The Days of Blessed Innocence

VALENCIA —  The coach told the 5-year-old to play left field.

“Where’s that?” the kid replied.

The first baseman was late coming onto the field because his mother had to tie his shoelaces.

An infielder came off the field, gave his coach a slap on the hand, then cried, “Ouch!”

The third baseman was losing patience by the second inning.

“Excuse me,” he yelled politely to no one in particular. “Is this the last batter?”

Welcome to opening day at the William S. Hart baseball/softball complex, where the Phillies took on the Twins in the Shetland Division. Two dozen 5- and 6-year-olds played their first baseball games hitting off of a tee, eliciting more laughter from adults in the stands than a Jay Leno monologue.

“You guys look better than the real Phillies,” said Coach Tim Rodino, who seemed happy that no players had to leave the field for a potty break.

There were no radar guns, no professional scouts, not even a scorekeeper in sight. There were lots of parents holding video cameras to record the historic moment of a first at-bat or first hit.

At one point, there was a surreal scene straight out of the “Twilight Zone.” A Bonds was tagging out a Zeile, then in the next inning, a Zeile was tagging out a Bonds. Incredibly, another generation had come of age. Coach Bud Murray of Hart High would have been proud.

James Bonds, 6-year-old son of former Hart and UCLA quarterback Jim Bonds, played for the Phillies. Shane Zeile, 5-year-old son of former Hart baseball player Mike Zeile and nephew of third baseman Todd Zeile of the Texas Rangers, played for the Twins.

“What’s it been--about 25 years since that last happened?” Mike Zeile said.

The sons were playing on the same youth fields as their fathers. The fact Bonds and Zeile each married high school sweethearts and decided to raise their families in the same community they grew up in is powerful evidence that you can still find peace and happiness in suburban Los Angeles.

“I’m excited,” said Bonds’ wife, Tricia, as she watched her son show more speed on the basepaths than her husband ever did. “I can’t believe [the first game] is here. I can’t believe I have a 6-year-old.”

Whether the adults know it or not, T-ball is probably the last innocent sports endeavor for their children.

No one kept score or cared about the score. Every player got to hit and play. No one argued close calls at the bag. No one complained about the batting order or what position their sons played.

Soon, though, a transformation will take place. Winning will become important, competition will become fierce, yelling at umpires will be a weekly occurrence and the dream of reaching a higher level will take hold.

“All you have to do is walk 20 yards that way,” warned a parent, pointing in the direction of games taking place between older players.

Making sure as many kids as possible have a positive sports experience is the challenge facing coaches and parents.

There has been much discussion about what age a boy or girl should begin competing in organized sports. Some parents won’t let their children play tackle football until they reach high school. Others want them to start playing competitive sports as soon as they turn 4.

Jim Ozella, an assistant baseball coach at College of the Canyons, has a 14-year-old son playing youth ball. Ozella was standing next to the backstop last Sunday at the Hart complex when he was asked, “Do kids learn more good habits or bad habits from youth baseball?”

“This is a sport that has to be concerned about its future because a lot of kids get turned off by it,” he said. “Hopefully, they’re having fun and learning proper mechanics. I can remember when parents weren’t involved and kids used to organize games on their own. We have kids less than thrilled with the game.”

The newest athletes from the Bonds and Zeile families will have advantages over their fathers, uncles and grandfathers.

James Bonds can stand on the sideline watching his father coach football at Alemany High and learn from his experiences. Shane Zeile can hang out in the dugout with uncle Todd when he’s in town playing the Angels.

“I like him being on the sideline,” Jim Bonds said of James. “It makes him hungry. He’s already asking about playing tackle football.”

James’ grandfather, Bill Grimes, has figured out what the future holds. After seeing James run over a player during the T-ball game, he concluded, “Forget about baseball. He’s a football player.”

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Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.