If you are one of those people sick of the Pirates and the losing, let me take you out to Hopewell. That's where some kids -- and their enthusiastic parents -- are playing the great American past time and building their field of dreams.

Saturday, I took part in their all-star tournament -- which featured teams from McCandless, Washington and Center as well as Hopewell. The tournament also turned out to be a fund-raiser for Hopewell baseball - which is raising money to complete a massive field renovation.

I tossed out the first pitch at two games, ran the bases before the all-star skills competition, helped sell raffle tickets and posed with Hopewell's 11-year-old championship baseball team ( see the photo above).

Having been a former little leaguer myself,I forgot how much fun it was to be at the ballpark and watch kids compete. We all complain about the greedy millionaires of sports - and closer to home we complain about the Pirates pathetic play on the field. I think it would do all us jaded sports fans good to go see these young people play. Little League is still one of the lone bastions of true amateur sports - where winning and money are not part of the equation.

Makes me wish I was coaching youth baseball -- or even had a child in the program, although after seeing the league commissioner multi-tasking which included watering the fields between games, I don't know if I have the time to really make the kind of commitment these parents have.