I saw this story in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal this morning about Alex Linker of Lubbock Coronado, whose teammates are preparing for the bidistrict round of the Class 5A baseball playoffs.  He’s apparently gotten himself on the wrong side of the law and jeopardized not only his future on the Coronado team, but possibly a college scholarship, too.

Without passing specific judgment on this case, it still is sad to think that it is becoming commonplace to see these sidebar stories about kids who run afoul of the law that accompany the playoffs in almost every sport now. 

On the one hand, I can understand how it is tempting to criticize a person who seems to have such bright prospects for the future–a case of youth being wasted on the young–but on the other hand, I’m personally reminded of how young, immature and ‘decisionally-challenged’ that most of these boys and girls we allow to occupy our attentions during the school years still are. 

That’s why, no matter how ‘big’ or ‘important’ these events–i.e., playoffs, championship series, etc.–get, it’s important to remember the big goal is to guide these young people into responsible adulthood in the most careful way possible.

Unfortunately, there’s no sure-fire formula for doing that. Sometimes you’ve got to tighten the reins; sometimes you can afford to allow a little more slack.  But the responsibility for creating a new generation of responsible adults ALWAYS rests with the generation of responsible adults already at the reins.

In Linker’s case, I don’t know if somebody guiding him fell down on the job or if he wouldn’t be led, but I hope he can get a second chance–and make the most of it.