Admit it, we all people watch. For those of us in the media, we actually make a career out of people watching and eavesdropping.

But, if you have the want to get out on a weekday evening, or Saturday morning, to enjoy the gorgeous spring weather and observe one of the best things going on in our community, head out to one of the ball fields and take in a youth baseball or softball game.

Surrounded by hundreds of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and distant cousins twice removed, you will see our children — our future — taking part in a game all of us love or have loved.

If for nothing else, just watching the way some parents spend their time cheering on one child while keeping another child out of a nearby mud puddle is entertainment enough. And, it only costs a dollar.

Thanks to the hard work of the Selma Parks and Recreation Department, and those in Valley Grande, area children have the luxury of playing a team sport for very little investment and doing so with children they often times would never interact with.

The games are sometimes long and there are parents who often forget the point of the game is not necessarily the winning and losing, but the life lessons learned and the fun had. It is about the children and no one else.

Yes, there are coaches who take a bit too seriously, but the many far outweigh the few.

To think, these coaches, sometimes not having a child playing the game at all, would volunteer their time away from their family to help teach a game to area children, is an investment that will undoubtedly come back to pay off.  It is an investment not just in those children, but our community as a whole.

The ball fields we have in our community are great and the money spent by our local municipalities and county government is well worth it. And, we appreciate each of the businesses and individuals who step up each year to sponsor one — or more than one — of these youth teams.

What happens at the ball field on a weekday night, or on a Saturday morning, is well worth a visit.

And, if you’re felling a little adventurous, you might want to try out one of the area’s most beloved culinary delights … the pickle pop.