The rebuke came quickly.

“We don’t pimp here,” said Martha Williams, a first-year coach at the revived Mission 66 Baseball League, to one her orange-clad players.

Getting kids off of the street and into something constructive like baseball is considered a win-win situation for the youths and the adults in the Mission 66 area of Vicksburg.

Instilling a sense of discipline and structure, more so than wins and losses, is the key goal of the first-year league.

“Our prayers were answered because the league turned out real good,” Mission 66 league president Glen Palmer said. “The kids are excited about baseball. We had right at 60 players in the program which allowed us to have four teams for the kids aged 9 through 12.”

For Williams, the league offered her the first chance to coach kids.

“Lord no, I’m not a regular coach. I came here for my baby, my 9-year-old son. What I wanted for them is to have fun, that winning is not everything,” she said. “It was more important to get along with your teammates. We were able to get them off the street and do something for this neighborhood. To learn what to do and not to do.”

One of the league’s biggest fans is Vicksburg Mayor Laurence Leyens.

“I applaud their efforts, mainly because this came out of the private sector,” said Leyens, who helped sponsored the Gators team. “Just to see the league come back alive is the greatest thing. The kids now have something to do. A lot of lessons can be learned from this.

“And by being involved it helps create an interest from other kids rather than just hanging out on the street.”

For Palmer, the added interest from the community’s youth, has made expansion possible for next year.

“It hurt my heart that we couldn’t get more in this year. We had girls come up and asked if they could have a league,” Palmer said. “That’s why next year, we want to add a girls fast-pitch league for the 12-14-year-old girls. We’d also like to go to eight teams in the youth baseball and then add a 13-14-year-old pony league for the boys.”

A pony league would keep 12-year-old Roland Scott involved.

“I’ve learned how to play together as a team and to follow through on my throws,” he said.

Nine-year-old Gary Hardy learned many of the league’s basics.

“I learned how to swing and hit the ball,” Hardy said. “But I also learned that we do not argue, no hitting (our teammates), and no getting an attitude.”

That’s exactly the kind of words Palmer wants to hear.

“Discipline was the main thing. We don’t want them wearing earrings, and no do-rags,” he said.

Palmer credited his coaches, like North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield, who sponsored the Vikings, and other volunteer coaches like Jerry Phillips, Roosevelt Brown Sr., LeAnthony Bell, Bobby Twitty and Williams. He was also thankful for the support from the parents.

“The parents have been great. We’ve just had a lovely time,” Palmer said. “We were able to play 10 regular season games and then we’re finishing up with a postseason tournament. We also brought in teams from Rolling Fork and Anguilla to play us. Even though they beat us pretty bad, it was something for us to build on.”