AS I RECALL | BUCK BELUE

We were in the yard after school every day, playing every single day. You don’t see that anymore.

We just played in the front yard of our house. The neighborhood guys would gather. We’d pick teams from the major leagues and go through the lineups.

We’d play using a tennis ball. If you hit it over the power lines across the street it was a home run. If the weather was good, we’d be out there every single day. You just don’t see that anymore. You ride through these subdivisions now and you barely see any of the kids out there. It’s quite a change.

I grew up in Valdosta. I guess living in Atlanta might be a little different. Those were good memories in Valdosta. As I look back on it, it was just working on your craft, working on your technique. You are out there swinging a bat and throwing a ball.

I had a thing taped to the wall for the strike zone, and I’d throw at it. I don’t remember it as competing when I was doing it. It was just having fun, playing the game. That’s what I got out of it, trying to learn your craft. Learning to hit the fastball, the change-up, trying to run down the ground balls, the fly ball, learning to throw it.

Now, everybody is indoors getting the private instruction. We didn’t have any of that in Valdosta. It’s a little different now.

We’ve gotten one of these big nets at home so you can hit off the tee or do the soft toss. We’ve got a pitching rubber so the kids can throw it into a strike zone.

Now everyone is so focused, parents are so focused on the competition. … At 7 years old, I’m not a big fan of that.

I just find myself wanting my boys learning how to play the game and to have fun playing the game. That’s our two top priorities. Winning comes in third at 7 and 8 years old in our household. I’m not saying we aren’t trying to win, but for me the top two things are learning how to play and having fun playing.

When I come home from work, I’ll see my sons in the backyard hitting it into the net. I like to see that.