The game ends and you brush off your shirt and shorts.

You call out to your team. Tell them to line up.

“Behind Jack!” you shout, picking the player closest to the middle of the diamond.

The boys know what to do from there. They stick out their right hand and start walking, kicking up a little more dust over the long shadows that signal the end of another youth baseball game.

When the first hand touches the first hand of the other line, the chanting begins:

Good game.

The lines always seem to have a surprising flow to them, especially compared to the chaos that ensued over the preceding hour, and it’s a nice sound to coaches and parents.

Good game. Good game. Good game. Good game. ...

Despite the monotone delivery, you hope the words are sincere.

You hope the kids know what they mean and why they’re doing it.

You hope that, as they get older, they won’t need to be prompted or lined up. You hope that Jack will be the one gathering up his teammates, calling them over to the pitcher’s mound and marching them toward the other team, ready to congratulate the guys on the other side of the field for a well-played competition.

Win or lose.

Good game. Good game. Good game. ...

Of course, there’s no guarantee that they will do that.

Just look at what happened Saturday night in Orlando, Fla., when the Orlando Magic finished off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Eastern Conference finals.