Where have all the pick-up games gone?

Reminiscing about your youth can put a little pep in your step, especially when you?re reliving all those great moments you spent as a youth playing ball.

But the down side is, it can also make your mind think you can still do things that your body is no longer capable of.

A few of these thoughts entered my mind last week after watching some of my old friends hit the volleyball court. Four of my old cronies were out there still bumping, serving ? and yes, spiking ? the ball. In fact, one of the teams was still using the name Deacon Blues, which Franklin Fisher and myself came up with some 30 years ago.

Some of my best childhood memories are those which involve playing ball with my friends.

It wasn?t always about playing a game, it was more about playing catch in the front yard, shooting hoops on the goal nailed to the phone pole or standing out in the street and punting a football with the only light available coming from the street light.

Why don?t kids do this anymore? I hate to say it, but I believe it?s all the advancement in technology. The fast-paced world of Internet, cell phones and video games has offered kids too many other options to pass their time.

It was in the back yard where we honed our skills, and in neighborhood pick-up games where we learned to be competitive and respect each other. It was all about pride, and all we won was bragging rights in the neighborhood. Our competitive spirit made us better athletes.

Most of my childhood was spent passing time, bouncing, throwing, kicking or hitting a ball. No, I wasn?t a loner; all my friends did the same thing.

Now that I look back at it, we had our sports divided up between our homes. At one friend?s house we played basketball; at the other it was baseball and at another it was football. At one friend?s house we rode our bikes to the city courts and played tennis for most of the night.

At another friend?s house we even practiced our golf game, sometimes until the early hours of the mornings ? or until a window got broken. My friend lived across the street from his grandparents and we would chip balls from his yard into his grandparents? yard using only the light provided by the street lamps.

I know with all the problems we face in the world today, it?s hard to let your kids out of your sight. Kids running around in the neighborhood or riding bikes from one section of town to the other is out of the question, and it?s sad that we have lost that freedom.

So how do we encourage kids to put down the video games and go outside and have a little fun throwing the ball? The best way for parents to do that is by getting outside with them. Throw the ball around or shot some hoops with them, or ride bikes together.

I know most kids at that age don?t want to be seen with their parents, but I bet if you give it a try on a regular basis you might just find yourself out there having some fun with your kids. And just maybe it will help you to remember what it was like to be a kid yourself.

Next time you?re out driving around on a Saturday, just take a look around and see how many kids you can find outside tossing the ball around ? and I don?t mean at the ballparks, either. Look around the neighborhoods and I doubt if you find many. Neighborhood pick-up games are a thing of the past.