It's like the 60's all over again.
Way back then, like now, I was a big Tiger fan, a big American league fan. But back then SI and Game of the Week treated the AL like second class citizens.
The difference between then and now is that the NL really was better. Baseball Tonight hasn't got the memo.
Seems like they way overplay NL games and stars.
But I'll give credit where it's due, they did a nice job on Jackie Robinson Day, featuring Orioles outfielder Adam Young and his efforts to bring baseball to African American youth.
Did you know only eight percent of Major Leaguers are black?
Does it matter?
You can say it's because there isn't the baseball fields in the inner city, but hey, the St. Veronica field I played on was no gem. In fact, it was so bad, we prefered to play in the asphalt parking lot. At least the grounders took a true hop.
I know Tom mentioned the stone infield at Mumford.
Does the quality of the field matter?
Football is way more expensive to outfit than baseball.
What do you think?
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I think you're on to something, Gregg, by questioning the age-old "reason" why fewer blacks play baseball ... in fact, that "reason" has often been used to explain why more kids -- regardless of the color of their skin -- don't play baseball... "There just aren't enough good fields, especially in the inner city." Give me a break! Have you seen the fields and equipment that kids in South America use to play baseball? Rocks, sticks, bare hands, dirt piles, streets. They play because they want to. One reason AMERICAN kids don't play as much baseball as they used to is because so many other things are competing for their time and attention. They simply find other things more interesting. Sad but true. When I was a kid, we didn't have electronic gadgets and my mother did not allow us to sit inside and watch TV except when we begged to watch the Baseball Game of the Week or a rare Tigers game. We played baseball EVERY SINGLE DAY in the summer. If we didn't have enough guys (or gals) to play an actual game, we played "work up" or "pickle." It's what we did. Now the "buzz" is about the newest video game. Think about it ... there are kids out there who would rather sit on their butt and play video baseball than actual baseball. I've helped coach youth baseball and softball for years, and some kids get dropped off who simply know very little about the game -- their fathers (or mothers) don't play catch with them or hit ground balls and fly balls to them like my dad did COUNTLESS times, even after a long day of work. Nope, they just "don't have the time." So the baseball tradition slowly slips away ... as does any expectation of physical activity. Well, my fellow parents, that's OUR fault. I think I'll call my dad and thank him again -- for the millionth time!
ReplyDeleteYou're making me tear up, guy.
ReplyDeleteMany emotions.
I had/have absolutely NO athletic prowess. Yet I fondly remember those youthful games.
My brothers, a neighbor boy and I would play pickle for hours. Dad worked three jobs, but he played when he could. I remember he just about had a heart attack once.
I don't have any sons, but took the girls to T ball as long as they wanted, and one of my three girls is still an avid Tiger fan.
In my family baseball goes much deeper. Dad came to Detroit from northern Michigan during the depression. He got a job at Chevy, had a few bucks in his pocket for the first time in his life, and being the country bumpkin he was, found that baseball and movies were enjoyable, relatively cheap and required no social skills or status. A baseball fan was born.
Why do we love this game so much? All those memories? Sure that's part of it.
Funny when we compare a one hour nightly "Baseball Tonight" (which I get frustrated with and doze off on occassionally) to This Week in Baseball of our youth. Was Vin Sculley the wonderful announcer? I wouldn't blink for the whole 30 minute show.
You may be thinking of Mel Allen. And yes, memories have a lot to do with our love for baseball. I still remember my first "live" game(s) ... Aug. 13, 1972 ... doubleheader vs. the Indians. We lived four hours north of Detroit, so after finally convincing my dad to take the whole clan, he reasoned (thankfully) that if we were going to drive that far, we might as well see 2-for-1. The Tigers were in the midst of a losing streak, so Billy Martin picked his batting order out of a hat ... Eddie Brinkman batted clean-up against Gaylord Perry (and doubled in a run), and the Tigers won 3-2 behind Woody Fryman. Using their traditional lineup, the Tigers lost the second game 9-2 as Ray Fosse hit two home runs for Cleveland. Biggest moment for me: Seeing Tiger Stadium's beautiful green grass for the first time. Incredible. So many great memories. I love this game!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Mel Allen! Great voice!
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