Baseball and its lessons

The first pitch of the season has been thrown and the professional baseball season is in full swing. So it is for kids who play Tee ball, softball, and baseball at school, a recreation or community center, or in their own neighborhood.

Playing a team sport has huge benefits for children — I saw it when my son started playing Tee ball (opens in a new window) in first grade. He had lots of fun but also learned a great deal by playing with other kids, listening to his coach, and figuring out some of his limitations as well as his strengths.

A recent book by Fred Bowen (opens in a new window) (who also writes a sports column for the Kids Post (opens in a new window)) reminded me that beyond playing the sport, reading about a sport and some of its early heroes can be exciting — and an endless source of topics to engage children and get them thinking about lots of issues.

How would you respond if asked if you’d go for the sure thing or do something that was more difficult — but clearly a more honorable course? That very question is posed in Bowen’s book, No Easy Way: The Story of Ted Williams and the Last .400 Season (opens in a new window) (Dutton).

Ted Williams confronted the question to stay with his .400 batting average and sit out the final games of the 1941 season or risk it and play them. Tension builds as the events of the season unfold. Will Williams take the easy way? Can he maintain his batting average and finish out the season?

Beyond leading to fine discussion, this is an appealing book that seamlessly includes background information (e.g., what is a batting average and how is it determined? Why is a .400 so unusual? Why is this Williams’ last season?). The accompanying illustrations include actual photographs of Williams adding yet another dimension.

I hope my son will continue play team sports — he tells me that he’s thinking about going out for baseball next year. And I hope we will continue to read and talk and think about some of the sports figures — past and present.