A Baseball Story.....sort of

To tell you this story, I have to begin with some visual aids. No pics, though, because I keep forgetting to take my camera along to the park.

Okay, in my teeny tiny town, we have a very nice "park" type of area. I hesitate to call it a park because it doesn't really have a name, and it's sort of laid out funny.

It sits on a nice, long rolling hill. Here goes my attempt at the visual:

_________ Up here is parking area

_______This level is a nice shelter house/picnic area and courts for
tennis & basketball

__________ This level is open and grassy. There is a nice size playground and
a few benches.

___________This level is the Little League field, bleachers
concession stand and bathrooms

After the field, the hill flattens out and the public pool sits below that. Though technically that is a separate area and cannot be reached from the park. Alleys run uphill along both sides of the park. It is only fenced in with an ancient split-rail fence. There are gates to enter at the top near the parking lot and at the bottom near the field.

I, and many many others, have practically grown up in this place. Besides those of us that were dragged here to watch older brothers play baseball, there are also a lot of parties and activities planned for the space. The town Easter egg hunt, various church picnics, you get the idea.

Each level is mostly flat, and the hills that go down to the next are between 40-60 feet long. So if you are standing at the parking area yelling, no on in the play ground area can here you. Now, to watch my sons play ball, my family and I sit on the benches near the playground. Up there, we can sit & talk & complain about the coaches, spit out sunflower seed shells into the grass and other stuff.

Baseball season has started again. Most of the year, I am usually so proud of my little town and the people in it. And then baseball season starts and that all goes out the window. I see people doing the most unbelievable things. A mother changing a diaper on the bleachers. She laid down a blanket and changed a poopy diaper. Now, why couldn't she have moved away from the other people and laid that blanket on the grass? I have changed my child like that too many times to count, as have many others.

People making out with their Significant Others, people yelling & cursing at each other. The worst, by far, are those who let their dogs run, unleashed, around the park areas. And of course, about 95% of these people feel their dog can use this area as a large & convenient public toilet without having to pick up afterwards. Now, while there is a long walkway that runs from the parking level that goes all the way to the field, that is mostly only used by the adults. The older kids run barreling down the hill at top speed. Many of the younger kids like to roll down the hill. One older 'gentleman' (using the term loosely) does not have any relation to him playing ball. But he likes to walk his (leashed) dog in the park and stop to watch the kids play. I wouldn't have a problem with that. However, before he leaves, he walks his mutt up to the playground level to go to the bathroom! He lets the dog do its business, and then he heads back down the walkway, toward the field and out the lower gate. So it's not like it was on his way or anything.

I keep telling myself to just make it through one more season, just one more. But of course, this year both of my older sons are in the Minor League. Next year, OldestSon moves up to the Majors, MiddleSon stays in the minors. The year after that, Both of them will be in the Majors and I will have to start all over again with Toddler in tee ball.