“Take me out to the ball game; Take me out with the crowd.” It’s that time again. Baseball, the once great American pastime, is in the air. The major league teams are in spring training preparing for the season’s opening. College and high school teams start playing games next week and little league baseball, still a couple of months away, are organizing for another season.

I enjoy baseball as much as any sport but worry about the rude behavior of some of the fans. Regardless of the level of competition, many people consider it a right to verbally abuse the coaches and umpires.

It’s been my experience that the fans who know the least about the game criticize the most. I’m amazed at some of the people I know that wants their sons and daughters to be great athletes but when in school didn’t participate in sports.

Having been one of those loud, obnoxious fans in the past, I’m glad to report that, today, I can keep quiet, enjoy the game, and appreciate the coaches and players from each team. I also appreciate the efforts of the umpires.

I’m reminded of the following which I recently read in a section of the February 2010 issue of The American Legion magazine called “Parting Shots.”

During a baseball game, the coach asked one of his young players. “Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?”

The boy nodded.

“Do you understand that what matters is whether we win together as a team?”

The boy nodded.

“So,” the coach continued, “when a strike is called, or you’re out at first, you don’t argue or curse or attack the umpire. Do you understand all that?”

Again the boy nodded.

“Good. Now go over there and explain it to your father.”

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