Time for a clarification.

My column space last week talked about raising awareness for proper perspective in Little League Baseball and other youth sports.

It was in no way intended to be an attack on the Mars Baseball Association.

In revisiting that column, I can see where such an interpretation could be made and for that, I do need to apologize.

Facts presented to me by the Mars Baseball Association Board indicate that the organization has been around for 66 years and does not cut any youngsters from its program.

In fact, the association has a mandatory rotation system in place for T-Ball and coach-pitch leagues whereas every kid gets the opportunity to play every position.

Competitive tournament baseball is different, of course, as it is in most youth baseball associations.

One encouraging fact of the Mars group is that nearly half of its players ages 7-12 registered to play this spring have been participating in once-a-week training sessions in the association’s indoor training facility since early January.

Such a figure is bound to increase baseball skills and should help the Mars High School baseball program — one of the strongest in the area — maintain a level of success down the road.

In terms of overbearing parents, the Mars Baseball Association has a code of conduct each parent must agree to abide by when registering a child. There are always exceptions, of course, but the proper intentions are there.

Hopefully, other youth associations in the area are following suit.

Now let’s play ball, have fun and respect each other.

A few other thoughts:

• Slippery Rock University’s baseball team was 6-9 through 15 games this year, seven of those losses coming by one run.

You have to be able to win the close ones to get anywhere in any sport. The Rock needs to rectify this trend in a hurry as PSAC West play began this weekend.

• Sidney Crosby returned to the Penguins Thursday night as a third-line center.

Just how good is this team?

By the way, kudos to Mario Lemieux for the statue that now sits outside the Consol Energy Center.

A statue of him hoisting the Stanley Cup would have been better, though.

• My Final Four in the NCAA Tournament are Baylor, Missouri, Ohio State and North Carolina, with the Tar Heels defeating Baylor in the title game.

• Forget about basketball for a minute. The local winter sports scene wound up with Butler sending a bowling team to the state tournament (again), Grove City’s Wes Phipps finishing as an unbeaten state wrestling champion and Mars junior Maggie Gruber going after her third state title in swimming.

For so-called “minor” sports, we’re getting some major performances.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle