In ‘Unorganized Baseball’ Games, Kids Play By Their Own Rules | TODAY

In this week’s Sunday Closer, NBC’s Harry Smith meets a group of young baseball players who are setting their own rules on the field - and parents are told not to get involved. On Tuesday nights in this Oklahoma town, the kids play in a league of their own.
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In ‘Unorganized Baseball’ Games, Kids Play By Their Own Rules | TODAY

[@aboxofbroken8tracks983]

How sad that this requires a special news report. Something that used to happen every minute of every summer day in the U.S.

[@zzaacchh]

not sad at all

[@mkay8334]

ABoxOfBroken8Tracks yeah. Parents are too I loved, they just need to let kids be kids! I’m glad for the most part my parents let me

[@reidbarry5459]

its just kids getting phones at the age of 7

[@tyrekwit1e205]

It is like 100 degrees in the summer but I still play baseball and soccer.

[@kaibiagi5602]

i had an 80 degree game and i thought i was dying. How do you survive??!?!?

[@lilunde19x]

“What do you like about tuesdays?” “Playing baseball with my friends.” “And you?” “Same thing.” REPORTER DIES OF LAUGHTER

[@landonb.7805]

*bunts it, decides to call it a homerun*

[@tate6359]

Lol

[@buut6815]

That’s called recess

[@jaydenabrahams3736]

Ray Peyuh yep

[@20killz47]

Its called sandlot ball

[@tyrekwit1e205]

Justin Aaberg... THANK YOU

[@chrischarlton6527]

And if we didnt have enough players...say 12 total, we played pitchers hand and/or right.field.closed. and we mowed baselines in the field.

[@stephenkennedy8767]

Going to the park for a pickup game is a thing of the past, unfortunately.

[@gomez3357]

I know about pickup basketball but there used to be pick up baseball?

[@richardschoenrock5317]

As a hockey player growing up...we had this type of play. We could either go to open skate an just rip around the rink as we wanted. There was also the ability to go play "Drop In". It was an hour and a half of open ice where teams are kinda selected by the jersey color you have in your bag. As a college player.. I still like to hit a drop in now and then to have fun with young players and remember what it was like to play.........just to play!!!

[@christianmcguinness3157]

We used to do this everday as kid. We would get 6+ people, no teams, everyone batted, everyone pitched , we would just rotate positions based on the number of position.

[@Brian-nw9ig]

If it's so unorganized then why do they have it on a certain day...🤔

[@willstolp9601]

😉

[@christianwiggins3167]

because you dont want 2 kids coming on monday 3 on tuesday and 1 on wednesday

[@daediamond3156]

metfan834 facts

[@-krizix8826]

metfan834 ur dumb

[@impulsestorm571]

Lol

[@2345allthebest]

Love it... we used to play it that way in the 60s.... parents were too busy working to be in our business back then and I can't remember ever having a bad time while playing

[@2AForever-wi8yj]

I remember playing running bases at least that's what we called it for hours after school. Basically rundown practices . In summer we would play with 5 and 6 man teams . whatever it took to play.

[@bentheqb4540]

When I was younger we used to have that but with football in my neighborhood. They couldn’t cover me at Receiver. We even invented trampoline football.

[@allslvalp6289]

ahh, our imaginations when were kids are priceless

[@zackg32baseball29]

Atleast no USA bat rule

[@zacharyfleming6576]

Why is this news?

[@Diegoc24]

When they lose in little league they’re gonna be crying cause they don’t know what competition is

[@22tennisstar]

I did this growing up and it was a blast!

[@teresarenner2382]

that's me at 0:26 OMGGGGGGGGG AHHHHHHH

[@scotthulsey8763]

Little league was awesome if you grew up in a small town . We had minor league and it was 8-12. You could get drafted to 11 - 12 if you were good enough. There were no hand picked teams. Each coach had to draft players and the only kid the coach automatically got was their son.

[@2AForever-wi8yj]

Sounds a lot like my town Minor league was 8-10 the major league was 10-12 the major league would have maybe 2 or 3 10 year olds playing in the entire league of 6 or 8 teams. If you got called up as a 10 year old you felt like a million bucks. And you are right the only one undrafted were the coaches kids. Even had tryouts actually skill evaluations a few weeks before the season started. I still remember my dad laughing as every coach called our house to see if he wanted to be a coach for their team.

[@kaibiagi5602]

this is how it is where i live

[@kelanth462]

First base - old seat cushion second base - crushed cardboard box third base - old roof shingle home - garbage can lid those were the days

[@peterd989]

40 years ago we did this every day , of every summer......broke a neighbors window once in a while, picked our own teams, everyone played. also played organized baseball......this is great...kids being kids without overbearing, obnoxious helicopter parents...

[@hus390]

*_Have a score and a full game. That will teach kids to be competitive._*

[@RoxRock4ever]

They are keeping score. It's just the kids that keep it without the pressure of league play. Besides, I bet most of those boys also play structured league ball and both are fantastic in my opinion. It's not like they got rid of outs or runs or anything stupid like that.

[@ortonjasone]

exactly

[@jacksons9208]

Yeah but if I would’ve had a dad making me play I wouldn’t have been drafted

[@PDBMH_]

I always wish my friends and I played like this but no one in my neighborhood plays baseball

[@bigrhcpguy1958]

sweet now my dad doesn't have to curse at me like crazy

[@NostalgiaStudiosinc96]

You can say that these kids have "A League of Their Own"!

[@nifytoaster3140]

Kinda like all star game cuz of the Jersey’s and ye xd

[@masontrapp212]

Niftyryanperalta Peralta ikr

[@SlitherBeast]

Yea since Oklahoma doesn’t have a home team

[@Azishome]

When I was growing up, each neighborhood had its game. It started Friday after school and continued until sundown, Sunday evening. You'd show up. Sometimes, there were 30-40 guys show up. Saturday, the game might slow down because guys had to go to town with their parents. Sunday morning was a little slim because some guys went to Sunday School. All during the weekend, sometimes the game might get down to three or four guys. In that case, you either played pepper or hit flies. Two guys, hit flies. One guy, you'd hit flies to yourself until more guys showed up. Throw the ball up, take a straight-up swing. As the ball took off, you grabbed your glove and chased it. Sometimes, you got so good you could hit the ball nearly straight up. Because of this, guys learned the characteristics of a ball in flight. As I progressed into organized baseball, I was a catcher. I never dropped a foul ball because I hit flies to myself. Kind of sad that the game no longer exists in most of the U.S.

[@CGFilms027]

A league of their own, the movie... oh wait, theirs already one.

[@markb4201]

This is pretty much kids pick up baseball

[@acsmstudios9582]

Why is this on the news. I play this type of baseball with my friends all the time.

[@Jane-sb8zr]

I would love to do this but parents now a days won’t let their children go outside alone and just be a kid

[@dariusward9553]

Kids are to sensitive I'm not gonna say how old I am but Im young. My dad tells me that he yells because he cares and if anyone doesn't push me I wouldn't have the work ethic and future that I have and might have. A parent cant always be going "Oh Billy you did so good I'm so proud of you." When the did awful and struck out. I'm not saying that you have to tell and my dad doesn't most of the time. He just doesn't tell me a whole bunch bull crap, he tells me I didnt do good and I need to work on things. And slowly that has taught me to be honest with myself and work hard. This is how all parents and kids should be if they want to start taking baseball more serious and try to have a future in the game whether that means going pro or going to college. Or more realisticly playing varsity high school ball.

[@randallforsythe922]

We did this as a kid all summer. We once had the same game last 6 years!

[@m1sterhockey]

You have to love the theme to "This Week in Baseball Theme" near the end. Very nice!!!

[@carterflaer7841]

My city set up an entire whiffle ball league a couple years ago and parents aren’t allowed to attend games

[@alexfournier8574]

I’m 13 and this is how we used to do it..

[@ugotdroppedoff8789]

The kid pitching with the adidas shirt has no fundamentals whatsoever

[@walruslover0446]

this is how i like to play hockey i mean playing in an organized league is fun but when its just me and my buddies trying out dangles and throwing around the body theres nothing better

[@nickycentral7345]

me and my friends do this all the time, why does this need a news report

[@connorhanus8005]

I’m just a kid baseball fan but didn’t every one of those Kids have like 300 dollar bats

[@braydenhigby23]

Im a kid and we do this all the time

[@Deeznuts-rx8yx]

I do think it's a good idea besides the flexible strike zone, because they still need to be practicing the game the right way

[@alexh8613]

The most organized, unorganized game ever

[@neotheone7923]

we used to throw our gloves in a pile and blindfold someone and they would throw the gloves left and right and that was the teams

[@adamnorwood1168]

I think I’ll just point out the fact that most of them play because they aren’t good enough to play in an organized league

[@tallkidben6522]

We do this everyday of summer and there putting it in the news that’s crazy I get 10 or 11 friends together and we just play

[@moonjae-in12thpresidentofr20]

It is organized. By the kids not the town!

[@coletonk1401]

It looks soo fun but I don't have enough people to play so I don't get to and that sucks

[@zackarybetcher1062]

There’s gotta be SOME sort of rules... right

[@mobetterbreaks]

If only we could do this. Parents only ruin it!

[@famousyoutuber5406]

Is this seriously news. Kids actually have enjoy playing just for fun. This is pathetic that this needs to be reported as real news.

[@mitchfrazz5591]

Some of the kids don’t even know how to pitch or hit

[@Surulio]

Wish I had this when I was a kid

[@taylorhogan5808]

Maxxim me to

[@Jimmy-uy1xm]

Same. I'd always hear all the stories of my dad playing ball in the lot, and I'd hear all about how kids now don't do anything. In the modern world parents are too controlling to let their kid bike down to the lake, or meet up at the sandlot.

[@coleparker]

I had, and I played a lot of sandlot games.

[@coleparker]

Let the kids go out an just have a good pickup game.

[@Marty-uv7ep]

They’re no parents on the field: 2:04

[@damian-zn1lm]

I wish it was like that for me

[@searryz1753]

You mean un”organized”

[@everythingerina9379]

although I'm a fan of cricket its good to see kids out and about playing sports rather than addicted to playing fortnite

[@fracism9300]

I live in Edmond and I have never seen or heard of this🤔

[@mindlesscargo]

It’s unorganized

[@gamerdude1239]

Why that would be stupid

[@ethanwatson6019]

We do this all the time outside.

[@GroverJ83]

I feel sorry for those kids being forced to play some boring old man's game in the hot summer sun when they could be in an air conditioned home having the time of their lives playing video games.

[@michaeltietz2569]

Port Landia what?

[@s.kimble1745]

Its just like the sandlot neighborhood kids playing baseball

[@ethanriccio2344]

That’s great.

[@danielchai6145]

This ain't news. Everybody has been doing for a really long time. I'll play with my friends all day every day I'm not playing an actual game just in the yard for years. plus, with lots of land you can have whatever sized field you want as you get bigger.

[@rittmer96]

All ima say is have u seen the sandlot

[@blakesadventures2369]

It’s called recess

[@jacobmyers6361]

I think it's great kids want to organize their own games. However, children look to adults for structure and discipline. We as parents and elders are to provide that structure. There is nothing wrong with organized baseball. With that being said parents shouldn't yell at the kids while they are playing. Whether their own kids or others. The coach is in charge when you turn your kids over to him for practice or a game. If parents have a problem with the coach, they need to address it with the coach. Btw in private meeting.

[@lildonkey3044]

All I saw 👀👀 was that their batting was wayyyyyyyy to weird

[@jonathanrood22]

ayy fellow angels fan at 2:59

[@maggierose2457]

I love this

[@charliesleepy]

Uh they arent the first ones to do this btw like i do this all the time

[@lawsonleath2379]

Parents be quiet

[@savitarthegoofspeed5460]

*SWING AND A MISS THAT'S BALL 4 TAKE YOUR BASE*

[@vividdarkness8383]

Yeah but organized sports with playoffs and reason is my favorite part

[@mrtoxic5078]

So like sandlot then

[@fclizard2644]

THE BLACK KID HAS THE SAME GLOVE AS ME

[@scotthulsey8763]

This is great but when they get older they will play jv, varsity and it is organized!We wore blue jeans when I played little league.

That's nice, but you're not showing me the game. How do we know this is baseball? Just looks like slacking off.

[@mexicanthesauceisreal7944]

I play majers and get scared at the plate

[@jamymurph]

No story when I was 12. We just met at the park and played until dark. Idk what the story is??? Duh!!!! The Sandlot was a movie about our childhood and this story.

[@GaelRivera.]

More like uncivilized baseball

[@americanpatriot3667]

Did the same thing as a kid nothing new

[@micahthegamer3770]

See i play hockey and i am black but this is cool for kids to do what they want to do

[@bradenburlison4225]

This is something you play in gym class not a sport really

[@lormo-2385]

Is this In iowa

[@ryankuczmarski2789]

This is just sunday school league

[@brewer67nova]

Sorta like sandlot

[@jonahbaumann04]

*ok*

[@garrisondelgado7386]

its basically just softball

[@chriznb]

welcome to the sandlot

[@kaleovalencia8760]

Okay and

[@charcren8501]

I wish my dad would leg me do this.

[@2AForever-wi8yj]

So the parents had to organize the unorganized game. Try this Show the kids the movie the SANDLOT and tell them to go outside and play and have your butts home by dinner time. Where I lived the firehouse whistle would go off at 5:15 pm and 6 pm every kid within earshot of that whistle had the same drill be home after that 5:15 whistle and before the 6pm.

[@f3nd13y]

cant score a touchdown over the fence behind the 3 point arch. they all lose

[@sebastiancruz7655]

How would they ever get good though?

[@terguo]

Sebastian Cruz EXACALLY

[@makai.5180]

So it's for the kids who aren't good enough to play on a team

[@isaacstebleton6408]

What's the music at 2:13?

[@2AForever-wi8yj]

Theme song to This week in Baseball. Title is Gathering Crowds

[@isaacstebleton6408]

Thanks!

[@calebfrost6395]

HA I live in Edmond

[@chem2850]

Cool

[@jayjayiscrazy1779]

Hay