Media Timeout: Little leaguers have passion professionals lack

A strike date is set. Aug. 30 is coming soon, and very little seems to be happening in the negotiation room. If the strike talk does indeed become a reality, the time and money thousands of fans spent at the ballpark this summer will not matter.

I am one of those fans. I attended games at Wrigley Field in Chicago and Fenway Park in Boston. But surprisingly, the most enjoyable baseball experience of my summer came at a lesser known ballpark in Monrovia, Indiana.

One July evening, I headed out to the local park to watch some Little League games. I ended up watching 9 and 10-year-old kids play America's Pastime.

This game mattered.

This game was not tainted by talk of whether or not the players were on steroids. There is no way these kids could have been juiced. I'm surprised they didn't get a hernia throwing the ball from short stop to first. The only thing the kids could be tested for is Flintstone Vitamins.

This season was not played under the constant threat of a strike. The kids were perfectly happy with their salaries - a free Coke at the concession stand after the game.

The game mattered.

While professional owners are worried about generating revenue, Little League has it all figured out. Slap the name of the local Dairy Queen on the back of players' jerseys and line the outfield fence with E-Z Bail Bond signs.

None of these teams threatened to leave town for another city and no fields were being demolished for more luxury seating. In Little League, fans bring lawn chairs. Luxury seating means you have a cupholder built into your armrest.

The game mattered.

Kids would cry after striking out. Just once I would like to see a player have that kind of passion.

Seriously, tough, the pending baseball strike is no laughing matter. Many fans would swear off baseball if another work stoppage occurs. Baseball can barely keep fans through the good times. This is another area where MLB can learn from Little League.

How about a time-limit game? There are no lights at most Little League fields. So take the lights out at the big league parks.

Okay, so maybe that is going a little too far, but aren't the players and owners going a little bit too far too? I'll be a baseball fan until the end of time, but most people eventually say "enough is enough."

Maybe the big boys can learn something from the little guys. After all, they are acting like a bunch of 9-year-olds.