On The Sly

One of the interesting things about little league baseball (I think) is that once you are drafted and on a team you can not go to another team .
Fox, I wonder what Curt Flood would have done. Bernie Parrish "They Call it a Game" would perhaps not be pleased either.

i remember sandlot baseball, give me a glove and i was at the field all day,
not so these days. when i was young, we all met down behind the jr. high, with our coolers of pepsi, bologna sandwiches, pick teams and was set for the day. my uncle was the pitcher for both teams he was in his 50's then and could not run.
also don and my brothers and their buddies used to play basketball in the middle of the night (in the 60's) behind st.john's school, behind what used to be the professional building. in the winter they shoveled to play. today kids seem to focus on one sport, the bad thing is that soccer runs all year long these days, that used to be the kids that played little league. when jt and gus played, soccer was just getting started and numbers started going down from there. don't get me wrong i like soccer, it just seems that the old american game of baseball is losing ground these days in plattsburgh.
But "take me out to the ball game" anytime. our 35th wedding anniversary is coming up next week, i have spent every one of them at a ballpark, even the day after my wedding, don had a softball game in west plattsburgh.

Oh Foxy, how many of us remember the days of playing baseball all day long. Our parents had to come and find us and drag us home to eat.

In the mid-40's and 50's we didn't have Little League in our area. We just had a crew of neighbor kids who showed up at the field, picked sides and began playing some terrific head to head competition.

The City of Plattsburgh recreation department had games going on at all the city run playgrounds and once in awhile there was a tournament between the various playgrounds.

The Kiwanis Club had a very serious league, similar to the Post 20 Legion ball now. Some of us who got to play on the Kiwanis team were able to travel to other parts of the county or even venture into state playoffs. I remember a team that we had that went to the Kiwanis State Playoffs in the mid 50's, I believe, in Schenectady. We had Gary Provost from the Montcalm area, he was our stud hitter and Sid Grube of Fox Hill was our slick fielding infielder, they guided our team and we did well until we lost Gary due to an injury. I think we lost in the semi-finals or the finals. (Another research story for the Press.)

Kids today have to have everything organized for them. Seldom do you drive by a field and see a good old-fashion "sandlot pickup game."

Every parent should sit down with their kids and watch the movie, Sandlot. It is out in DVD. I watched it with my 5-yr old grandson recently, Great flick.

Good blog topic Foxy hope your tooth gets better and you summer well.

Mike Mannix

I am somewhat surprised that parents are being blamed for forfeits and lack of fundraising. The team my son plays on has not had a regular season game won or lost by forfeit in 3 years. I was told by a coach that there was 1 regular season game decided by forfeit this year. As far as fundraising goes, my child was asked to sell a total of $25 worth of daily lottery number tickets and he did with no problem. In youth hockey fundraising he sold over $250. Why not do a fundraiser at the beginning and end of the season? Goose is right, some of the kids do deserve to play at a higher level. But if money is a problem in a longer season as stated by Chris and Goose let those select 24 that make up the all star teams pay for the entry fees (PYH players pay for each tournament) And lastly regarding parent involvement on the board. Is there a general election where a ballot is given out or are the positions appointed? It would be interesting to know how many non coaches or umpires (player parents) are on the current board. I think there would be more than enough people willing to donate their time and efforts to a program that has provided fun, enjoyment and skills development to the children of the area for now 50 years.

I just have a few comments to add regarding the current situation in Little League in PLattsburgh. I completely agree with Goose on this one (Sorry Foxy). The fact is that the kids that play Little League Baseball now are not the same as kids playing Little League even ten or fifteen years ago ( I was one of those kids). Kids and parents have alot more going on during the summer, and it is extremely hard to get kids to show up for practices and games once school ends. Yes, the all star schedule is a factor, but, like Goose said, the decisions are made by many people, icluding board members, parents, and coaches.

I would like to point out the level of dedication the league has to the youth of the area. For example, despite declining numbers each year that sign up for baseball, the league still manages to provide a full schedule for both the minor league and major league divisions. Also, this year in particular, with the weather we have had, many games were rained out, and the board of directors put a new schedule together not once or twice, but five times to ensure that as many of the games as possible could be rescheduled (Including our precious opening day). Other organizations would have said forget it and avoided the hassle all together.

And if we are talking about helping the league out, why is it fewer and fewer kids participate in the only fundraiser asked of them each year, which helps to pay for umpires, equipment, etc. It is my opinion that the people that volunteer their time to run this league are doing the best with what they've got. And yes, I am the brother of the president of the League. I have also been involved in the League as an assistant coach since I was 16 years old.

(Foxy's note: Thanks to Chris and the others who have given their input on this subject. Bob Dylan told us long ago "the times they are a-changin'" and I guess he was right!)

Foxy, I too remember the days of all summer little league baseball. My stepson played last year on his 8th grade middle school team. It lasted until the end of July. This year, his freshman team ended the first week in June. I believe pressure from parents, to get the season over sooner, so the family can vacation out of town, has won over, to staying in the area, and watching your kid play ball. Oh yes the times have changed, but to the kids who play when they can, and dream of becoming the next MLB superstar, it makes no difference. On the MLB All-Star game, the Twins latest favorite son, Joe Mauer, made it on the squad, which we both think he deserves. I have a button that was given to everyone going to the game, asking fans to vote for Joe the last week, before the voting ended.
And if you would like it, get in contact with me, as we have 2 others, and my wife and I will be out in the north country at the end of this month. Keep up the good work on your blog.

Foxy- Just a couple of things on the little leauge play-offs. All teams make the play-offs. Why are we having forfeits because some teams can't field enough players? Parents take vacations and take their children with them!!! All little league meetings are posted in the newspaper inviting the public, but hardly ever do we get anyone there but board members. I am pretty sure there will be open positions this year on the board, maybe we will get some board members who want to keep the season going through the summer. Many factors go into these decisions and one is the almighty dollar. Yes, all-stars do play a part in the decision. It's not the sole decision. Do some of these youngster desire to play baseball on a higher level? Goose

(Foxy's note: Goose is the Chief Umpire for Plattsburgh Little League and a longtime member of the Board of Directors.)

You are 100% on the money regarding your comments on little league baseball. The regular season ended June 30, playoffs started on July 2 and the season will end for all but the championship series teams on Wednesday or Friday. Unfortunatly the league decision makers have cut the season short to concentrate on all-star competition. That's great for the 12 kids that make the team and can continue playing until late August but it leaves the majority of league players looking for something else to do from early July until school resumes. And no, this isn't sour grapes coming from a parent of a child who didn't make the team (mine is one of the select 12) Like Foxy, I still remember the days (not all that long ago) when the regular season games were played well into July with playoffs ending in early August. I'd like to see a return to that schedule to keep all the kids playing ball whether they are all-stars or not.