Back to 1974, East Tacoma Washington, it is game day, almost 10am. As Players and Parents cross the parking lot the seniors begin to gather at the fringe of the field. For them between the talking and their pace, it will still be 10 more minutes or so before they reach the bleachers.
There are no pressures to finish a blog on Myspace. No handheld HD camcorders to capture those perfect moments to last upload onto Youtube. Any talk about stocks is what Grand Mother is brewing from last nights left dinner.
Loud speech and jibs about how deaf each other has become is usually followed by the pleasantries of passing around the swisher sweets with the restriction that grandma will not find out.
All in all it is just like watching little boys as they gather at the base of their favorite tree to swap candies before dinner outside of Moms watchful eye.
What ever conversation is being discussed is promptly dropped when the umpire makes his presence known. That is the moment all glasses focus on him with a unified effort to remind the umpire of what a strike zone is, foul verses fair ball and what ever bleacher umpire coaching they can assist with.
For Grand Parents, their heroes are warming up. All under five feet tall, awkward, gum being snapped and blown into bubbles. These Players never make the papers and are prone to tummy aches after the consolation ice cream Sunday following a tough loss or energetic win.
So what has really changed in the last 32 years? Have Grand Parents lost the luster for their favorite players? Is their interest in baseball so far from their busy lives managing their portfolios on E*TRADE or keeping up with their posts on Myspace or Youtube?
Communication breakdown between distanced Grand Parents and Grand Children is the likely culprit. In 1974, most children could take a modest bicycle ride to visit with their Grand Parents. Weekly dinners or stops on the to or from shopping kept Grand Parents aware of what was happening.
To days Grand Parents are separated from their Grand Children by distance, difficulty in traversing any safe route and the demands of the Parents by their jobs, schools and activities. Not wanting to interfere or become a burden on the challenges their own children face in this modern world, Grand Parents site peacefully by keeping themselves occupied as best they can.
Many leagues expect Parent participation in the preparation of fields, helping hands at the fundraisers and financial support of the year end finale. Some leagues go as far as to mandate how much time Parents must volunteer in order for their children to participate.
How much nicer would the fields be if there were a team dedicated to their preservation. This same team could have the donation table in front of the local grocery store manned for days on end without missing a beat. Accountants, Lawyers, Engineers, Master Carpenters, Master Electricians and Salesmen; this team is highly skilled and backed by years of solid experience.
Grand Parents quietly sitting and tending to their own affairs are the most under utilized resource available to any league. In years past, bake sales were the sole territory of the blue hair brigade. Slow, methodical women that make cookies and cakes to die for.
Lets take a look at the numbers. Say your league has 10 teams, each team has 12 players; the most Grand Parents available is 480. Putting it into reality, there are probably only 30% of those in the area and lets say only 50% have the ability to physically participate. Now you only have 72 people to work out the details of field maintenance, help with fundraising, figure out the IRS forms and manage the league checkbook. 72 people just waiting to be asked to come out and play.
How wonderful would it be to be able to organize 72 willing, motivated, trained and experienced people for your volunteer efforts. With that many people the entire facility could get a once over every week. Needed repairs assigned to the proper folks. Pride of participation and the love of their heroes.
The process of developing your own blue hair brigade is quite easy. At the beginning of the season have a meeting with all the Grand Parents and see what commitments you get. Should you find the numbers lacking, visit the local senior center. Making an offer of something meaningful to participate in will clear out that hall faster than a skunk in a sorority house.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- Increase your Myspace, Youtube, Soundclick, Blog and Website Traffic
- Benefits Of Using Myspace Promo Tools And Services To Stand Out, Get Myspace Plays, Climb Charts
- Ways To Get Your Music Noticed And Get Myspace Plays And Views
- How to Market yourself or your Business on Youtube and Myspace
- Discovered! How to Create a Video on Youtube, Myspace or Facebook That Pulls a Ton of Traffic
- How Much is Too Much? Pimping Out Myspace Layouts
- Add More MySpace Plays Whenever You Want Them, Increase Plays, Get Signed And Climb The Charts
- Myspace – to Believe or not to Believe




How to Choose From Softball Bats On Sale
By: Kris Saelen | 15/11/2009In this day and age, the Internet is a big part of the retail industry. It offers easier and faster transactions which are both of great importance especially to people who are on the go. But there is a problem.
Cheap Red Sox Tickets Where To Find Em
By: Doug Muraski | 14/11/2009Boston Red Sox fans now you can buy cheaper tickets to Fenway Park. Locating the cheapest Red Sox tickets is relatively easy.
Baseball Tips On Hitting---Are You Getting Jammed Inside Too Often?
By: Larry Cicchiello | 14/11/2009Hey, it's not the end of the world if pitchers are getting in "your kitchen" too often. Let's look at some baseball tips on hitting that will help you out.
Baseball Hitting Tips---Hitting Problem Against Tough Low And Away Strikes
By: Larry Cicchiello | 14/11/2009Tough low and away strikes can be tough for a baseball hitter. If you are having more than your share of hitting problems when a pitcher works you low and away, read this. Hopefully it will help you.
Baseball Tips on Hitting---Problem Swinging Late At Pitches
By: Larry Cicchiello | 13/11/2009Having a hard time catching up to the heater? There are some very good baseball hitting tips that will help you!
Things to Consider with Baseball Fundraisers
By: Howard Gottlieb | 13/11/2009For more than a century boys and girls have been playing baseball. From Little League to the Majors, baseball is undoubtedly one of America's favorite pastimes. For youth all the way to High School level baseball there is often a need to supplement what the school and parents can provide in the way of money with a fundraiser.
Seeing the baseball and softball properly when hitting
By: Bobby Woods | 13/11/2009As parents and coaches, we often tell our children to keep their eyes on the ball when hitting a baseball or softball. Without a doubt this is an excellent teaching point. It probably should be stated more often by parents and coaches, including myself.
Baseball Fielding Tips---Throwing Problems and How You Can Fix Them
By: Larry Cicchiello | 12/11/2009This article will tell you what the most common throwing problems are and how usually they are easily corrected. One is extremely common!
Safe in the Batters Box?
By: Mitchell Dowdy | 25/02/2008 | BaseballAll batters will face a judgment call of whether to stay in the batters box or move out of the way for game play. Depending on the Umpire and the level of play, the outcome can be opposite of what you would imagine.
What I Know and Remember About Baseball - Soft Hands
By: Mitchell Dowdy | 03/01/2008 | BaseballSmack, the ball is driven low, on the ground right at the third basemen. He is ready, knees bent, bottom down and both hands out. Alignment is perfect as the ball skips along the grass. Just one more little hop and the ball is in the glove, but wait, it bounced out and what began as a likely easy out is now a scramble for control followed up with a frozen rope to first.
What I Know and Remember About Baseball - Teaching
By: Mitchell Dowdy | 02/01/2008 | BaseballOn one knee, hat in hand, eyes watering from emotion welling up inside, pleading with heartfelt desire, it can be sad to watch a coach doing everything they can contrive to get a player to understand what they are supposed to do.
What I Know and Remember About Baseball - Bat Selection
By: Mitchell Dowdy | 30/12/2007 | BaseballThe perfect baseball bat for everyone! Eliminate the guesswork with one simple formula to select the perfect stick to take your batting average to the stars.
What I Know and Remember About Baseball - Aggression
By: Mitchell Dowdy | 28/12/2007 | BaseballDid the faulting player cause harm to another? Is this a case of aggression or an incidental accident.
What I Know and Remember About Baseball - Grand Parents
By: Mitchell Dowdy | 13/11/2007 | BaseballAs fields fall into disrepair and Parents struggle to balance jobs, home and sports a simple solution is available for all leagues in all areas from their most under utilized resource.
What I Know and Remember About Baseball - Relay
By: Mitchell Dowdy | 11/11/2007 | BaseballFrom the outfield to the bag, the motions of the relay man are likely the most difficult in Baseball. Catch and control on one side then get it moving again to the target. Get it right and everyone can see how it is done when its posted to Myspace. Get it wrong and the consolation Sunday just is not as sweet.
What I Know and Remember About Baseball - Seasons
By: Mitchell Dowdy | 02/11/2007 | BaseballPre Season, Post Season, Mid Season, is there ever really a time that is not in Season