I grew up on in a small town on the southern coast of New Jersey, where baseball was king. The town had a little league team that traveled to other nearby small towns, as far away as 20 -30 miles. In the summer these little league baseball games were the main event for the whole area, particularly in our town. Hundreds of people would come to watch them, regardless of whether they had kids playing.
One summer, going to an away game, there was an accident. (There were no buses, the kids were packed into station wagons - seat belts were unknown in those days. ) It was a horrible event that effected all of us. I was 9 that year, and had been cut in tryouts. (Only one other 9 year old made the team.) It was a terrible tragedy One kid died, and there were a number of bad injuries as well.
The town fathers gathered in a local bar and decided too many kids were getting cut, and the travel to other towns 8 or 9 times every summer was something they wanted to end. They decided to make a single league. Someone calculated the number of kids interested in playing and they decided they could easily run 4 teams. (I said it was a small town). So they started a league. They had a two day tryout where we (the kids) all got a chance to hit, field and throw. They had a "draft" (held in the same gin mill) where each team had a coach and an assistant, (volunteered or acclaimed by reputation). The coaches got 100 chits, and they used these bid on the kids. The good 12 year olds were the most expensive.
There were different strategies. My Dad was one of the coaches, and he picked all the good 10 year olds, (who were cheap) and we got third that year. The next year we won the league championship, so the year after, they broke us up, and spread some of us other teams. But I played organized little league baseball for 3 years, and it was very competitive. Almost every boy played. It was a great experience. There was no snobbery or exclusionary aspect to sports. I am sure we didn't "short change" the talented kids by making them play with the average kids. We had about 14 kids per team, and every kid was guaranteed at least 2 innings in a 6 inning game. There was of course gamesmanship on the substitution strategies, but it worked out.
I remember when I was ten going up to hit against a 12 year old with a 70 mile an hour fast ball. (I am just guessing - there were no speed guns). After striking out twice I finally made contact and it blooped over the 3rd baseman's head. I have a lot of sports memories, (both for me and for my son) but that one is up there with the best of them.
