Brookline Youth Baseball teaches more than baseball

Brookline- Phil Schroeder, the summer ball coordinator of Brookline Youth Baseball, went to Eliot Field in Warren Park Tuesday, July 12, to watch his son’s team of 10- and 11-year-olds battle it out against the South End. He said his son was learning to be patient and wait for his pitch.

The lessons were more than just baseball-related though.

“It sounds cliché,” Schroeder said. “But baseball really is full of life lessons.”

Schroeder’s son’s team is one of six Brookline teams in this summer’s Bay State League, a competitive arrangement where kids ages 9 to 18 have an outlet to play baseball.

While the Brookline fall and spring leagues are more inclusive with their membership, the summer league is more competitive, and asks the children to try out.

“We get a much better brand of baseball,” he said. “We really see these kids grow.”

So far this season, the 10-and-Under team has a 3-1 record, the 11-and-Under teams has a record of 4-1, and the 12-and-Under has a 2-4 record.

There are also three other leagues for older kids at 14-and-Under, 16-and-Under and an American Legion team meant for those older than 16.

Schroeder said he was amazed by Brookline’s performance this year. All three of the teams for younger children might go to a tournament called Trophy Weekend, he said, crediting Brookline’s success to a focus on the basics.

“What we’re trying to do is return to the glory days when we really were a powerhouse,” he said. “We’re returning to the fundamentals.”

The Bay State League has more than 60 communities of varying skill and abilities involved. Schroeder said that one of the many things to learn from baseball was how to sometimes lose.

“Baseball humbles you,” he said. “Its as much about failure as success.

Schroeder said that he hoped people from Brookline would get involved with the league, whether that meant enrolling their children or just watching the games.

“I really believe if a child likes baseball,” he said. “Then we’ve got a home for them.
Evan Koslof
7/14/11

Originally Posted: http://www.wickedlocal.com/brookline/news/x593339507/Brookline-Youth-Baseball-teaches-more-than-baseball#axzz1S6wD8GMo