Baseball's a hit in Yarmouth

By Michael Gorman

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

If anyone could attest to the fact that minor baseball is once again booming in Yarmouth County it would be those people whose homes neighbour ball fields.

There was a period of time when, even during the peak of summer, there was very little noise coming from those fields. But now, just about nightly, the sound of parents and kids cheering and the crack of the bat can be heard for several blocks around any ball field in the county.

Aaron Sweeney has watched this evolution happen. Sweeney, who coaches the Mosquito A rep team, said that in his three years of volunteering with the Yarmouth Minor Baseball Association he's seen more and more organization at the administrative level and he's also watched big changes in the kids coming out to the field.

"Two years ago there was a lot of skills that seemed to be missing," he said. "There were a lot of kids coming in new, which you expect, however you were able to tell that (for) the kids that was the one time during the week or two times during the week that they saw a baseball glove or touched a baseball."

As a result of this, coaches and volunteers with the minor ball program had to change their approach. Many of the skills that kids might have learned as a result of playing in backyards with their friends or watching the game on television, had to be broken down and taught.

"The first year we learned, 'wow, we've got to change what we've just done' because half the kids left scared to death of the baseball because they were getting hit and the pitchers weren't very good and this type of thing.

"Now transfer that to this year, we're talking about now a rep team in most of the divisions, we're talking about increased numbers, we're talking about a better skill set with even the (players) that don't make the rep team. The younger kids have more of a skill set coming in."

This is evident just from watching the team Sweeney coaches. During a Saturday afternoon game at St. Ambrose Field there are a variety of skill levels. Some kids seem to have a firm grapes on the game while others are still, at times, a little unsure of things.

Many of the kids playing are raw. The skill and ability is there in a lot of cases, it just needs a little more harvesting than it once did. If the numbers continue to build, that trend should change as more kids sign up.

"At this age they really need to be coached," said Sweeney.

This year enrollment for baseball is up to almost 300. An extra level was created for younger players to further develop their skills before they get to the point where the players pitch to each other. Leagues are all growing in size, both in terms of the number of players and the number of teams in each league.

"It's been quite a little growth over the past two or three years," said Sweeney. "They're getting more ball than they've ever seen before. It's a different quality of ball coming up through; you can tell the difference."

As for the resurgence in interest and numbers, Sweeney attributes much of the success to the organization in place. He said the people involved are focused on ensuring that there is enough happening to keep all of the players interested in what's happening on the field and the game in general.

"The adult participation is actually more key to this than anything," he said. "We would always be looking for people who have gone through the system or know their stuff when it comes to baseball."