I’m a baseball lover.

I was raised in a home with a father who coached the sport at the high school level for more than 30 years.

I’ve been a part of my fair share of good teams and seen last place performances, but in the end, the love of the game never ceased.

When you go to games, it’s easy enough to think back on your younger days, I guess that’s why seeing Dixie Youth games don’t really feel like work.

The past two weeks, Selma has played host to Dixie Youth tournaments and all the Selma teams have played really well.

Not that winning means everything, but lets face it, it makes for a better time all around.

No one likes to lose, not the parents or players, but there’s always something a little bit more to play for.

Fair play and teamwork, picking up your head after failure and succeeding with grace and sportsmanship are just a few things that are learned as a youth on the baseball diamond.

It takes dedicated coaches, who by the way, all take time away from the regular jobs to come out and teach the newest crowd of youngsters.

But, it also takes a dedicated parks and recreation department.

In the age of travel ball and pay for play, those in the youth leagues in Selma spend a mere $10 for the chance to play.

Saturday I found out that an all-star coach from Holtville let one our local coaches know the price it cost each of his players to have the honor of being an all-star, $150.

Again, that’s per player. The cost of Selma’s? Nothing. The city will also pay for the state tournaments for those local teams, even though right now they have to find a little bit more to cover the cost of most teams that have  made it. So here’s to the boys, and girls, of summer. Have fun while the games are being played and remember, and use the lessons learned long after.