Schooling Youngsters on the Diamond

If school were more like baseball
We’d only have to play.
We’d hang out in the sunshine
and run around all day.

We wouldn’t have to study.
We’d practice and we’d train.
And, best of all, they’d cancel
whenever there was rain. 

– Kenn Nesbitt

The yin of the baseball diamond is the yang of the school classroom – dissimilar in so many ways. Yet, these seemingly polar opposites are forever intertwined.

As the Ledyard Youth League launched its 2011 season Saturday, these common themes were present, even if not apparent to the casual fan. Above all, the success of the larger group – students in the classroom and players on the field – depends on a sense of mutual respect and dedication. 

And a little chemistry always helps.

In one sense, baseball is unlike the other major sports, said Adrian McElwee, commissioner of the Babe Ruth League, which exists within the Ledyard Youth League.

“Baseball is a team sport while, at the same time, it’s an individual sport,” McElwee said  “When you go to bat, it’s all on you. When a ball is hit to you it’s all on you. It’s not like football, where if one of the tackles lets down, there are guys on the other side of him to help pick up the slack.”

McElwee has 12 years experience with the town’s youth league. He said children can learn many of life’s lessons in baseball, just as in school.

“For one thing, when times get tough, you can sit around and whine about it or do the right thing and get moving ahead.”

Ultimately, it takes good chemistry in the classroom and the baseball field for a group of children to excel.

McElwee recalled that his younger son’s baseball team wasn’t especially talented when it came down to individual ability. But the team jelled as a unit and was successful. On the other hand, he said, his older son’s team had more talented individuals but lacked a strong sense of unity and didn’t do as well.

Sean, one of McElwee’s sons, wrote in an application for a college scholarship about how baseball can teach life’s lessons just as they can be acquired in the classroom. He listed baseball situations followed by the lesson to be learned. They are:

1. “He who learns the umpire’s strike zone first has the advantage.” – Know the issues not just from your viewpoint but from the viewpoint of others.
2. “You cannot argue balls and strikes.” – In some things there is no compromise, just acceptance.
3. “Let your bat and glove do your trash talking.” – Actions speak louder than words.  Be who you claim to be and people will believe you.
4. “Getting ‘mercied’ is no fun” – When you’re the guy on top, remember when you were not.
5. “The final score says nothing about WHO played the game, only who won the game.” – It’s not personal.

There are more than 300 youngsters, ranging from early learners of Tee-ball to the experienced Babe Ruth players. Each team has a sponsor and for the first time each sponsor’s name will be listed on the back of the uniform.

At the end of the season, there will be traveling teams, or all-star teams that will play squads from other towns.

John Carrington, who is the youth league’s president, wants to dispel a common misconception. He said many residents assume that the Ledyard Youth League, which also operates a football season, is part of the town’s Park and Recreation Commission’s domain. 

To the contrary, he said, the youth league is a separate entity and financially self-sufficient. The recreation department cares for the ball fields, but otherwise no taxpayer money is involved.

The kids, of course, were unencumbered by such details of league administration when they walked onto the field Saturday. In Ledyard, expectations are high for an exceptional season. 

Let the games begin.