Little League baseball: when it did not matter which way we rounded second, all that mattered was how many blades of grass we could pull from the center-field grass in one quick snatch. When I was young, baseball was life for any 11 or 12 year old kid. The only thought on our minds was what time the game was or if we had enough Big League Chew to last all six innings.

At this time many of us could barely tie our shoes, let alone hit the cut off man. There was an upper echelon of kids who seemed to have been bred to play baseball. They knew where to stand for each position, how many seams there are on a ball and every possible way one can grip a baseball. Now all these kids are pulled from the other little leaguers who forgot to tuck their shirts in or tie their shoes and are put on teams that play baseball at levels few could imagine.

The Little League World Series is surreal to watch. It is almost unfathomable that children can play such high quality baseball at such a young age. This year’s teams seemed to be especially talented, there were no slouches or benchwarmers on any team. The excitement was immeasurable. Any given player from any given team was capable of producing a heart-stopping play.

The reason Little League baseball continues to be so popular and produce such talented athletes is simple: the Little League baseball organization looks out for their kids. Little League baseball has put in place many rules in order to protect players. For example, a pitcher may only pitch 85 pitches per game, but after pitching those 85 pitches he or she must rest four days. This rule is crucial because so many little leaguers ruin their arms through overuse. Rules like these have kept the game of baseball alive and helped it prosper.

Without Little League baseball, I do not know what I would have spent my childhood doing. I never would have mastered the art of building castles out of dirt and grass seed or have been able to launch sunflower seeds over great distances with superb accuracy.