Sunday evening, we went to see a Cub’s game–well, not actually THE CUBS, but a little league game of a friend who plays on the Cubs team.  He is in 6th grade and has been playing little league for many years.  The reminder of how serious some parents can be about their little munchkin’s sports came about as fast a baseball smacking me in the face.  No sooner had we taken our seats on the bleachers when a parent begin to YELL at the coach–Apparently, the father didn’t want the coach to coach his son.  Interesting, as this is what the entire argument was about.  The debate became heated until all the players on and off the field, all the parents, the parents from the other team, and the umps stopped play to look at the dueling pair.  What didn’t help matters to any degree was that both umps were no more than seniors in high school, so their attempts to break up the fight were ignored and the war of words continued.  One of the umps cleared his throat again, probably to keep his voice from cracking, and said in the most manly voice possible, “Hey, let’s get back to the game.”  The fight fizzled, and to the credit of the parent who started the fight, he seemed truly remorseful, and apologized to those around him.

Fast forward an inning or so, and a chubby kid steps to bat.  He’s known for striking out.  Out of the corner of my eye, I notice an older man in a purple shirt watching the boy intently.  The count is 3 balls 2 strikes.  The ball is pitched, and the boy doesn’t swing–He’s out.  His countenance drops drastically as he heads for the dug out, but he is outran by several strides of the man in the purple shirt.  “It was 3 balls, 2 strikes, and when it’s 3 balls, 2 strikes, you swing?!?!?!?  What !?!?@?@ are  you !?@!?@#?? thinking??!@??!#@”  His words are infiltrated with cursing, and the volume of his yelling is enough to quiet a true Cubs stadium.  Now the question I want to ask the purple shirt man is WHAT ARE YOU THINKING????  Do you think it does the boy any good to receive this type of ridicule? Do you think your grandson will be able to hit the ball BETTER the next time at bat because of this little EPISODE? Maybe the man needs to screw his brain on his head correctly and realize that the next time the boy gets up to bat, this situation will replay like a video tape in the little leaguer’s head… and he will be far less likely than ever to hit that ball!  Come on now, I mean REALLY (as sarcasm is just dripping off my computer right now), doesn’t every young adolescent boy hope for this type of grandfatherly relationship?  Isn’t it every sixth graders’ dream to be humiliated by his grandfather in front of peers, parents and coaches!  The boy looks as if tears are about to spill and turns away from his grandfather.  The grandfather, then, turns and attacks the mother for “enabling the boy’s behavior.”  Whatever that was supposed to mean.

These were the two major (even though it was little league! haha) things that happened, but throughout the evening, as parents yelled at their players and coaches questioned the calls of the umps, I just wanted to scream, ” This isn’t the pro’s, Mister!”