Decrease in African Americans in baseball has officials puzzled, concerned

The Miami Herald/St. Paul Pioneer Press ^ | 22 Mar 2004 | GORDON WITTENMYER

[r9etb]

The most beautiful thing in the world growing up as a boy enamored with baseball was when for the 1st time I walked thru the concrete tunnel toward the seats and suddenly like an explosion you see the GREEN grass, the dirt infield, the mound, the white bases, and thousands and thousands of people...all under a sunny blue sky.

And also the sounds and smells..... Nothing in the world like it.

As for those who call it "boring," I think they just don't understand the pace of the game. What do they expect from a sport that combines individual accomplishment, intricate teamwork, and head-to-head duelling?

[r9etb]

All holes in 1 are a matter of luck...not skill.

I once got three consecutive holes in one. Of course, the hole in question was 80 feet wide and full of water.....

[Publius6961]

What planet is this guy from?
Has he ever been to a basketball game?

[SouthParkRepublican]

"At any given moment, there are dozens of things going on in a baseball game.

Come on! In any given sport there are dozens of things going on at any given moment.

It's just that in baseball, if you're a good player you have an average of 15 min fielding and 3 min hitting per game. It's a relatively passive sport...

If people were looking for this they might prefer cricket. (not dissimilar sports). The only reason that baseball does well here is our sense of tradition.

[AmishDude]

Which shows us that you also know nothing about throwing the javelin. Have you ever tried to throw one?

Yep. Didn't take too long to do it skillfully and demonstrate that I had maxed the limits of my physical ability.

What you're saying doesn't seem to have any counterpart in reality. Perhaps you'd like to tell us what you mean by "athletic."

John Kruk and Minnesota Fats are not athletes. Whatever excludes them is a proper definition for athlete. Sheesh.

[SouthParkRepublican]

Thank you... Logically we can conclude the following: A marathon runner clocks in at 2:11 running Boston but is not an athlete because:

He is crushed trying to bench 450lbs in his basement gym He cant dunk or hit a trey Cant return a fast serve Cant birdie on a paar four Cant kick a 50 yard field goal or push through the last 2 yards for the TD He doesnt even know what a 7-10 split is Thinks Ping Pong is a communist dictator

So a guy who can sink four balls consistantly on a break is less an athlete than someone who can play third base through a no hitter?

Im being a bit sarcastic and know how it comes accross but at some point we need to define what a sport is and ulitmately it is something like this:

Sports = The product of skill and physical acumen applied in a situation where ones ability to perform is judged against his/her peers.

By the way... If you're Amish you know you shouldnt be here!

[SouthParkRepublican]

"George Will said it best. (paraphrased) "Baseball is like going to Church. Many attend but few understand."

I'll remember to add Will's last book to after Revelations in my family bible so my kids have it all straight...

[NYCVirago]

I'm not buying the "lack of resources" excuse. It's not like the players from Latin America were rolling in the dough -- Mariano Rivera, for one, used a cardboard baseball glove when he was growing up in Panama, yet he still made it to the majors and became the premier closer in the game.

And the numbers for black players would be higher if you figure in "black Latinos", for lack of a better word. Do you consider Sammy Sosa or Jose Contreras, to name two examples, black or Latin?

I don't doubt that there are fewer African-American major leaguers than there used to be, but I think you can blame that on the trendiness, or lack thereof, of MLB as opposed to the NFL or the NBA.

[Dan from Michigan]

I forgot Herndon. I didn't forget Lemon. Both were a good player, but I didn't know if he should have been considered a "Star" or not(same with Darrell Evans), compared to Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris, and Willie Hernandez.

[CommandoFrank]

Then why aren't there a proportionate number of Latino's playing in the NFL or NBA?

Beats me... Maybe they're smaller in physical build?

[Defiant]

See my post 110.

[Clemenza]

I am concerned about the fact that there are so few blacks in curling, field hockey, and lacrosse.

Interestingly enough, the great Jim Brown still holds many national Lacrosse records from his days at Manhasset High School.