It is hard to find much of an argument over the dawn of spring being a terrific time of year. Although many of us abhor the pollen and irritated nasal passages that come with it, even the fact that our vehicles are currently awash in yellow dust is a sign that great things are soon to come; warmer weather and yards awakening from their winter slumber, flip-flops and shorts and lazy Saturday evenings spent outside with friends with our favorite meals cooking on the grill. What’s not to love?

But greater still is that our boys and girls of spring will soon be taking to the ball fields scattered across our beloved Western Tidewater. Moms and dads and grandparents will have rescued their lawn chairs from storage and set them up along first and third baselines, all angling for the best possible view of their favorite ballplayers in action. Younger brothers and sisters will swing and slide on nearby playground equipment. Concession stands will be turning out hot dogs by the dozens. Ground lime will be spread just so, marking the spot where our heroes of the diamonds will dig in and take their cuts. And 10 year-olds with dreams of playing in the big leagues will sleep restlessly in their new uniforms the night before their first game.

For many of us, the time has long past since we last grabbed our glove and raced out onto the field. But with the dawn of each new ball season comes a rush of memories so vivid it’s as though we last played just yesterday. For the next few weeks, hundreds of children in Western Tidewater will be on ball fields making memories of their own. Make it a point to go cheer them on. You, and they, will be glad you did.