The good, slow life on the diamond

We are moving faster and faster all the time. If you need any

proof, drive through many fast food joints, and you’ll find a clock

measuring not how long it takes to reach the right quality of your

food, but how quickly it can be served to you.

We have brand names such as SpeedPass, On the Run, DataQuick,

QuickServe and In ‘N Out. Our photos are now delivered in seconds and

the Internet takes us halfway around the world in moments.

Some of this is OK. I don’t mind not waiting days for my pictures

or being able to access information on my computer at home without

having to travel to the library. But far too often, speed has become

the measure of what is good or successful.

When we teach our kids that faster is better, when we teach them

that just doing nothing is bad or that looking at one image for more

than seven seconds is torture, we suffer the consequences.

One of those consequences is the sharp rise in attention deficit

hyperactivity disorder. Although I don’t have any scientific

evidence, I believe there is a connection between the sharp rise in

kids with the disorder and our society’s move toward a speedier life.

Their attention spans are short because we’ve taught them that faster

is better and that “multi-tasking” is standard operating procedure in

life. But often, this does not result in doing things any better,

just faster.

One of the slices of Americana that has resisted the move toward a

speedy destruction is baseball. Baseball is slow. It’s good because

it’s slow, and I love it because it’s slow.

Unfortunately, a lot of parents and kids have decided this year

that baseball is not worth the effort and that other sports, ones

with more action, are better for their kids. That is a shame because

now more than ever, kids need baseball.

At the Costa Mesa National Little League, registration is not what

I had expected after last October’s World Series win by the Anaheim

Angels. I was certain after the series that there would be a spike in

registrations, but I was wrong.

Today, I am urging all parents to consider registering for the

upcoming baseball season. There is still time, and even if your boy

or girl is involved in all-star soccer play or in basketball or some

other sport, accommodations can often be made.

And don’t worry about his or her level of skill. After seven years

of coaching or managing, one of my favorite kids was not a superstar,

but he is a terrific kid, and if I ever get the chance to draft him

again, I will jump at it. Every baseball team, just like every

soccer, basketball and football team, has players at all levels of

skill.

Why should you sign your kid up for baseball? Because it’s slow

and kids need to slow down. We all need to slow down. We should all

take a nap every day, too, but that’s another column.

The Costa Mesa National Little League is an all-volunteer army of

parents. No one gets paid any money to do what they do, whether it’s

maintaining the fields, running the snack bar or organizing the

fund-raisers.

Because it is run only by volunteers, the league charges about

half of what surrounding Little Leagues charge. The difference is

made up through fund-raising and sponsorships.

So my second appeal today is for individuals and businesses to

step up to the plate to sponsor the league this year. Any amount

helps. What you will get in return is a pack of grateful parents and

kids who will be reminded of your generosity several times over.

As a manager, I will ask the parents on our team to patronize a

sponsor’s place of business at every opportunity. If you don’t have a

business, you will be reminded of your kind gesture with a plaque or

a banner that will hang in the outfield all season.

Mike Molina will manage a Minor A team this season. Once again,

Mike and I will meet four or five times this season trying to beat

each other on the diamond. But Mike already has my respect, because

one week ago he gave me a sponsorship check for $250 from his

business, Care Plus, in Costa Mesa.

Mike’s business is the private labeling of skin care products.

If you are interested in signing up your son or daughter for

baseball, call the league at (714) 966-2655. If you are interested in

becoming a sponsor, call me directly at (714) 751-4482.

I wish I had some catchy slogan or zippy closing line to get you

to take some action. But baseball is different -- it doesn’t inspire

that way. Maybe that’s the best reason to pick up the phone.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and freelance writer.

Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at

(949) 642-6086.