After raising two boys and coaching baseball, football, and basketball, having the boys also engage in swimming, wrestling, soccer, and track, I'd say this: As a general rule, sports is a great thing for boys and girls up to a point (around 18-20) after which hopefully their academic careers take hold. Sports by and large helps maintain lifelong health and enthusiasm, teaches them to not complain, and provides a good Jr High and HS identity shelter where they are largely not picked on and meet other people. Many sports kids maintain grades and humility (they often learn to cope with failure).

Baseball, of all of them, became my least favorite as a youth sport (and I love pro Baseball). It was becoming "year 'round", had way too much down time (boring), and parents took it way too seriously, some kids learning to display petulance. The other sports move faster and generally didn't require so much fanaticism. The baseball players had the rap of having the lowest GPAs (I know, you'd think football but many of those kids surprisingly smart and well-behaved). As Jennings said, one needs to cultivate an alternative career, as most baseball careers crap out (even the 12-yr old Little League hotshots). See Moe Berg and "Little League Confidential" for further details.