Little league baseball, moms and not enough apple pie

Little League Baseball, moms and not enough apple pie

By RAY HANANIASouthwest News-Herald Newspaper May 13, 2010

My son is nothing like me when it comes to sports. He loves sports, I don’t.

My parents were too busy working to spend the time needed to walk me through the rigorous schedules of Little League and other sports programs when I was growing up.

And if they did, I’d probably guess I would not have been very good at it any way.

But my son is in a Little League hosted by the Orland Youth Association. I support him and cheer him on. I go to all the practice scrimmages and I go to the games. I’ve even taken him to the batting cages

Although I’ve never been more than an “Easter Sunday” sports fan (ignoring the games until the Super Bowl or the World Series), I’m really in to his performance.

OK, he’s not a “natural” yet — a term I learned from Robert Redford, not sports. But being at the games only reinforces why I stayed away from the sport. I can’t handle sports-politics!

I used to always say that politics is my sport. But after only a few games with my son in Little League, I know sports is the real politics.

I’ve learned a lot, though.

For example, “good eye” is the most popular cheer at a Little League game. That’s what you say after a batter doesn’t swing for a pitch that is a “ball.”

See? I am learning. It’s not all hopeless.

I’ve also learned not to sit next to the moms, who cheer and scream instructions to their sons on the field. “Put your ear muffs on!”

I don’t know how the coaches do it. Sitting there while the moms scream out more instructions than the coaches.

That’s not to berate the moms at all. I admire them. Men are wusses when it comes to kids.

Want to know about sex? Ask mom.

Want to know about baseball? Ask mom, too.

OK. I admit it. Every time my son gets on base, I give him $20. (It goes in his savings account.)

Ever since I offered him the payola, his batting average has shot up dramatically.

That’s what dads know best. Have a problem? Throw money at it. Punish a kid? No way. Give the kid money and ask them not to do it again. It works.

Then there are the stories about elected officials in Orland Park who use their clout to get to pick the best players so they can have the best teams.

I’m looking in to that one, of course. But I’ll wait till the season is over.

It’s all too intense for me, though. I like watching the kids play ball. Why do they have to be under such pressure? Why can’t they have fun and learn teamwork, and the game, of course?

It seems too much for me. As soon as the moms start shouting, I’m down the field near third base watching and taking pictures of my son.

In the end, though, I think the concern of the moms make it all worthwhile for the kids. They’re young. They listen to their moms.

So here’s a toast to the moms. And I’ll bet Babe Ruth’s mom was at many of his first few games yelling at him often.

“Tuck in that shirt, Little Georgie!” (That was the Babe’s real name, George Herman Ruth Jr.)

“Suck in that gut, Junior! Shoulders back, elbow out!”

“You’re not focusing on the ball, George Herman! You want to grow up like your father?”

(Listen to Ray Hanania on WJJG-AM 1530 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday. He also may be heard from 7 to 9 a.m. Fridays on www.RadioBaladi.com in the Chicago area, Dearborn, Mich. and Windsor, Ontario. Check out the Web site at www.radiochicagoland.com or call [708] 493-1530.)

Un-neighborliness spreading throughout the suburbs

Usually it's all happy talk and ignored politics in the news in most suburban communities like Orland Park. But lately, the news has been filled with a lot of violence and un-neighborly misconduct.

Sunday, some kids got their hands on some guns and shot at each other near a park near the Village Hall. One kid died and another is recovery from wounds. The police arrested three kids, and ethnicity and race are issues, sadly. African American. Hispanic. Arab American. It also involved apartment complexes and crowded tenants. And, of course, according to the reports, the confrontation involved drugs.

Drugs and Guns are the real issue here. It happens in every race and culture. But, I guess I don't understand how kids can throw away their lives so easily. Police sound like they plan to seek the death penalty in the murder.

Read the story?

In another case, two neighbors got into a scuffle over something one of their wives did. Yes, one man told the other neighbor that he was upset because he threw a beach ball into their backyard pool. And the other man then threw the complainer into the lake behind their home, "damaging" his glasses and soaking his cell phones.

Read the story?

Water's not good for cell phones, I know that much!

How can two people who live next to a beautiful pond find the time to fight with each other over such trivial issues, especially when they have ducks and geese wandering all over dropping their "droppings" all over, too?

Duck and Geese droppings look like they belong to Doberman Pinchers or something. I'm not saying redirect the anger and kill the ducks or the geese. Chances are the fines are worse. but don't we have other things to talk about as "neighbors" than to be so uncivil to each other?

I know a neighbor who had their pool slashed -- no doubt by another neighbor. neighbors in the suburbs are not being so neighborly at all these days.

I didn't realize that neighbors in the suburbs knew each other enough to be angry at each other. Don't you at least have to know someone's last name before you throw them in a pond behind your house or damage their property? People in the suburbs moved to the suburbs to "not know" their neighbors. Suburbanites don't want to be bothered. So why would you then take the extra-ordinary step of committing some physical contact with your neighbor, like throwing them in a pool.

Parents walk their kids to school in the morning these days out of fear. About 30 percent of the fear is that some stranger will grab their kids. But the remaining 70 percent of the fear is that a neighbor will be unneighborly and do something worse to their kids.

Gotta protect your kids, family and property from suburban neighbors, I guess. While tip-toeing around the duck and geese poop.

-- Ray Hanania
www.TheMediaOasis.com

Kite kaboodle brings out the children in all of us

I took Aaron, my 8-year-old son, to the Kite Kaboodle Sunday at the Orland Park Village Center near the civic center. They had the Kite Kaboodle, where kids can make their own kites and then fly them.

Not everyone knows how to make a kite.

But everyone did have fun. Fortunately for Aaron, I managed to put the kite together (without my glasses) and it flew. And wow did it fly. We've been out several times in the Springs past trying to fly a kite -- a box kite, a store bought kite -- but they rarely got much height.

I blamed it on the lack of real wind.

But there wans't much wind out Sunday and Aaron's kite shot up straight to the heavens all the way to the last inch of string.

I was surprised there weren't more kids and parents there. Orland Park has some great family fun events, this one co-sponsored by the SportsPlex. What a blast.

We saw Heather Warthen of the Orland Park Prairie out there taking pictures. I don't think Heather ever sleeps, she's everywhere. And, there was a writer and photographer for the SouthtownStar covering the Kite Kaboodle, too.

Orland is getting a lot of media attention these days. While all of the suburban communities are experiencing drops in retail sales and store closing, Orland is managing to survive very well and the newspapers and media know it. They have a great advertising base out here.

But watching my son hold the last of the string as the kite he made fluttered high above in what little wind was there, smiling, was real satisfaction. It's nice to see kids have fun.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Tinley Park Community Halloween tops the region

Tinley Park saw a flood of Orland Park residents attend their annual Halloween for the kids program Saturday October 25th, in part because of the high fees imposed by the Village of Orland Park for their similar program.

The Village has been cash-strapped and has been increasing fees, cutting services and reducing the tax-rebate program which was approved originally to off-set the Orland Park home rule sales tax increase of .75 on all sales. The sales tax hike today has become regressive in the face of so many other sales tax hikes.

The Tinley Park Park District turned out to be the alternative to the high taxes and fees in Orland Park. There were no charges in Tinley for children or families from the within or outside of the village. And, in today's economy, that was a major source of interest for the more than 310 people who attended the event with their children.

Children dressed up in everything from witches to politicians, from Spiderman to Batman. The event was held at the spectacular 65,000 square foot Tony Bettenhausen Recreation Center which in addition to being a recreation center and gynasium is also a museum for the many achivements of this car-racing family. The kids flocked around one of the Bettenhausen race cars roped off in the center foyer of the entrance lobby.

Down the hall, the Tinley Park Park District set up rooms with attractions that included a story-teller, an exhibit of bugs, spiders, and lizards, face-painting, games and more.

Downstairs, the kids could play more games and lined up for more than a dozen games where they could win prizes. The lines were long but the patient children had fun waiting for their turn to ring toss, play the "Bozo-buckets" and more and every child left with a bag loaded with free goodies to make their halloween enjoyable.

"This is amazing," explained one mother who said she lived in Orland Park. "We went to the Orland Park Halloween event and they wanted us to pay. It just seemed wrong."

Her sentiments were repeated by dozens of parents and the topic of the day in fact was the ongoing discussion about the charges in Orland Park, and the new taxes and high fees for services.

"I love the Orland Park Recreation Department. I don't blame them. But even if you are a resident, it's costly. I have four kids," another mother explained. "It's free here and my kids are loving every minute of it."

While Orland Park also sometimes becomes a self-promotion for members of their staff and friends to perform, Tinley Park's event focused entirely on the children.

The biggest attraction was the haunted house in the downstairs gynasium. Children entered and left the huge in-door haunted house screaming with laughter.

Students from nearby Victor J. Andrew high school served as cheerful volunteers to make the event from 12 noon until 3 PM the most enjoyable for the children.

This is the 6th year the village has hosted the free event for families in the region.

-- Ray Hanania
www.OrlandParker.com

New Lenox and Yorkville named most Playful Cities (for Children) by Kaboom Magazine

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008

Contact: Mike Vietti, KaBOOM!, 202-464-6076 or 202-327-0086


Where There’s a Will, There’s a Play:
KaBOOM! and qubo Name New Lenox & Yorkville Among 67 “Playful City USA” Communities
- Communities Across the Country Recognize the Importance of Play -

WASHINGTON, D.C. – To ensure that their children are active and healthy, New Lenox and Yorkville were among 67 communities across the country that have taken innovative approaches to make play a priority. Despite mounting budget issues, communities large and small, urban and rural, in the red and in the black, have created initiatives to increase both the quantity and quality of play and playgrounds, as well as increasing access to existing opportunities to play.

To honor these cities and towns that have made this commitment to play, KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to bringing play back into children’s lives, named them Playful City USA communities. Playful City USA is a national recognition program that honors cities and towns across the nation who put their children’s well-being first by recognizing and harnessing the power of play. KaBOOM! and qubo, the television and online service for children, announced the list of 2008 Playful City USA communities and will support the initiative with an extensive marketing campaign.

This is the second year of the annual program, and 27 of the 31 founding Playful City USA communities have made the list again, while 40 new communities, including New York, Los Angeles, St. Petersburg and Orlando have joined the ranks. The agendas all of these communities have created impact not only childhood wellness, but public safety and quality of life issues.

Each of the 2008 Playful City USA communities demonstrated creative commitments to the cause of play including:

QUANTITY

* New York City (pop. 8,250,567) Mayor Michael Bloomberg partnered with the Trust for Public Land to create places to play within a ten-minute walk of every child in the city. Current plans call for the creation of 185 new playgrounds and community parks, serving more than 380,000 children.


* In 2004, St. Petersburg, Fla. (pop. 252,246), launched “Play 'N' Close to Home”, a public/private partnership to build playgrounds within a half-mile of every child. To date, this partnership with schools and houses of worship has increased the number of playspaces by 20%.

QUALITY

* The City Council of Greenbelt, Md. (pop 20,903) is ensuring the quality of existing playgrounds by creating a new initiative to foot 75% of the cost to maintain and upgrade unsafe playgrounds controlled by Home Owner Associations. In return, the HOAs agree to make their playgrounds open to the general public.


* In San Francisco (pop. 719,077), the Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC) created a Playground Report Card and follow-up action plan. Any public playground that receives an “F” is visited by a group of community volunteers who undertake safety improvements and clean up days.

ACCESS

* To dramatically increase access to playgrounds, Tucson, Ariz. (pop. 543,897) is opening up its existing school playgrounds after school hours, on weekends and during the summer. Los Angeles (pop. 3,684,820) has launched a pilot project along the same vein.


* Teens in Landfall, Minn. (pop. 700) desperately needed a place to skate, so the community hired a bus to take the kids to the nearest skatepark, over 40 miles away. The program was so popular, the community is now working on building a skatepark of their own.

KaBOOM! also selected New Lenox and Yorkville for their dedication to play. The grand opening of the Crystal Springs Park served as the kickoff of “Picnics in the Park” and the city’s second annual Play Day on July 18, 2008. The goal of Play Day for the New Lenox Play Commission is to bring citizens out of their homes and into the parks. “Picnics in the Park” specifically focuses on encouraging families to picnic and play in the parks. This day of play focuses on providing the residents plenty of opportunities for unstructured play, food, and entertainment.

The city of Yorkville Playmaker Committee has created an innovative program to get children involved in its new initiative Play Passport. With the click of a mouse, parents and children can discover the 21 free events known as a Series of Playful Events that engage Yorkville citizens in unstructured play activities. Attendance at each event earns kids a sticker that can be redeemed for prizes – including possibly eating breakfast with the mayor.

The KaBOOM! vision is a great place to play within walking distance of every child, while qubo’s mission is to promote healthy lifestyles for children. Playful City USA communities create best practices, like the ones above, to reach those same goals. They serve as role models for other communities and prove that enhancing children’s well-being by increasing the opportunity for play is an attainable goal for every community.

“In a time when communities are struggling with critical financial decisions, New Lenox and Yorkville proved their commitment to the cause of play by launching creative initiatives designed to increase access to playspaces, improve the quality of play in their community, and increase the time children spend playing,” said Darell Hammond, KaBOOM! CEO and Co-founder. “The ideas range the gamut, from new programming and access initiatives to creating informational resources and public private partnerships. It just goes to show you, where there’s a will, there’s a play.”

Added Rick Rodriguez, president and general manager of qubo, “qubo shares the goal of enhancing the lives of America’s children through play. We applaud New Lenox, Yorkville and the other ‘Playful City USA’ communities that have made play a priority and are proud to be part of this effort that gives kids the opportunity to be kids again.”



2008 Playful City USA Communities
*Ankeny, Iowa
Arlington, Texas
*Atlanta, Ga.
Bloomington, Ind.
Brentwood, Calif.
*Canton, Ga.
Cerritos, Calif.
*Chandler, Ariz.
Columbus, Ga.
Coolidge, Ariz.
*Creedmoor, N.C.
Danville, Va.
DeRidder, La.
*Dothan, Ala.
*East Cleveland, Ohio
*El Paso, Texas
Encinitas, Calif.
Findlay, Ohio
*Gilbert, Ariz.
Grand Prairie, Texas
Green River, Wyo.
*Greenbelt, Md.
Henderson, Nevada
Hernando, Miss.
Huntsville, Ala.
Irvine, Calif.
*Kenner, La.
*Kerman, Calif.
La Mesa, Calif.
*Lake Charles, La.
Lake Saint Louis, Mo.
*Lake Worth, Fla.
Landfall, Minn.
Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.
*Longview, Wash.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Mercer Island, Wash.
Murray, Ky.
Nampa, Idaho
Neenah, Wis.
*New Lenox, Ill.
*New Roads, La.
New York, N.Y.
Newport News, Va.
*Norfolk, Va.
Northglenn, Colo.
Orlando, Fla.
Palm Bay, Fla.
Parkland, Fla.
*Phoenix, Ariz.
*Portsmouth, Ohio
Riverside, Calif.
Riviera Beach, Fla.
Safety Harbor, Fla.
St. Paul, Minn.
St. Petersburg, Fla.
*San Francisco, Calif.
*San Jose, Calif.
*Shirley, Mass.
*Spartanburg, S.C.
Springdale, Ark.
*Tucson, Ariz.
*Wapello, Iowa
West Palm Beach, Fla.
York, Pa.
Yorkville, Ill.
*Yuma, Ariz.

* 2007 Playful City USA

2008 Playful City USA Communities by state:
10: California
9: Florida
6: Arizona
4: Louisiana
3: Georgia, Ohio, Texas, Virginia
2: Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Washington
1: Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Applications for 2009 Playful City USA recognition will be available beginning October 13.

The KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, including the Playful City USA program, is made possible via the support of the Omidyar Network.

About KaBOOM!:
KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct nearly 1,500 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including an online community, regional and national trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, which includes Playful City USA and the Playmaker Network – a national network of individual advocates for play. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

About qubo:
qubo® is a groundbreaking bilingual, multi-platform entertainment destination for children that focuses on literacy, values and healthy lifestyles while celebrating the unlimited possibilities of a child’s imagination. Most of qubo’s shows are associated with popular children’s books, and the network’s interstitial programming continues to reinforce messages about early literacy and healthy living. Beyond its quality television offerings, qubo utilizes its interstitial programming, website and outside partnerships (with the U.S. Olympic committee and Reading is Fundamental) to promote messages about healthy living and literacy. qubo also recently adopted a set of nutritional guidelines for acceptable foods that can be advertised on air. Formed in 2006 by an unprecedented alliance of leading distribution partners and content players in children’s television, including Scholastic, ION Media Networks, NBC Universal, Corus Entertainment and Classic Media, qubo offers dynamic content in multiple environments. Currently broadcast on NBC Saturday mornings, ION Television Wednesday- Friday afternoons and Telemundo weekend mornings (check local listings) qubo also includes a 24/7 qubo Channel and website, www.qubo.com.

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