1 min read
The Baseball stars of tomorrow, today.
It all starts early
We live in the age of the trophy child. They are kids who are brought up to believe that everything they do is good and worthy of praise and special treatment. Kids follow by example. This cartoon was just a fun way to point out the messiness that comes with coddling.
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Good Morning from Omaha,
this is another winner, Drew. To get kids away from the X Box and off the couch the parents usually have to bait the “hook”. Around my little neighborhood in the big O I see a lot of parents out riding their bikes or walking with their kids.
And their is nothing quite as fun to me as going over to the little league fields in my area, eating a Frostie malt (chocolate) and watching some 9-10 year olds playing baseball on a sunny , warm summer day. The kids, at that age, play with an enthusiasm and joy that you hope they can carry with them through life.
Better move on, Strive for excellence, Nothing but your best.
Gene
Things have changed quite a bit since I was a small child, dont get me wrong I love to play the X-Box 360 and PS3 but I also like to still get out and play baseball, basketball, and football. Nothing compares to live competition, but the Manny’s, Brett’s, Cutler’s (especially Jay Cutler) show children that it is ok to kick and scream to get your way. I despise this with a great deal!! Something always has to be involved when kids play in little leagues in todays society. Certificates, trophies,and my favorite one is snacks from the parents after E-V-E-R-Y damn game!! Get your own food for your damn kids!! Serious pet peeve! Way it goes, right?! Less attention to sports players salarys and contracts can help in the media, more attention to sports basics and the foundations to make a child a great player is what it is all about.
I also forgot to add: The dog in Drew’s cartoon also wants a hand out, thats classic satire! LMAO
When I was a kid, growing up in Colorado or Hawaii (my dad was a doctor in the Army, and those were the only two places he ever got stationed at, so you know I had a REALLY tough childhood), we played outside all the time. As long as we were home by a certain time (usually when the streetlights came on, depending on the season) and our folks knew where we were, we were allowed the freedom to play.
We played games like street football and baseball, smear-the-queer (tackle the guy with the football, with no homophobic meaning implied), four-square, kickball, tether ball, hide-and-go-seek, and more. The home videogame industry was in its infancy at the time, and we didn’t play the games too much anyway because they were always malfunctioning or got boring too quickly.
Some of my friends were in organized sports, but they didn’t get MVP trophies for losing. If you got beat, you dusted off, shook the hands of your competitor, and got ready for the next game.
I can’t really speak to what it is like now, because my daughter is only three years old. But I intend to let her win and lose, and learn how to be gracious in doing so. If she wants to play organized sports, I’ll encourage her, but I hope that someone kicks my butt if I turn into the “helicopter parent.”
I coached Little League a few years for my 8 Year Old Step-son.
– The kids were great!! No problems there. My favorite kid had practically no talent, but he tried his heart out. So when he made plays or got hits, it was more special to me than than the “All Star” kids.
– The Parents… Now that’s another story. I would say most parents was great, but some of them need to be tranquilized prior to each game. IT’S LITTLE LEAGUE. Not the MLB, Not AAA, not College ball or even High School. LITTLE LEAGUE!!! I did my best to get every kid in every game at a variety of positions. It WAY, WAY too early pigeon hole your kid as a pitcher, catcher, short stop ETC. I played High School and some College. The only reason I made it that far (5’8″, below average power, good batting average, below average arm) was because I could play almost anywhere. Catcher, Outfield, 2B, sometimes 3B. Third Base was a tough throw sometimes… But some parents seemed to take it personally when I put their kid in the outfield instead of Short Stop. It was trying. Or they were publically berate their kid after striking out. Sad
When I was coaching I “accidently” found a kid who was very good short stop. He wasn’t the best athlete, but he actually made good decision with the ball. Since many coaches like to try to take avantage of other team by forcing run downs. This kid would just ran right at them, fake a throw and tag them out. It was awesome.
Anyway, the only negative experience I could say was from the parents. They expect too much and seem to sap the joy out of the kids with the pressure.
Hi, interest post. I’ll write you later about few questions!