Swearing in the stands, long days of travel and night games. Sometimes junior baseball looks more like the big leagues
A baseball player strikes out. Disappointed, he turns to the stands where he makes eye contact with a man who yells, “WHAT A WASTE OF A SPACE.” The player slowly walks back to the dugout, his head hung low, a routine he seems familiar with. He is isn’t a major league superstar like Anthony Rendon, George Springer or Mike Trout, accustomed to the wrath of impatient fans. He is an eight-year-old boy and the disgusted fan is his father who, based on his body language, might as well have yelled, “What a waste of a life.”
This happened a month ago in a midst of an under-nine tournament as we waited for my son’s game, which happened to be against the kid with the angry father. I wanted to hug that kid or at least compliment him in front of his dad. That wasn’t necessary. His team demolished ours and the boy walked away with his father, who looked a little less incensed than he had a couple of hours prior.
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