ADULTS ARE ROBBING KIDS OF LITTLE LEAGUE PURITY Copyright 2006 The Arizona Republic All Rights Reserved The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) May 24, 2006 Wednesday Final chaser Edition by NATALIE JUNE REILLY, Special for The Republic When I think of baseball, I think of the baseball greats. I'm not talking about the likes of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle or Lou Gehrig. I'm talking about the Little League "greats" like Alec, Kyle, Justin, John, Austin, Nick and Clay, to name a few. To me, if baseball had a heart, it would be these boys. They take the field with guts, glory and a real love of the game. They are the reason for its creation. It's not about the money, the endorsements, or the girls (not yet anyway). It's about a leather ball and a chance to get dirty sliding into home plate with the winning run. As a mother of one of these boys, it is as big a thrill for me to be in the stands cheering them on. When the weather is cool and the heat from the pitcher's mound is hot, it is an awesome experience. However, when grown men dressed as coaches get in the way of that, it is not only a disappointment, it sets a poor example of what the game is about. That's not what these boys signed up for. I've witnessed umpires and coaches getting into each other's face, chests puffed and tempers flaring over a bad call. I've watched in awe, along with a bleachers' worth of parents and a ball club's worth of boys, as a coach publicly humiliated his crying son and repeatedly screamed at him to get out of the dugout because, as we all know, "There's no crying in baseball!" I'm not claiming to be an authority on the sport, but I do know this much. When you put that much pressure on a team of boys to be on top of their game after an eight-hour schoolday, no matter how well they do, they will never feel good enough. "I watched our team drag their cleats off of the field on top of a victory. There was disheartenment in their eyes where there should have been pride. These young men are between the ages of 8 and 11. I've yet to see that much heart put into the game of most major-league baseball teams. Our team has had a winning season. Yet I have witnessed more tears and defeat in our boys' eyes than ever. If grown men can't take the heat of championing good sportsmanship, they should get off the field because there's only one thing worse than crying in baseball -- insulting children in the name of it. Do baseball a favor; get over yourselves and let these boys show you what it means to truly be one of the greats.