicycle's handlebars. Oh, I've attended a few little league and high school organized games but those games are totally controlled by adults. Now let me State up front that I commend adults who devote time and energies to youth sports, especially those adults who have no children in the programs. That said, let me spin and make the case for the sandlot baseball experience.
Sandlot games will place youth in roles responsible for organization and management, which offers immeasurable benefits. In the absence of adults, youth will be required to embrace leadership skills. Sandlot evaluations will not be so subtle as teams are chosen. Some names will be called out before others. Players are expected to follow 'calls' made on the field. The contestants WILL keep score...they will process and handle those outcomes. The sandlot experience is perhaps the purest form of play and competition.
As a coach for 39-years, I can state without reservations that I never developed a 'shooter' in the organized basketball practice setting. I may have made a technique suggestion but the credit for honing the skill goes to the player who spent endless hours on the blacktop and speaking from a personal experience, it was my summers on the sandlot that did more to develop my baseball abilities than any league team.
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