PG,
I heard an interview with John Smoltz recently. He made a comment about how everyone blamed expansion for the decline in the game but then he noted that teams are now having "the opportunity" to field quality teams. In his opinion, it's just part of a cycle.
A team everywhere might be too much, but I miss when I lived near a minor league park. I could take to the whole family for the price of a single ticket to our major league game and we thoroughly enjoyed the games.
quote:If we cut the Maximum player salary to 500K per, we can afford to have 100 MLB team for sure.
Then it becomes Arena Football with a MLB trademark. MLB baseball is just that, the rest is Minor League and/or developmental.
White Sox General Manager Ken Williams' son chose to play football instead of baseball at Arizona State. I don't think it was because his dad never played catch with him or he wasn't exposed to baseball or that his dad could'nt afford private lessons, travel ball or expensive equipment. Maybe he, like most other black kids, just likes other sports better.
Regarding Ken Williams, in fact earlier in his career he took it upon himself to go out and try and find black baseball players. Talk about affirmative action. The result was he gave up in futility and said he couldn't find enough of them to make it worthwhile. Maybe Kenny needs to be sent to a re-education camp.
The simple fact is the opportunities are there, black players largely choose other sports. Regarding the comment that coaches, scouts and the exposure folks (PG, etc) don't look at the black players properly to give them an opportunity to play at the next level, my experience is just the opposite. Because of their "athleticism" I see the above crowd watching them very closely when they are on the ballfield. That dog doesn't hunt.
Nelson Rockefellar, the long time ago Gov. of NY, said it best: "we should strive for a society that has an aristocracy of achievement based on a democracy of opportunity." That society by and large exists now in American athletics. Once opportunities are provided and choices made, everything beyond that is social engineering which is demeaning, a waste of time and should be avoided at all costs.
The simple fact is the opportunities are there, black players largely choose other sports. Regarding the comment that coaches, scouts and the exposure folks (PG, etc) don't look at the black players properly to give them an opportunity to play at the next level, my experience is just the opposite. Because of their "athleticism" I see the above crowd watching them very closely when they are on the ballfield. That dog doesn't hunt.
Nelson Rockefellar, the long time ago Gov. of NY, said it best: "we should strive for a society that has an aristocracy of achievement based on a democracy of opportunity." That society by and large exists now in American athletics. Once opportunities are provided and choices made, everything beyond that is social engineering which is demeaning, a waste of time and should be avoided at all costs.
Here is another view on the subject.
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/columnists/jim_reeves/index.html
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/columnists/jim_reeves/index.html
We can delude ourselves all we want, but it remains that MLB is a business and will market itself to whomever it pleases.
Stadiums have fewer and fewer seats but more luxury boxes. Teams have their own channels or can only be seen regularly on MLB TV for a price and most often later than kids will be awake.
There are minor league leagues (not teams) in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. More are being planned in other nations such as China.
College baseball schollies are minmal. Further when the draft was initiated the intent was to limit the available pool of athletes to draw from.
High school baseball is never the entertainment venue that other sports are. (Marching bands and cheerleaders)
Day games are minimal, baseball movies when made are often not PG, baseball players do not appear on kids shows regularly. Baseball is not marketing itself to children to provide US players for the future.
Make no mistake about it. Baseball is what it is and who it is because the owners want it that way.
Stadiums have fewer and fewer seats but more luxury boxes. Teams have their own channels or can only be seen regularly on MLB TV for a price and most often later than kids will be awake.
There are minor league leagues (not teams) in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. More are being planned in other nations such as China.
College baseball schollies are minmal. Further when the draft was initiated the intent was to limit the available pool of athletes to draw from.
High school baseball is never the entertainment venue that other sports are. (Marching bands and cheerleaders)
Day games are minimal, baseball movies when made are often not PG, baseball players do not appear on kids shows regularly. Baseball is not marketing itself to children to provide US players for the future.
Make no mistake about it. Baseball is what it is and who it is because the owners want it that way.