As we approach spring, one of the most refreshing and exciting seasons of the year is near. Graduation plans are being made, high school juniors and seniors have their annual prom, children are off on field trips, family picnics and trips to the zoo are on the agenda, and the baseball season, one of America’s greatest pastimes, is here. 

I’ve attended a few high school games already and enjoy seeing young people I know participate. It seems like every season the fans get more boisterous. Parents become authorities on coaching and their children’s personal accomplishments are more important than the team’s success. 

Umpires are verbally abused and fans say that it’s their right, because they paid to get in. Just imagine how hopelessly impossible it would be to play the game without them. We treat them as if they were the enemy. 

We often hear that athletics will build character (and I think it could), but it depends on the character of the coaches and the attitude of the parents.

The “win at any cost” mentality can and will destroy any team’s spirit. 

I’ve experienced parents ruining their children’s participation in athletics by putting too much pressure on them to excel. The parents most guilty of this are the ones that I can remember who were not very good athletes.

Yes, baseball is one of America’s greatest pastimes, but it’s slowly become an unpleasant experience for the players, coaches, fans and parents.

Remember, how we act reveals how we live.

If you have any comments, or questions, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.com.