TIMEOUT: Let Little League remain a child's sport

There's nothing in the world like the parent of a young athlete.

Sure, I know there's a nasty stigma that goes along with the so-called soccer mom, for example, but hey, I really do say it affectionately.

So long as there's no scolding for a childhood mistake, I think it's great to see parents going whole hog in the audience in support of their kids and teams.

I suspect when I have my own brood of youngsters participating in athletics, I'll be one of the loudest parents in the stands, demanding justice when I'm certain a blind referee blatantly blew a call.

That's the way youth sports have been conducted for ages, without the interference of modern technology or the complications that come with the pros.

So the recent news that the Little League World Series is getting revamped with the expansion of instant replay is a little too much for me.

For the record, instant replay has been a part of the LLWS for the past two years.

No, really. It's been used to challenge calls in dead-ball situations, such as foul balls or home runs.

The recent expansion allows further examination of almost any calls aside from balls and strikes.

As if that's not enough, managers will also be allotted a set number of challenges during the game.

If this sounds like some major league stuff, please keep in mind that MLB uses instant replay on a very limited basis - primarily to accurately determine home runs.

In other words, Little League has now taken on a bigger precedent than the pros.

I can understand the importance of instant replay at the professional level. For better or worse, money is the driving factor, and when it's on the line, it's important to get it right.

But really, we're talking kids here. Kids.

There's nothing at stake here that the sands of time won't repair. Mistakes can be made. Sometimes, the good guy loses and the wrong guy wins.

It sucks. And so it goes.

I've written repeatedly in this space about the importance of allowing children to be children, about giving them the opportunity to take life lessons from sports.
Every day we find new ways to make them grow up faster. We bulk them up, we commit them to colleges, we lock them into their futures younger and younger.

And to a lesser degree, instant replay is doing the same thing - introducing an adult element into child's play.

So please, for the sake of enjoying childhood, just let the children play.