| BASEBALL PLAY AMERICA |
| Throughout America this summer, Sandlot Day 2010 is giving young ball players in organized youth leagues the gift of pick-up baseball that their coaches and parents experienced. Sandlot baseball, backyard ball, street ball, stickball and other low organized games was the type of baseball played by generations of kids. The common thread was – no adults were involved. From this one day they will receive personal memories that last a lifetime, a sense of ownership of the game, an ability to organize themselves, and so much more.
Everybody played, rules fit the game, and ground rules fit the patch of open space. The game ended when it got dark or the ball was lost. Many coaches today would be helped by learning about, or remembering the importance of the sandlot experience. There were lessons learned on the sandlot, not just about baseball. Memories were made as well and sandlot memories last a lifetime. Most of our children’s playtime is organized. When a sport can offer its players a gift like Sandlot Day, it ultimately increases their passion for the game and introduces a child to pick-up games. Of the many youngsters who participated in the Sandlot Day 2010 Philipstown Little League, President Eddie Barry was impressed on how creative and fair the kids made the games. The only adult supervision at the games was during the Noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. time slots. Other than that, the kids had full range of the ball fields in Philipstown. The kids elected their own managers, captains and umpires. The older children even included minor league players with players from the majors. Tim Donovan, director of the SUNY Youth Sports Institute, has organized and is promoting Sandlot Day 2010. The idea is that adults should cede control to the players for one day this season. As Mark Hyman pointed out to the New York Times, “Parents are welcome to show up. But on this day, the children make the rules and run the show. They decide what to wear (full uniform or T-shirt and shorts). They choose sides and set the lineups. Their authority extends even to the game they decide to play (baseball or a backyard derivative like whiffle ball)."
The sports institute has sent a three-page memo to hundreds of New York youth leagues describing Sandlot Day. Guidelines for the program give players choices like “coach the bases or not, umpire among themselves, and make any rearrangements necessary to play.” “Coaches will know this day is about something bigger than baseball,” wrote the SUNY Youth Sports Institute. “At first, the value of Sandlot Day may not be clear to parents. After all, they have come to expect organized games with uniforms, umpires, coaches instructing and parents cheering. But you know that to keep kids playing baseball longer they need a passion for the game.” “A large part of the passion for baseball can be found in the historic roots of what occurs when playing in small games in the sandlot, playground, or backyard. Through Sandlot Day, baseball has a great opportunity to give just one day back to the origins of the game.” The State University of New York’s Youth Sports Institute will assist any organized youth baseball program wishing to establish one day out of each season to be called “Sandlot Day”. For more information on how the SUNY Youth Sports Institute can help promote your local Sandlot Day, write: SUNY CORTLAND, Studio West – Suite A-16, P.O. Box 2000, Cortland, NY 13045, Telephone: 877 – 828.8811, email: info@youthsportsny.org. Contributions from SUNY Youth Sports Institute and www.baseball-fever.com; Photograph and illustration from the Philipstown Little League and SUNY Youth Sports Institute |
| Every year, it seems, youth sports become more organized. Uniforms fit better. Seasons stretch another week or two. None of that would happen without the coaches, umpires, scorekeepers and concession-stand cooks, who keep youth leagues running.
But have adults reached a point where they are too involved? If so, Tim Donovan may have an answer. As the director of the Youth sports Institute, a think tank based at the State University of New York at Courtland, he travels around the state to lead training sessions for volunteer coaches. Lately, he has also been promoting Sandlot Day 2010, a concept the sports institute developed. The idea of Sandlot Day 2010 is that adults should cede control of games to the players for one day this season. Parents are welcome to show up. But on this day, the children make the rules and run the show. They decide what to wear (full uniform, or T-shirt and shorts). They choose sides and set the lineups. Their authority extends even to the game they decide to play (baseball or a backyard derivative like whiffle ball). In January, the sports institute sent a three-page memo to hundreds of New York youth leagues describing Sandlot Day. Guidelines for the program give players choices like “coach the bases or not, umpire among themselves and make any rearrangements necessary to play.” A few generations ago, all youth baseball was more or less the sandlot variety. Manicured fields were few and far between. Parents were not around to hit fungoes or draw up lineups. Children were on their own to become proficient at sports and to love them.
The benefits of sandlot games are many, sports researchers say. They give youngsters a chance to flex their creative muscles as they invent new rules. When they form teams and make other big decisions, they are also learning to face problems with their friends and, if they play long enough, to solve them. “The lessons learned from choosing up sides – negotiation, conflict resolution – they’re the building blocks of civilization,” Donovan said. A few communities have revived sandlot ball. Methuen, Mass., started a weekly program last summer. The town’s recreation department recruited players with the catchphrase “No parents, no coaches, no registration, no cost.” Bayonne, N.J., runs a summer camp with a sandlot theme. The first part of each camp day features instruction from local coaches. Then the 6- to 14-year-olds take over, playing ball on their own. “There’s no pressure,” said Pete Amadeo, Bayonne’s recreation supervisor. “It’s pretty much all fun.” He says the camp draws almost 100 players most days. This year, the institute aims to have as many as 25 leagues incorporate Sandlot Day into their seasons. It is too early to predict whether it will reach the goal. But at least one seems ready to take the leap. The Pittsford (N.Y.) Little League near Rochester likes the idea. “Everything I’m reading says that baseball’s popularity is diminishing,” said David Hester, the league’s president. “If this has a chance of making the sport more exciting to some kids, that’s cool.” Although adults will be taking a back seat that day, he still plans to put out a call for some mothers and fathers. “The Erie Canal runs by the outfield at two of our fields,” he said. “I’d like a few adults around so the kids don’t jump in.” Mark Hyman is the author of “Until it Hurts: America’s Obsession With Youth Sports and How It Harms Our Kids.” Artwork by Bob Eckstein; photograph by squibbageblogspot.com |
| I would like to give some reasons why young children have drifted away from pick-up games (free play) and explore the possibility of bringing them back. Whether or not you share my enthusiasm for unorganized baseball, you have to admit there are some benefits. But if there are legitimate benefits (that don’t cost money), why are all the open fields empty? And how come the modern kid doesn’t know the rules for “3 flies up?”
One reason is because most parents have unrealistic goals. Instead of viewing sport as a vehicle for personal growth, they see it as a stepping stone to stardom. By training them and enrolling them in every travel ball team in the universe, they mistakenly think they’re giving the child his best shot. I disagree. I think they might be just creating another robot prone to burn out. To be the best in the world (in any field), young players must participate and practice more than just about everybody. There’s simply no substitute for repetitions. So let’s go strictly by the numbers. A kid in the Dominican, as pictured here, might go home after a day of pick up ball with 20 at-bats under his belt. The kid in the United States playing Little League goes home with 4. Assuming each kid plays 3 days a week, one kid is finishing a month with 48 AB’s and the other with 320…without the wear and tear of playing under pressure and the risk of burn out. Should we be surprised that the best players in the world are coming from a tiny little island? An often mentioned factor for the disappearance of pick-up games is fear. I have been told that people rarely let their kids venture out alone, but I have to agree with Mike Lanza in his blog Playborhood, that:
“Kids who are driven around to organized activities are at greater risk of death than those who roam close to home. As for the concern about sports-related injuries, kids today are less likely than kids decades ago to break bones and are more likely to develop “overuse” injuries (e.g. torn rotator cuff) due to the shift from pick-up sports to organized sports.” I don’t know about other neighborhoods, but the reality in and around mine is that I DO see kids outside playing alone. I see children riding bikes or skateboards or playing in the park. But I rarely see them in groups larger than two. The idea that a group of nine kids might have enough free time today to meet in the park and play is unlikely. How about taking the time and money allocated to off season travel ball and spend it trying to find parents with similar interests? Parents should make it a priority to keep the kid’s schedules open and make sure they spend the time outside of the house. Like magnets, young children will come together. If a neighborhood isn’t safe, maybe one parent can be present at the park, but should be remain in the outskirts. Parents should take their child to the open field and teach the games they used to play in their youth. Encourage them to be creative and to change the rules to suit the surrounding and the needs and interests of the children. In the closing article on Youth Baseball, “Revival of Baseball Pick-up Games”, Don will explain many of the low organized games I played when I was a youth. Some of them will jar your memory, but most of them follow the general rules of baseball. I hope you enjoyed this article on unorganized pick-up baseball, that it will open some eyes and perhaps shift some perspectives. I will look forward to your comments. You can contact me by going to The Art of Catching - Brent Mayne Until then, good luck, have fun, and keep your eye on the ball. Photographs by Chris Ramirez for PARADE and Don Weiskopf |
| With youth league games being played throughout the spring and summer, there are still many children who never get a chance to swing a bat. But Batters Up USA is changing that. This non-profit organization is helping to introduce boys and girls to baseball and softball who otherwise would not get the opportunity. The programs offered by Batters Up USA provide an inexpensive, practical way to employ team-based sports to reach deep into the community and address these problems.
How does Batters Up USA tackle its mission? By contributing free equipment to help start up fun, recreational ball programs at parks and recreation facilities, community centers, after-school programs and more. The organization, originally called Play Ball, has seen an increasing interest in its programs. Jess Heald, executive director of the organization, in 2009, explained,, “Our program of equipment grants to local organizations is a winning and cost-effective combination,” adding that an incredibly rewarding result was seeing the programs the organization helped to start up continue and even grow their number of participants.” Heald added that the organization’s secret to success is taking the game to places where kids are already gathered in an organized environment, but where baseball and softball aren’t part of the program lineup.
“We focus on the summer community center programs run by local parks and recreation departments, Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCAs,” Heald said. “Many no longer offer a baseball/softball activity, but most have a usable ball field. Additionally, we are focused on the millions of kids in after-school programs run by these same organizations.” Paul Seiler, executive director and CEO of USA Baseball, called organizations and initiatives like Batters Up USA a “valuable tool we rely on to achieve such goals” as growing the health and proliferation of the sport at the grassroots level. “We strongly support any and all efforts which share our collective mission,” he added, “providing opportunities for kids to play our national pastime, baseball.” Designed for boys and girls of all ages, the Batters Up USA program works well anywhere a ball field is available, in urban areas as well as suburban communities. It contributes equipment – everything from bats and balls to gloves, helmets and catcher’s gear – to help local organizations like parks departments, school systems, YMCAs and civic clubs that want to add baseball and softball to their youth activities programs. Quantities of equipment are based on the size of the program and are subject to availability. All of the equipment is contributed by Batters Up USA’s member companies.
The most popular type of program to which equipment is given are Summer Recreation Center Programs where many thousands of children are already participating in programs supported by organizations of all kinds. Through Batters Up USA, these local organizations can get the support they need to add baseball and softball to their roster of summertime activities. Batters Up USA also has supported after-school programs, and has even partnered with the American Baseball Foundation to develop a curriculum that combines reading instruction with baseball. This program is made up of five two-hour sessions. In each session, children spend an hour working on reading skills using age-appropriate books that feature baseball-related subjects. During the other hour, they learn basic skills of the game and play recreational-level ball games. In this program, Batters Up USA contributes the ball equipment, while organizations may have expenses associated with purchasing reading materials and curriculum. To date, Batters Up USA has helped start up programs in 25 states involving around 11,500 boys and girls. If you’re interested in finding out more about Batters Up USA’s equipment grants, you can visit the Web site at Batters-Up Photographs by Don Weiskopf; Article by Emily Tipping, Editorial Director, Recreation Management Magazine. |
| Many of us who grew up during the 1940s and '50s remember our summer days when we played baseball all day long. We didn't have Little League but we were among a group of neighborhood kids who showed up at a ball field, picked sides and began playing a ball game. Today, ball fields sit empty during the summer because young children have to have everything organized for them. The lack of pick-up and sandlot games has hurt the development of young players in America.
Summer days were once filled with kids playing baseball at a local field, as pictured here on the site of what is now Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, New York. Sandlots are now mostly empty around the country, and summer baseball opportunities have declined. For most young children, the baseball season is over in June, and the great majority are not playing during the summer and not improving their skills. A major challenge of those in youth baseball and everyone else in the game is to get kids to play more on their own. Children today are not playing enough on their own to develop a high level of skills. In his recent and much needed article, "Sandlots Stand Idle Across U.S.", Eric Olson of The Associated Press wrote, "Sandlot baseball, a slice of American life enjoyed for decades by boys from coast to coast, appears on the verge of extinction. The reasons for the sandlot's demise, baseball coaches and sociologists say, go back to the changing family structure, video games, parents' fear of crime, and the proliferation of organized and so-called 'select' teams for more talented kids."
I have always believed that youngsters learn the game best in an unstructured setting. The fundamentals must be practiced continually, even at the big league level. Many kids have missed out on the simple pleasure of playing catch with a parent or sibling. Since they are not playing enough catch, the throwing skills of young children have diminished. They need to make playing catch fun and challenging. Young players need more skill-based, fun-resulting experiences, as opposed to high-pressurized organized league play. Several groups in the United States are trying to get kids outside to play, reported Olson in his AP story. In contrast to Major League Baseball's RBI program - Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities - which features structured league play, Batter's Up USA is taking a more informal approach to rekindling interest in the game. "The goal is to introduce youngsters to baseball," said Olson, "and have them play in a safe and stress-free environment with limited adult involvement." The Batter's Up might be as close as anyone gets to reviving the old-fashioned sandlot game, said Olson. One of the largest Batter's Up programs started this past summer in Dallas, where more than 2,000 kids at Boys and Girls Club participated. Started three years ago, the initiative provides baseball equipment to city recreation departments, Boys and Girls Clubs, and after-school programs. Executive director Jess Heald of Taos, N.M., said 35 organizations in 18 states are participating. The 74-year-old Heald, a retired bat designer for Rawlings Sporting Goods Co., said manufacturers donate much of the equipment, and contributions from benefactors help purchase additional gear. Most kids today do not play baseball unless registered by a parent for an organized team. Many youngsters show up at their first practice having never had contact with the game, as opposed to the kids of yesteryear who learned from siblings and older friends. They are not playing and practicing the game enough today. Young children do not play catch enough. They are not getting in enough reps, throwing and catching the ball, batting, etc. Young children in America must not say goodbye to sandlot baseball. There is still hope that the sandlot and playground baseball play concept will not die. Judging from the many letters I have received following Eric Olson's Associated Press article, young children in many small towns of the United States are still playing sandlot baseball. Contributing to this article is Eric Olson, The Associated Press. Photos by Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, and Don Weiskopf |
| Back in the 1950s and 1960s, neighborhood kids across the nation could be seen gathering every morning at local playgrounds for pick-up baseball. Every park had a leader or supervisor. In 1939 when I was growing up in Libertyville, Illinois, Arthur Kruckman, a neighbor, used a county highway department tractor to grade the vacant lot across the street from our family home. Jim Dowden, a longtime buddy of mine, and I then built a ballfield. Our team was the Libertyville Mudhens, and we even had road games, bicycling to nearby towns like Grayslake and Half Day. We were both the coaches and umpires. The players picked the captains who then picked the teams, assigned positions and determined the batting order. We even resolved our own disputes, modified the rules to suit the number of players. We learned how to cooperate, how to be good winners and good losers. Essentially, we ran our own game. No one was excluded. Nobody said, "You can't play." Later, with the growth of parks and recreation facilities, neighborhood children met at the local playground. When enough players arrived, they would have a good ball game, even rotating and playing different positions. What can be done to get kids back to playground baseball?
The key to the return of sandlot baseball is the thousands of public recreation and park agencies across the country. Children today do not play enough playground baseball, and we need to revive the concept and promote a movement. More opportunities to play baseball in parks and playgrounds need to be provided by local park and recreation departments and school districts. City playgrounds should be open longer and the necessary equipment provided. A major effort should be made to have local recreation and park agencies nationwide spearhead a multiple-sponsorship of Playground Baseball of America, a non-profit organization coordinated by the National Recreation and Park Association and state affiliates. Such a national movement would require the joint cooperation of local and regional recreation agencies and ably supported by a national service organization, school districts, major and minor leagues, law enforcement agencies, the news media and funded by corporate sponsors. Will city recreation agencies be willing to provide facilities and administrative support for Playground Baseball to become a reality? They will if the number of participants, program funding and volunteer leadership justifies their involvement and sponsorship. If successful, Playground Baseball will force Little League and other youth leagues to make changes. Youth baseball will also benefit by giving kids an alternative to Little League. Even more importantly, the program will contribute immeasurably to the revival of sandlot ball and the pick-up games concept, as it will to baseball itself, helping return the national pastime to America's parks and playgrounds. Photo by Don Weiskopf |
| The best way to get children to play more baseball on their own is to promote a return of pick-up games. The youth of America need to be taught how to organize pick-up games on their own, like these school kids pictured below. "We don't see kids playing strikeout against a wall, nor do they play scrub," said Jim Panther, longtime head baseball coach at Libertyville High School in northern Illinois.
Many years ago, during the summer, in the afternoons following school and on weekends, youngsters made the neighborhoods reverberate with the sounds of playing games in parks, vacant lots and in the streets. Among the many games were stickball, scrub, over-the-line, wall ball, strikeout, and later on, wiffleball. There were always 3 or 4 of us to play some version of a game. If we couldn't hit to right, we would stack the fielders, so there was enough to go around. If kids didn't have enough players for stickball, they would play Army Ball, "Catch-a-fly and you're up". Favorite Pick-up Games Ever mindful that the large majority of young kids today do not play pick-up games, nor do they and their parents know how, the following low organized games are a few of those that young children used to play. Quite often, they were played from morning hours to the evening. Work Up Equipment: Baseball and bat. Directions: Work-up is where one player gets to bat until he or she makes an out. When the hitter makes an out, he moves into the field and the fielders move up one position until each has a turn at bat. “Working up” starts from right field position and continues from right to center field; then to second base, first base, pitcher, catcher, and finally the batter. The batter tries to stay at bat for three successive runs while those in the field try to put the runners out. If there is only one batter, he runs between home and first base and continues as batter until he is put out, or successfully completes three successive runs. If there are two batters, they run from home to first, to third and home again. If there are three or more batters, all the bases are used. Wall Ball Equipment: A wall with a drawn strike zone, rubber or tennis ball, and home plate. Directions: One or more players stand about 20 to 40 feet from the wall, preferably concrete. The game begins by having each player throw a ball against the wall. As a drill, throws can be fielded by the player who made the throw. As a competitive game, a player other than the thrower has to field the ball and the “pitcher” can vary the type, speed and difficulty of throws. Rules can be established as to catching the ball on a fly or a bounce. The players can keep score and the one who has the most points will win. Another game involves a pitcher pitching an imaginary game against the wall. He keeps the count, outs, innings and score. To make this an even more competitive experience, two pitchers can oppose each other, alternating innings and keeping score. Army Ball Equipment: Hard rubber ball and bat. Directions: This popular West Coast “stick” and ball game often involves three players, a pitcher, batter and fielder. Of course, more players can play. As to how the game got its name, the field was spread from any makeshift backstop to any tall building, barracks, whatever. This was strictly a pull-hitting game. Batters cannot hit the opposite way. If the batter hit the building above one level, it is a double, another level a triple, and the roof and over, home run. There are no walks in Army Ball. The batter stays at bat until he hits or strikes out. This serves to make hitters wait for desired pitches. Over the Line Equipment: Ball and bat. Directions: Referred to also as Line Ball, this is a favorite playground, school and yard game. With two teams 30 feet apart and perhaps 6 players on a team, the object is for the batter to drive a ground ball through the other team. Each team has a bat. The first player tosses the ball up and tries to bat it across the other team’s goal line. The ball must hit the ground between the two lines. The other team tries to field the ball and then attempts to bat it back across the opponent’s goal line. Each member of each team gets a chance to bat. One point is scored for each ball that crosses the other team’s goal line. Another variation is for the players to throw rather than bat the ball. Scrub Equipment: Baseball and bat. Directions: One player is at bat, with a catcher, pitcher, first base and other fielders. All players are numbered: the batter is scrub; catcher, one; pitcher, two; first base, three; fielders, four and up. The batter hits a ball pitched to him, and runs to first base and back. If he is put out by being tagged at first base or home, striking three times, hitting three fouls or having a fly ball caught, he goes to the field and takes the number of the last fielder. Each player moves over one position and number, first base to pitcher, pitcher to catcher, and catcher to batter (scrub). If the batter gets home safely, he will bat again. Each batter is allowed to make three runs before taking to the field, provided he is not put out. Catch-A-Fly and You're Up Equipment: bat. Directions: One player is at bat and the rest of the players are in the field or down the street. When a fielder catches a fly ball, he gets to hit. Most kids will come up to the plate swinging, trying to hit a home run or a hard line drive. Some will hit a few on the ground so they will stay up longer. So a pitcher may want to throw high pitches to make the batter hit flies. Rather than be close behind the plate, the catcher will position himself safely farther back. If he catches a pop fly, he may be allowed to hit. Pepper The batter stands about 15-20 feet away from a fairly straight line of fielders. Batter hits grounders to the fielders, fielders field the ball and pitch it back to the hitter and on and on. Many rule options. Hitter can lose turn if he lines out or fouls off more than a couple balls. Fielder can become the hitter by catching a pop out. Fielder can be eliminated by making an error. You might include a game of “flip” into pepper by making a rule that the fielder must field the grounder cleanly then flip it to another fielder and down the line. This is a great game for bat control, fielding, throwing strikes, etc. Three flies up This is a simple game where either someone pitches to a hitter or the hitter just tosses the ball to himself and hits until someone in the field catches 3 pop flies. That fielder then becomes the hitter. A variation might be to certain point totals for fielding different balls. For example, 10 points for a fly ball, 5 points for a ball on one hop, 2 points for a grounder. First fielder to a certain number wins or gets to hit. This can also get as rough as you want, often turning into a hybrid of rugby and baseball depending on how much contact the fielders allow. Over the line - variation A field is set up with an area for the hitter. Then, a straight line is established about where second base would be, then another where shallow right field would be. The width of the field is determined by how many people are in the field. The hitter either tosses the ball to himself or hits a pitched ball into the confines of the field. If it lands to the left or right of the boundaries he’s out. A ball that makes it past the first line on the ground is a single. If it lands in between the first and second line in the air it’s a double. If it goes over the deepest fielders head, homer. Outs are made by fielding any grounder in front of the first line or catching a ball in the air. Three outs switch. First to ten Brent Mayne and his son play this game all the time. It’s fun and excellent for concentration and control. It’s a simple game of catch. Get a decent distance away from each other. The receiver stands perfectly still and holds the throw from the thrower exactly where he catches it. A ball that would have hit him in the head is worth two points, a throw that would have hit him in the body area (above the knees though) is worth one. First man to ten wins. Play Catch Equipment: Ball and gloves. Directions: Ever since baseball was invented, Play Catch has been regarded as the game's most valuable drill. Although better known as a warm-up drill, playing catch with another player can also be made a game, one that can be fun and challenging. A player, for example, can see how many times out of 10 throws he can hit a designated target, such as a glove, chest area, or around the knees. Photograph by Anne Ryan, USA TODAY; Game Contributions from Brent Mayne. |
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