By Staff
It's playoff time for most baseball leagues in the area. Some have already finished regular season play, some are in the middle of some hot action and some have yet to start. Whichever the case, games are becoming more intense, which means tempers are flaring and the butterflies are really flying in their stomachs.
Kids want nothing more than to win that big trophy and have bragging rights to the No. 1 spot when all is said and done. But we must always remind children and their parents that it's not the end of the world and it's just a game!
It is important not to lose your cool over a bad call by an official or a coach. It doesn't solve anything. Yelling about a bad call will not make it change and only makes things worse. Plus you have to remember the children are watching and can hear you.
Parents, coaches, officials, even other players are role models to these young children. What you say and do, good or bad, is teaching them that it's alright to do and say these same things.
It is also important to constantly stress to your children how wonderful they did in a game, win or lose. Children have a hard time accepting a loss or rejection and can sometimes take it very hard. Keep a positive attitude and it will rub off on them.
In the end, it doesn't matter which team came out on top, which one is at the bottom of the well or who had the most home runs.
What matters is that the children learned fundamentals they can carry with them in years to come, have great role models guiding them through and that they had fun!
The Howard Township Baseball League wrapped up its season on Saturday, Brandywine's Cal Ripken Baseball League is in the middle of the World Series playoffs and will end its regular season on Wednesday and Niles FOP Little League started playoff action Monday evening and will conclude regular season play on Friday evening.
Good luck and congratulations to all teams on an outstanding season of baseball.