Letters to the Editor
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ESPN Dropped The Ball
They should have had a phone or video hook up with Bonds, to chat with Aaron.
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I almost wrote about this today
My JetBlue flight from Oakland to NY was delayed 8 hours on Sunday, and the only balm was watching most of the Dodgers-Padres game on ESPN. King's right: that's the way to do history, wrapped up in something a lot of other people who don't know they care about history will be watching for other reasons. It was seamless, they worked the play by play into the interviews, and you also got a glimpse of these everyday heroes enjoying remembering Jackie Robinson but also enjoying being part of the game. I loved the Oakland banter between those Oakland natives, the "intellectual" Joe Morgan and "athletic" Frank Robinson. I hope they figure out other things to do it around.
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The magic I right there all the time
It certainly was good to hear the veiws of Aaron and Robinson as well as tributes to Jackie R. - but the man who has been called the 'most perfect ball player of all time' sits in the announcers box every week - Joe Morgan.
Not only was he a great ball player, but as a commentator he has no equal. The Viewers understanding and appreciation of the game expands everytime he comments on anything, a swing, a steal attempt, a long or short lead off first.
Last night I liked it when Robinson's widow, (is she reeeeally in her 80s?) reminded everyone there was a ballgame going on and wondered if she should be speaking through the action.
The game was decidedly blah - 9-3 is not a prescription for drama, even if individual performances may stand out.
I thought the wearing of 42 by all the players, was sort of hokey - still do as an idea, but it was handled well and the frustration of Robinson of there being no black managers was spoken to, and handled, even if some more 'strikes' could have been thrown than a 'spirit of the times' comment.
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Joe Morgan?
Who called Joe Morgan the "most perfect ballplayer"? I'm guessing it was Joe Morgan.
Baseball should do everything it can to get its old stars on the air more. I'm not just talking about the Banks and Aarons, but how about the Reggie Jacksons and Johnny Benchs?
What baseball has going for it, above everything else is tradition and history. If it were smart, it'd exploit that.
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F. Robby
Truly one of the greatest to ever play the game. Regardless of the amount of talent Earl Weaver amassed, when F. Robby wasn't in the lineup the O's were the worse for it.
He hit #500 at 11:58 P.M. in mid-September, too late to make the next day's papers. Talk about being robbed of the glory that should accompany such a milestone.
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The meaning of greatness, as understood by today's teenagers
I think kids don't get inspired by figures like that...
Too right King. I teach high school to African-American children, and even for those who wear the throwback Negro League baseball jerseys, Jackie Robinson is just a name from history. He is anything but an inspriration.
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Winfield
Let's not forget Winfield's great point about "continuity."
He was talking about why young black's don't play baseball and mentioned that one cannot play youth ball through to draft age for free anymore. It's pay to play.
Even I remember it being tough to find a summer team when I was growing up (1970's). Are there even leagues for 13-18 year olds outside the high school JV and varsity teams anymore?
Think about that next time we get all wraped around the Little League World Series next summer. Most of the kids these kids played against have finished their "careers" at age 12.
Steve Schaak
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Thank god the Imus thing is over...
It was a bit of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" on Friday, King. It was scary. I ran away, crying to myself, wishing for a snide, one-liner from Wes.
You were a trooper, however: engaging fanatical idiots til the wee hours (your last post was after midnight, I recall) and ignoring the assholes, for the most part. Who was that dude who was constantly calling out the Jews and daring to call others racist? - that shit was surreal, man.
Glad we're back to normal...
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Youth Baseball
My son is twelve, playing his last year of Little League. He loves baseball, and I love baseball, but realistically, this is probably it for him. We simply can't afford the lessons, camps, and league/tournament team fees that will be necessary for him to continue.
In our area, you can't hope to get onto a Babe Ruth League team if you aren't a known quantity. And how does that happen? You spend about $3,000 hitting the various camps and training facilities so the powers-that-be know who you are. Nothing wrong with lessons and camps, but if you don't have the cash, you simply can't do it. Scholarships are unheard of.
If you haven't been to the requisite camps, even if you have talent, there is no point in even showing up for try-outs. Our local Babe Ruth and tournament leagues will actually say that. "Don't bother."
In theory, a kid can play in high school, but around here, high school ball is simply an exhibition camp for the real baseball teams, American Legion and still more tournament and travel leagues. My son might be able to get onto a high school team, but that won't get him onto a team when the real season starts. Once again, it'll be the camps and lessons, which by the time he's in high school push $5,000 a year. Then the leagues themselves in high school are even more money. The real focus, the tournament or travel team leagues start at $2,000 per season, and if you don't commit to two seasons (kinda mid-summer and then late summer/early fall) teams won't take you.
So we're talking $8,000-9,000 per year just to play youth baseball. That's not even counting equipment costs, batting cage time, and travel costs.
Then there's the mindset of organized youth baseball leadership. Here we're talking about the adults the sit on the tournament and league boards and coach the teams. To say that they are mostly unrelenting arrogant is being generous. Power-tripping fuckwards is what they are, just about all of them. They can look at a 12-year-old and proclaim, "Don't bother, he doesn't have what it takes."
For what? Kids just want to play ball. Some of them are more talented, some less. Some, given a chance, can get better, but most won't get that chance. Between the money and the figurative blow jobs their parents have to give the baseball authorities, it's just not possible.
My son loves baseball. But after this year, he'll be limited to catch with me or his friends, or maybe an occasional pick-up game. And actually, probably not even a pick-up game. The baseball kids aren't allowed to play pick-up games. Might get hurt, and that could hurt the multi-thousand dollar team.
Oh well. When he gets to college, I suppose my boy can play co-rec softball. It's fun (I still play some myself), but that's a long way off for the poor fellow. Sad.