There are some days when I just love spring, and then there are days when I often wish spring never came.

With the rise in temperatures over the spring months, it seems the patience of some adults grow shorter.

A perfect case in point is this time of year when the recreation baseball and softball season kicks off.

There are some parents out there who think they are experts of the game and to be quite frank, there are some coaches who also believe they are flawless.

Through the years there have been outlandish stories where parents have verbally berated umpires at youth baseball and softball games. In fact there have been instances where umpires and even coaches have ended up in the hospital because an out of control parent thinks the best justice is to beat that ump or coach to a pulp and spend a few days in jail.

Although Greenville has been lucky not to have something that outrageous happen, this recreation department isn't completely safe from something stupid happening.

So in an effort of preventative maintenance, let's examine a few things when it comes to the Greenville Parks and Recreation Department.

The coaches of this department do not get one red cent for coaching these kids. They do this just on a voluntary basis. Albeit some of the coaches may not be former major league players or even college players, their knowledge of the game is pretty good.

The job of these coaches are to teach our young children the game of baseball and softball, but the ultimate objective in the recreation league is to HAVE FUN.

In this era of &#8220what have you done for me lately or just win,” we sometimes lose sight of what is most important and that's to see that these children enjoy playing baseball and softball.

The game is supposed to be fun, and hopefully it stays that way.

But there are a few coaches and parents in every league, no matter where, that don't remember that.

As for the parents within the league, they need to remember their role. Sure it's easy to cheer for their own child, but they also need to cheer every child out there. That encouragement will keep a child interested in the game and hopefully make the game seem fun, which is the objective.

So when you go to the ballpark, be sure to cheer on every child no matter which team they play for.

The game is fun, so let's keep it that way.

Kevin Taylor is sports editor of The Greenville Advocate. Call him at (334) 382-3111 ext. 122 or e-mail kevin.taylor@greenvilleadvocate.com.