Choose Up Sides

I doubt that kids today would know what Tim and I were doing with our hands on a small baseball bat many years ago while living in the Farlington Apartments in Alexandria, VA. But at country schools and city playgrounds, baseball or stick ball was a common game. Two players would be selected as Captains who would "choose up sides" to determine their team. To determine which Captain had first choice of players, a bat was tossed with the heavy end down to one of them which he (or she) would catch with one hand. Then the other Captain placed his hand immediately above the hand of the one already on the bat. They continued to hand-over-hand until one of them could place the first joint of their thumb over the butt end of the bat. That was the Captain who had first choice. Then they alternated in choices until the last person was selected. It was simple in theory but choices were not always made on the basis of baseball ability. It was a great way for a 12 year old Captain to impress a young lady by selecting her ahead of some of the more athletic boys. There were other "politics" involved but it was a part of our education. It may have been a form of bullying when tears would be shed by those chosen last but we remembered our Sunday School lesson about someday the "last would be first" and went on.