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Show Little Leaguers to rule the world With the major league baseball strike ' grinding on, fans are turning elsewhere to satisfy their inherant desire for America's native game(as legend has it). fMike Cannon Everywhere you turn you find baseball starved fanatics, mustard covered hotdogs in hand, wandering around with a dazed, puzzled expression ex-pression on their faces. No baseball? Guess again. If they only knew what they're missing! The purest form of the sport is being played right here in good ole' Cedar City five nights a week. This isn't the polluted version of our traditional past-time, where players average over $150,000 per year and concert organists play "Take Me Out , To The Ballgame" in some ghastly key while electronic scoreboards with more lightbulbs than any power federation member has ever dreamed of flash wildly. No siree, the virgin sport I speak of can be witnessed at the local Little Leage ballfields. Why write about Little leage baseball in an editorial page column? Several reasons: First; you try and think of something to write about every other week to fill this space. My profound ideas are waning. Second; Little Leage is much more profound than most other things we get wrapped up in. Third; anybody needing to put things back into perspective ought to watch one of these games, or better yet, watch the parents of the kids involved. They are a study in and of themselves. Fourth; as a rookie coach of these little tikes( including several who shave twice daily), I'm hooked! From tears to jeers and every mood in-between, I've seen it all from these youngsters this summer. It has been refreshing and encouraging, though sometimes frustratingfwe're 2-9). Despite the hair loss, to see some little fellow get his first hit of the year after striking-out perennially, and then wave at mom, sisters and teammates with great pride, brings a small lump to one's throat. Despite discouragement, fear of getting hit and repeated failure, the little rascal "wouldn't quit. Another comes into the dougout after making a crucial error and the lip starts to quiver, then the tears. Sitting down with him you assure him that life will go on. The next inning the same fellow makes a diving stab of a hard-hit ball and throws the runner out, saving the game. II anybody thinks the economy is unpredictable ! That's what makes things so much fun, the spontanaiety of young ballplayers is great. Behind 31-3, their enthusiasm seldom wanes. You're told seven times about the pop fly to the pitcher that they "almost put out of the park." To see teammates encourage and help each other, even including the "different" kid, is neat. They're quite a bunch, and probably don't realize it and certainly couldn't care less. There's a pool to swim in, bikes to ride and buddies to sleep out with; important things to deal with. I guess, in my own silly way, this is my fourth of July thought, as such a great holiday certainly merits one. The usual negative ideas about government, economics and the status of things in general float around and always will. It's great to find a group to get excited about, people to really believe in. These Little Leaguers, and others just like them, will continue to make their errors through the years. But from what I've seen, there's no group I'd rather have up there swinging years from now, for our families, country and all we enjoy in this great land. |