Sandlot Day 2010 - On Sandlot Day, Children Call Their Own Shots

Every year, it seems, youth sports become more organized. Uniforms fit better. Seasons stretch another week or two. Even the quality of the snacks has improved at many recreation fields.

None of that would happen without the coaches, umpires, scorekeepers and concession-stand cooks who keep youth leagues running. But have adults reached a point where they are too involved?

If so, Tim Donovan may have an answer. As the director of the Youth Sports Institute, a think tank based at the State University of New York at Cortland, he travels around the state to lead training sessions for volunteer coaches. Lately, he has also been promoting Sandlot Day 2010, a concept the sports institute developed.

The idea is that adults should cede control of games to the players for one day this season. Parents are welcome to show up. But on this day, the children make the rules and run the show.

They decide what to wear (full uniform, or T-shirt and shorts). They choose sides and set the lineups. Their authority extends even to the game they decide to play (baseball or a backyard derivative like whiffle ball).