It’s been a long while ago for me, but I’m sure some of you are in the process of watching your sons or daughters play organized sports like basketball, baseball, swimming, or lacrosse.

And it’s certainly a forgivable offense if somewhere deep in the bowels of your mind the thought occurs “My kid could be the second coming of Willie Mays, Steph Curry, or Caitlin Clark. My retirement’s all set. He or she will make roughly a zillion dollars in professional sports and the wife and I will be living in a penthouse and driving a Bugatti.”

As a longtime Marin County parent, the more likely scenario is that “The next Willie Mays or Caitlin Clark” will be living in the guest room of your condo waiting for you to retire to the nursing home and they can have the place to themselves.

But it was fun watching and hoping wasn’t it?

That’s kind of where I am right now. My kids are grown and fortunately I don’t have a guest room, so I’m content with watching other peoples kids try and emulate their own sports heroes.

By that I mean the Golden State Warriors and the San Francisco Giants.

The Warriors for example are full-on in the process of being a peripheral playoff team destined be in hoops limbo. Not good enough to challenge younger and more athletic teams, and not bad enough to tank and hope for the next Steph Curry in the draft.

But, like back in the days of watching all the “next Steph Curry’s” play CYO basketball, I’m thoroughly enjoying watching the Warriors’ wannabes play hoops.

Steph is still on the shelf, Jimmy is recouping an ACL tear, Porzingis is held together with bailing wire, Draymond is beginning to show the wear and tear of a decade and a half of dragging big guys up and down the court, Moody’s on the bench with only one ankle that works, and the lineup that Steve Kerr is putting on the floor these days, is made up of complimentary players backed up by guys who only a few weeks ago were taking the bus to work.

And I find them entertaining as hell to watch.

Mind you, I don’t watch while holding a ton of hope that they are going to win the game, but like back in the fatherhood days you just got to love the freedom and spirit that these kids play with.

I want Gui Santos on my team. He’s an energy guy who plays every aspect of the game pretty darn well. Give me De’Anthony Melton. He’s a pro and with a basketball IQ that’s off the charts. Will Richard is an overachiever who I think can become a solid player. Pat Spencer was already a great player before he turned pro. Sadly, he was a great player in lacrosse. Nate Williams is an undrafted kid from Buffalo who has Jonathan Kuminga type skills. And the only thing that makes L.J. Cryer something less than an end-of-the-bench guy is about two inches.

What all those guys bring to the dance is energy, a burning desire to win, and a skill set that just makes them interesting to watch. Like watching your kids play. It’s fun, it’s a glimpse at what might be, and it’s entertaining. But also like watching your kids, you don’t often win and there’s no Steph Curry.

And, the same might be said for our Bay Area baseball contingent.

This was a .500 team last year and has all the makings of being right around that same number this year. And yet, I sense a pulse.

Watching Spring Training baseball is just about as exciting as watching haircuts. But there’s something about this contingent of rather faceless Giants that gives me an inkling of hope.

Don’t get me wrong, this team is still Kermit the Frog trying to do battle with the Godzilla monster in LA and his two ugly stepsisters in San Diego and Arizona. But this spring there is not only the returning contingent of “some you win, some you lose” veterans hanging around camp, there are a passel of young faces who even at this early juncture have the appearance of kids who might not be Willie Mays, but at least they wear the same size uniform.

Guys like Bryce Eldridge (AKA “The Future”), Josuar Gonzalez (who at 18 years old is the No. 2 prospect in the system), Gavin Killen (first-round draft pick in 2025), Dakota Jordan (fastest prospect in the system), Blade Tidwell (former second-round pick of Mets), Trevor McDonald (1.50 ERA in 18 MLB innings), Parks Harbor (undrafted power hitter, and improving), and Jesus Rodriguez (a catcher who can hit), have all opened eyes this spring in the desert.

And for any non-Buster Posey fans out there, there seems to be a shift that I think bodes well.

The Giants’ minor league system which for years wallowed in the depths of MLB rankings has moved to No. 13 overall from No. 28 a year ago.

And, of the seven players I mentioned as opening eyes in the Cactus League, four have been acquired between the Camilo Duval trade to the Yankees and the Tyler Rogers trade to the Mets.

It doesn’t count, it’s basically just practice, it might not make them any better this year, but like the Warriors, the pre-season Giants have made for good television.

In fact, it’s kind of a throwback to watching your kids and just hoping against hope that there’s some recessive gene that will make them become Willie Mays, Steph Curry or Caitlin Clark.

Okay, I admit it’s a longshot. But hey!  One can dream — can’t one?

Barry Tompkins is a 40-year network television sportscaster and a San Francisco native. Email him at barrytompkins1@gmail.com.