It's a damn shame, but the kids in these black neighborhoods who could excel in baseball will never have a chance to develop their skills because there is no organic support system to allow them to do it. Things like a father playing catch with them in the back yard when they are 5 or 6 years old.
If a kid does not have the basic skills, including a love for the game by the time they reach high school, they will never have it.
It's not like football where a high school coach can take a big or fast freshman and train him to play in a short period of time. Baseball skills take a long time and many repetitions to master.
Willie Horton was at Comerica park yesterday to honor Lou Whitaker and it reminded me of Willie Horton during the Detroit riots.
He left Tiger stadium in his uniform and drove into the thick of the riots and stood on the roof of his car with a bullhorn begging the people to go home.