It’s time

Ville Platte, your time has come.
Our babies were cooped up for the better part of a year. They did the best they could to be well-behaved. And, speaking from experience, my own kids did great in a time of crisis.
To put it bluntly, the pandemic sucked for most of our kids. Their privileges were taken away to be kids for the most part.
Their social settings were taken away for a few months as well. Even school changed throughout the year.
Beginning this weekend, and all through the summer, we get a chance to pay back our babies.
With Dixie Youth all-star season beginning this weekend, it’s another turn of the page as Louisiana begins to go back to normal.
This summer, our kids will get to be in competition with people their age against kids who they don’t see every day.
Putting it simply, it’s going to be awesome for them.
We know the parents of the kids will be there. Probably even the brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and grandparents as well.
However, I’m going to ask you as a reader to do these kids one favor this summer.
Make it to one tournament. Just one. I don’t think it’s a lot to ask.
Like I said, the kids finally have a sense or normalcy. No masks and baseball already were huge steps for them.
Now, let’s make it weird for them in the most awesome way possible.
Pack the house. Make it to the ballpark for the kids. Make it special.
I don’t know about you, but the idea of playing in front of a ballpark full of people was an absolute fantasy for me as a kid.
Every kid dreams of the big stage. No kid thinks of an 0-2 count in a spring training game.
They all imagine the full-count in Game 7 of the World Series.
In other words, kids crave a moment.
So, the challenge from me to you is simple … let’s give these kids a moment they can talk about for the rest of their lives.