Play Ball!

These days, a kid’s life during summer is all about camp, play dates, Tennis lessons, and about 100 other things that parents feel we have to organize around keeping our kids busy for two months. Back when I was a kid (yes, in the last century, wise guy), Summer was all about hang out in the neighborhood, walking in the woods, playing with my friends and perhaps playing a game of pick-up baseball.

In a country that regularly flaunts politicians that spout “family values” you would think that some of those Father Knows Best/Leave it to Beaver values would still play in the suburbs well, perhaps out in the heartland, but not here on the Gold Coast of CT. Over in Greenwich, CT, kids are an unavoidable asset that are to be neither seen or heard, but just there as bragging points (“My kid is going to MIT”, “My kid is a Dr.”). So when a bunch of teens in Greenwich decided to do something constructive, positive, and playful, well, you can read it for yourself:

Tim Bellantoni hit one over the Green Monster yesterday - well, sort of.

Here, the locals don’t pronounce it “mon-stah” the way they do in Boston and the pitcher was wearing Vineyard Vines flip-flops instead of spikes.

And shagging a fly ball could lead to a nasty case of poison ivy.

To Tim and a group of resourceful teenagers, their field of dreams is a vacant town-owned lot on Riverside Lane that they converted into a miniature Wiffle ball stadium, complete with outfield fences, bleachers, foul poles and a backstop.

They built a 12-foot-high replica of Green Monster in center field, not in left field as at Fenway Park. Their thinking is that the leaves from an imposing tree would obstruct home runs from clearing the fence. The teens even added some American flags and signs atop the wall, including advertisements for Taco Bell’s Frutista Freeze slush drink.

(Via Stamford Advocate)

No small deal this so called “Field of Dreams”, as the story was picked up by the local TV station, and has since gone national with stories appearing from Boston to Cleveland. Oh heck, even the New York Times itself has gotten into the act.

Personally, I’m not entirely sure what the world is coming to, but I do know that those noisy kids should just sit inside in front of their big screen Wiis, smoking dope, and playing their rock and roll (but only into their headphones), and stop bothering me with all of this “bonding” crap.

The Perfessor

* * * UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE * * *

This just in, News 12 has just reported that the kids have lost their bid to keep the field open. The First Selectman has determined that there is a liability issue involved with the kids playing on Town property, and has shut them down.

Needless to say these kids have just learned early on that you can’t fight city hall, and “The Man” always wins.