Little League Baseball has Big League sized problems

My Little League career was awesome. No doubt, my finest days as a baseball player. As captain of the infield as an All-Star left-handed short stop, I led the Pirates to a 17-3 record and a deep run in the Tournament of Champions along with a walk-off hit against our rivals in an All-Star game. I didn't end up taking the team to Willamsport, but none the less, it was a blast. I finished as a six-time All-Star and if there was a Ponderosa Little Leauge Hall of Fame, I think I would be a first ballot vote in.

The number of time I have heard "All Star" could be in the millions

                                                     
But recent research for a graduate school essay has left a frown on my face. Little League numbers have been dropping. And fast. From 2000 to 2009, Little League numbers have dropped 24% and many kids are giving the same reason: the game is boring to them.

So, I sit here thinking to myself how can the game I love be boring? But then I think of a kid in right field, where the ball never gets hit, sitting and picking dandelions and waiting for the post game snack of orange slices and a Capri Sun. How can we get kids more engaged and enjoy the game?

Other sports like football and basketball admittedly are much more fast paced and I can see the appeal to a youth society that can't go five minutes without picking up their brand new iPhone to play a game of Flappy Bird.

This game is the worst, by the way.

We need to teach kids that baseball can be fun, it can be exciting. We need to teach them how on every play, there is a lot that goes on. The pitch selection depending on the count, the shifting of an outfield for a left handed batter or the runner on first taking different leads depending on the move from the pitcher. Baseball might be a slower game to some, but it is more complex than it seems. The basic throw, hit and catch is not the only thing that baseball can provide.

Get out with the kid and throw the ball around with him for 10 minutes. Get a bucket of balls and go hit at a field, even it if is just wiffle balls. Help make your kid better. Don't make a child lose interest in baseball because no one took the time to help them improve the skill. I realize not everyone is going to be an All Star, but that does not mean they can't have fun being part of a team.

There was nothing greater than hanging out in the dug out and spitting seeds while chowing down on some Big League Chew. Every child deserves the chance to have fun with their friends and enjoy America's greatest past time.

Isn't that wright, David? HAHAHA