03/21/2026
“Just kids, a bat, a ball and a field full of ear to ear grins.” That’s what it’s about! 🧡
I was reminded of exactly what youth baseball should be on Saturday, after our sons’ 10U doubleheader was over.
As we waited for the older boys to wrap up on the adjacent field, a trickle of kids made their way back onto the now-empty diamond they’d just finished playing on—boys from both teams, a few younger siblings, and even a couple of older ones, too.
Before long, they had picked teams and were partway through their own wiffle ball game.
No yelling parents, no ump, just a sea of grey and red uniforms jumbled together like a bowl of jelly beans.
As far as I know, none of the kids from the opposing towns knew each other beforehand. But it didn’t matter—because in that moment, they were just kids brought together by the common thread of a game they all love.
It’s so easy to get caught up in today’s competitive youth sports world.
And don’t get me wrong—of COURSE we want our kids to succeed.
Having drive, discipline, and a winning mindset teaches them so many valuable life lessons they’ll use their entire life.
But that can’t be the whole of it.
What about the FUN?
What about the sandlot-style games without adult interference, where the kids are free to just do their thing?
What about the games where the atmosphere isn’t so heated that they’re able to actually come together and play afterward—no matter who won or lost the official game?
What about giving them the space to fall head over heels for the sport—so much so that they can’t get enough, even after a doubleheader—instead of pressuring them so intensely that their play starts to feel like a full-time job?
What about the basics? What about playing for the pure joy of it, instead of always feeling like there’s someone to impress?
Kids never cease to amaze me. We have so much to learn from them—so much to be reminded of—if we just pay attention.
Just kids, a bat, a ball, and a field full of ear-to-ear grins.
That’s what it always has been—and always should be—about.
© Casey Huff