Baseball Days
Little League Is A Youngsters Game
(Ed Note: The following on Lit
tle League baseball competition
was sent us by F. M. Milas, QMC,
USN, a resident here last year and
in the thick of League affairs, who
is now stationed at Buena Park,
Calif. He sent the clipping in the
hope that this strictly boys’ game
as played here, may continue to be
just that, with adults playing a nec
cessary, vital part, but secondary
and exemplary. The article is by
Gil Stratton, a noted baseball au
thority and columnist, and is
quoted only in part.)
“In the years that I spent as a
professional baseball umpire there
were many requests to officiate at
Little League games. I always re
fused for one important reason . ..
I was afraid! You can work hun
dreds of ball games involving great
players with a maximum of pres
sure and survive easily.” But he
says its a different story where a
man’s son is involved.
Stratton goes on to say that
there is something special about
his son to the male of the species.
“Instead of letting the kids enjoy
the thrill of playing in real games
complete with uniforms, umpires,
dugouts, and all the trimmings, the
parents insist on getting into the
act . . . and from my vantage point
. . . crabbing it!” He writes speci
fically about fathers of sons play
ing on the field, and managers
whose only desire is to win, abuse
the volunteer umpires when de
cisions are made. “After all,” he
says, the umpires who are doing
their best, can’t be expected to be
of major league caliber any more
than the quality of play is. Yet the
manager and fans expect the same
perfection they are used to when
they venture to the coliseum and
watch the National League’s Men
in Blue at work. How can we ex
pect the little players to accept the
decisions with a sense of good
sportsmanship with this kind of
example?
“I have personally seen a Little
League president go out on the
playing field to argue a judgment
play with the umpire. This is inex
cusable in any league but if the
act could have been any worse it
was compounded by the fact that
the player involved in the play was
the president’s own son.”
Stratton goes on to bring up
another problem—that of managers
with such a desire to win, who con
tinuously play the more gifted play
ers, leaving the others to warm the
bench.
“We have personally watched
these boys become bored and even
tually lose interest and drop out.
To me, this situation is diametric
ally opposed, “Stratton writes, “to
the whole idea of the Little
League. On the other hand there
are those parents who are dedi
cated to doing a good job and to
them the most important phase of
the program is seeing that every
bov has an opportunity to play.
The writer takes a personal in
stance—that of his own boy who
became eligible to play for the
first time last year. “When he went
out for tryouts and was assigned
to a team, you would have thought
he’d just been signed by the Dod
gers.”
“His team didn’t do too well in
the standings, but I saw no lasting
scars on his personality as a result.
Rather he learned that in life some
times you win and sometimes you
lose, but it takes a bigger person
to lose graciously than it does to
win.”
Let’s Keep Out
“If adults would only keep their
noses out of the Little League and
give the game back to the kids,
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where it belongs, criticism would
be at a minimum. Of course mature
supervision is needed, but let sup
ervision take the form of guidance
rather than an outlet for the
adult’s frustrations.
“Despite my feelings about um
piring as stated above, the inevi
table happened last summer. The
official assigned to the game failed
to show and I was pressed into
service. Have you ever thought
what it would be like to call your
own son out on a 3 and 2 pitch?
The ball split the plate belt high,
and young Mr. Stratton was called
out. He took it in his stride and
never mentioned it again . . . but
his sister won’t speak to me.”
BPW To Meet
The next regular business meet
ing of the Kodiak Business & Pro
fessional Women’s Club will be
held at the home of Mrs. Ruth
Breckberg, on Mission Road on
Monday night, 1 May, at 7:30 P. M.
Mrs. Marcia Craig and Mrs. Ellen
Dawson will be Co-hostesses.
Special business of the evening
will be election of officers for the
ensueing year.
Cat On Hot Tin Roof
Orpheum Offering
"Cat On Hot Tin Roof,”—the Ten
nessee Williams scorcher about the
seamy side of life in the South,
which won a Pulitzer prize and
great success as a stage play, has
Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman
in the lead roles.
Well performed. A picture for
sophisticates. Coming Sunday and
Monday.
“Circus of Horrors”—in Spectra
color should give the moviegoer
some thrills and chills. Not just a
circus picture in the true sense but
is said to contain over 200 world
famous aets.
=7T IS-A—
LOU VEERMAN
Agent
486—2656
SAILING FROM SEATTLE
May 17,1961
MS TAT ALIN A
Seward (Mail Only), Women’s Bay,
Kodiak, Seldovia, Homer, and Kenai
Starts May 4
ADULTS $1.50 — CHILDREN 75c — “EXCLUSIVE” — LIMITED ENGAGEMENT
Orpheum Theatre