Harold Keller / L’Observateur / June 14, 2000

Last week, I stopped at the St. Martin’s Pharmacy to see my friend, Tommy.Whenever I feel like eating some Raisinettes and not paying for them, I stop.

Not to make my intention of the visit so obvious, I stay for a little conversation. The conversation started with LSU baseball, then went on tothe College World Series, and ended with a little talk about Little League baseball. Tommy asked if the behavior at Little League games had gottenbetter since his children played. “No,” I said, “it’s worse than ever.”That night, I attended an 11-12 year old game in which one of my grandchildren, David, participated. I left in the last inning, with David’s teamseemingly in control.

Later, I called my daughter to see how the game ended. “We won on a forfeit.You missed it, Daddy.” She told me that the other team tied the score andthen a controversial call started an argument. The two coaches on the otherteam were thrown out of thegame and the fans becme so roiled up, that the umpire called the game and awarded the win to our team. My thoughts wentback to my conversation with Tommy.

The behavior of the fans, and even the players, has become such that it’s hard to enjoy a game that is supposed to be played for fun and entertainment. The fans’ attitude of “win at any cost,” coupled with theinfluence of alcohol, leads to an attitude of mistrust between the players, the coaches, the men in blue and each other.

In the days of equal rights for everyone, the women (in my opinion) have finally arrived and are even as loud as the men. Parents not only criticize thecoaches and umpires, but very often members of their own children’s team.

That critical spirit has filtered down to their children. Children as young as 7or 8 question ball and strike calls.

Last week, after the umpire called a ball (that the pitcher thought should be a strike) the pitcher asked, with a sarcastic attitude, “Are you kidding?” Should umpires allow this type of behavior? No way. Little League is supposedto build character and provide wholesome recreation that teaches young people to play the game and be humble winners and gracious losers. Thecoaches should do their part to control the game, realizing that umpires are human and will make mistakes in every game. They have to set the exampleand last, but most important, the parents need to grow up and give positive encouragement to their children, the coaches, the umpires and to each other. Then and only then can children begin to enjoy organized recreation.After a tense tournament game last weekend, I was amazed to see some players from both teams get together on an empty field with a tennis ball and a plastic bat and have more fun than they had in their organized game.

Maybe we should get a message from this. The kids really just want to havefun. That is possible in an organized league only if we allow the coaches tocoach and the parents to give positive support, regardless of the performance of the players or umpires. Believe me, without the influence ofalcohol, that’s possible.

HAROLD KELLER writes this column as part of his affiliation with the Get High on Life religious motivational group.

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