Like Almost Everything Else Here, I Guess Amateur Baseball Is Dead Too (Baltimore: 2013, neighborhoods)

[Calvert Hall '62]

Time was when every ball diamond in every city park on every spring or summer evening, Mon.,-Fri., as well as Sat. mornings featured an organized game. This includes little league diamonds which were used for both little league games and fast-pitch softball games sponsored by various companies.

Scores of major leaguers got their start here. Heck, Reggie Jackson moved here from Philly one summer at age 18 just to play for nationally-renowned Walter Youse's Leone's team. Al Kaline, Dave Boswell, Phil Linz, Jim Spencer, Tom Phoebus, Dave Leonhard, and Moose Haas are just a few players who come to mind. In addition to Youse's teams, there was Sheriff Fowble's sponsored by Gordon's stores for 14-16 year olds, Dauphins AC, and Mary Dobkin who rescued juvenile delinquents for her teams rather than having them sent to "reform school." Hollywood even made a movie about "Aunt Mary."

So the other say I scoped out an aerial view of that portion of Herring Run at Harford Rd. and Chesterfield Ave. The ball diamonds have been seeded over. Sad, so sad.

[P47P47]

A friend of mine was riding the Light Rail from Linthicum to a game at Camden Yards. As the train passed through Westport, he mentioned that Al Kaline grew up there. One of the young ladies aboard the train who was listening to him said, "Who's Al Kaline?"


I have to admit, it really, REALLY, bothers me to see American kids playing soccer instead of baseball.

[designer_genes]

Originally Posted by P47P47

I have to admit, it really, REALLY, bothers me to see American kids playing soccer instead of baseball.

What? Why?

Kids should play whatever sport they want to play. Soccer is a great game. And I am a die hard baseball fan.


That said, the diamonds in Patterson Park are very active, both for little league and social sports for adults. The Baltimore Social leagues are there all the time. I don't know about elsewhere.

I think the problem that baseball is facing, similar to football, is that it is an expensive sport to play. Soccer is not. Therefore, kids in disadvantaged communities are way more likely to play soccer than baseball. You see that all over the country and in other countries as well (hence the huge surge of Latin American baseball players in the big leagues).

[P47P47]

Originally Posted by designer_genes

What? Why?

Kids should play whatever sport they want to play. Soccer is a great game. And I am a die hard baseball fan.


That said, the diamonds in Patterson Park are very active, both for little league and social sports for adults. The Baltimore Social leagues are there all the time. I don't know about elsewhere.

I think the problem that baseball is facing, similar to football, is that it is an expensive sport to play. Soccer is not. Therefore, kids in disadvantaged communities are way more likely to play soccer than baseball. You see that all over the country and in other countries as well (hence the huge surge of Latin American baseball players in the big leagues).

Well, of course they should play whatever game they want to play. I'm certainly not going to make any attempt to prevent anybody from playing soccer.

But I disagree that soccer is a great game. I consider it to be just yet another variation of "put the ball in the hole at the end of the rectangular field as many times as you can in an hour", and it bothers me to see it being played instead of baseball.

No doubt, a considerable amount of soccer's world-wide popularity (particularly over baseball) is the relative economy of soccer, and not needing a uniquely-shaped and dedicated field like baseball. But that doesn't make me like it any better.

I'm confused by your mentioning that kids in disadvantaged communities are more likely to play soccer, while also referencing the surge in Latin American baseball players.

I think that one of the biggest reasons behind soccer's popularity in this country is that (for the younger players) a not-so-good player can be put into the game where he can sort of bumble around harmlessly and feel like he's done something, without the possibility of being put on the spot by dropping that fly ball that was hit his way with runners on base, or striking out in the clutch.

Anyway, play, and be a fan of, whatever sport you like, and certainly don't let my opinions of it influence you adversely.

[designer_genes]

Originally Posted by P47P47

Well, of course they should play whatever game they want to play. I'm certainly not going to make any attempt to prevent anybody from playing soccer.

But I disagree that soccer is a great game. I consider it to be just yet another variation of "put the ball in the hole at the end of the rectangular field as many times as you can in an hour", and it bothers me to see it being played instead of baseball.

No doubt, a considerable amount of soccer's world-wide popularity (particularly over baseball) is the relative economy of soccer, and not needing a uniquely-shaped and dedicated field like baseball. But that doesn't make me like it any better.

I'm confused by your mentioning that kids in disadvantaged communities are more likely to play soccer, while also referencing the surge in Latin American baseball players.

I think that one of the biggest reasons behind soccer's popularity in this country is that (for the younger players) a not-so-good player can be put into the game where he can sort of bumble around harmlessly and feel like he's done something, without the possibility of being put on the spot by dropping that fly ball that was hit his way with runners on base, or striking out in the clutch.

Anyway, play, and be a fan of, whatever sport you like, and certainly don't let my opinions of it influence you adversely.

Sorry, I understand how my meaning could have been garbled and reading back over my post, it is confusing. I was rushing when I wrote that post. I meant that Latin players need to come here to play professional baseball, where there is an existing infrastructure, because due to the expense, that infrastructure can only exist in first world countries.

You can not like soccer. That's totally fine. Everyone's tastes are different. I happen to love it, just like I love baseball (they're really the only two sports I like). A huge part of soccer and the enjoyment of it is the cultural pervasiveness of the game - the way the World Cup brings people of different cultures together in a way really only the Olympics can come close to replicating. I went to South Africa for the World Cup in 2010 and observed first hand people from warring nations embrace each other like brothers, which I thought was beautiful.

To each their own. But, I don't really understand why your dislike of the sport leads to resentment of kids choosing to play it. That seems a bit extreme. I really hate football (the American kind) because I think it's a stupid and barbaric sport (almost a direct contrast to the nuance of the gentleman's game of baseball), but seeing kids choose to play it doesn't affect me emotionally whatsoever because I understand their tastes are different from mine and that is okay. None of my co-workers like baseball. Literally none. All of them like football. Is it isolating sometimes? Sure. But, I wouldn't say it bothers me nor am I going to resent them for liking something different than me.

Baseball is nowhere close to dead. I don't think we have any reason to panic. When I was younger, it used to bother me a lot that seemingly most of the people that went to baseball games didn't go there to actually watch the game. It used to really get under my skin. But, now I've come to understand that baseball is a social experience for a lot of people and that's okay. Going to a baseball game is like experiencing a little slice of nostalgic America. And I think that speaks to people, even if they don't follow the sport closely.

[Infinite_heights77]

Those damn Dominicans!

"Bassie..ball has been vury vury gud to me!!!"

[Infinite_heights77]

"Baseball is nowhere close to dead."


*It's dead in the Black ghettos of most major cities!!! During the 1940's, 50's and 60's, young African American males played baseball, stick ball amongst other related sports. My father remembers playing baseball growing up in the city. As time and neighborhoods declined, so did interests in baseball amongst Black youth.

Genes, how can you hate football?!! Lol Too brutal?

Originally Posted by designer_genes

Sorry, I understand how my meaning could have been garbled and reading back over my post, it is confusing. I was rushing when I wrote that post. I meant that Latin players need to come here to play professional baseball, where there is an existing infrastructure, because due to the expense, that infrastructure can only exist in first world countries.

You can not like soccer. That's totally fine. Everyone's tastes are different. I happen to love it, just like I love baseball (they're really the only two sports I like). A huge part of soccer and the enjoyment of it is the cultural pervasiveness of the game - the way the World Cup brings people of different cultures together in a way really only the Olympics can come close to replicating. I went to South Africa for the World Cup in 2010 and observed first hand people from warring nations embrace each other like brothers, which I thought was beautiful.

To each their own. But, I don't really understand why your dislike of the sport leads to resentment of kids choosing to play it. That seems a bit extreme. I really hate football (the American kind) because I think it's a stupid and barbaric sport (almost a direct contrast to the nuance of the gentleman's game of baseball), but seeing kids choose to play it doesn't affect me emotionally whatsoever because I understand their tastes are different from mine and that is okay. None of my co-workers like baseball. Literally none. All of them like football. Is it isolating sometimes? Sure. But, I wouldn't say it bothers me nor am I going to resent them for liking something different than me.

Baseball is nowhere close to dead. I don't think we have any reason to panic. When I was younger, it used to bother me a lot that seemingly most of the people that went to baseball games didn't go there to actually watch the game. It used to really get under my skin. But, now I've come to understand that baseball is a social experience for a lot of people and that's okay. Going to a baseball game is like experiencing a little slice of nostalgic America. And I think that speaks to people, even if they don't follow the sport closely.

[Infinite_heights77]

It shouldn't bother you due to the fact that if American kids were playing soccer, they damn sure wouldn't be overweight and obese at very young ages, and we've have healthier children in the country. Soccer takes skill and finesse, it's not just about kicking a ball around.

Originally Posted by P47P47

A friend of mine was riding the Light Rail from Linthicum to a game at Camden Yards. As the train passed through Westport, he mentioned that Al Kaline grew up there. One of the young ladies aboard the train who was listening to him said, "Who's Al Kaline?"


I have to admit, it really, REALLY, bothers me to see American kids playing soccer instead of baseball.

[Calvert Hall '62]

The absence of organized amateur baseball in urban areas is wholly consistent with the relative shortage of non-Latino blacks in the major leagues. In 2013, non-Latino blacks comprised 8.5% of players, down from 19% in 1986.

Baseball's Lack Of Black Players Reflects Flawed U.S. Youth Development System

[designer_genes]

Originally Posted by Calvert Hall '62

The absence of organized amateur baseball in urban areas is wholly consistent with the relative shortage of non-Latino blacks in the major leagues. In 2013, non-Latino blacks comprised 8.5% of players, down from 19% in 1986.

Baseball's Lack Of Black Players Reflects Flawed U.S. Youth Development System

It's definitely a problem; I'm not saying it's not. The Mets are my team and Curtis Granderson actually does a lot of work with black youth to try to get them interested in baseball. I don't know if there are other black ballplayers doing similar things.