I didn't have a grandkid or neighborhood boy playing but the scene was inviting so I pulled over, parked my auto and found a seat in the bleachers. It's been a good spell since I took in a youth league baseball game. These lads were likely 12-13 years old and of course had a lot of parent support.
I hadn't been there long when I noticed the moms and dads were more vocal than I remembered. It was obvious that the two umpires perhaps 18-19 were going to catch Hell from both sides of the Diamond. I can't say the umpires were top notch but they exceeded the talent on the field by a good margin. As I sat there for three innings, I could not help but notice some nuances from youth league games of yesterday. First, the players are totally silent during play. There's no, what we use to call 'chatter' of encouragement for the pitcher coming from his fielders. Speaking of pitchers, they have trouble throwing the ball near the strike zone and hitters seem reluctant to swing the bat.
I did notice that players often yell things to their parents. One player who walked and was standing at first base yelled at his mom to get him a water. She obliged and ran the drink down to the first base coach. Another kid had some snacks in his bat bag, which was hanging on the fence. He and a buddy repeated trips for goodies. I'm not certain but I believe another boy either had a cell phone or some electronic device that captured his attention more than the game. Finally, I've never seen so many adults in a baseball dugout 'coaching' kids. It appears most dads 'Coach.'
When I was a kid of 12, I wanted to please my folks and my youth sports' coaches. Seems like a lot of parents want to make their kids happy and seemingly live vicariously through the kid. Personally, as a father, I never took a bit of credit for my children's accomplishments or successes and never did I take blame when they experienced set-backs. It's their journey, their deal...I had my time.
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