Baseball's back - but who cares?

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), July, 1995 by Wayne M. Barrett

HERE ARE a few typical early-season snippets from the post-strike world of the Summer Game:

* A Cincinnati batter is issued ball four, only the hitter does not jog down to first. He didn't know the count and thus failed to realize he had been walked.

* Trying to keep the Houston Astros' slim lead from expanding so his team can mount a comeback in its last at-bat, a Pittsburgh Pirate reliever induces the batter to ground to first, where the hitter is called out on a close play, with the relief pitcher covering. The Pirate hurler, thinking the inning was over, spikes the ball to the ground and heads for the dugout. Trouble is, there only are two out and an Astro baserunner scampers home with an insurance run as the ball rolls across toward the vacated pitcher's mound.

* A Reds baserunner attempts to steal third and the Met catcher guns the ball in plenty of time to nail him, except the Met third baseman takes the throw out of position--in front of the bag--failing to block the base. He is forced to reach back with a swipe tag that is applied too late.

Add to these examples the litany of batters who swat what appears to be a home run and stand at home plate admiring their supposedly mighty blast, only to have the ball bounce off the wall or land on the warning track. Such actions result in some of the longest singles on record or sure stand-up doubles and triples ending up as bang-bang plays. And don't forget all the outfielders who consistently throw to the wrong base or miss the cut-off man by a country mile.

To anyone who is pointing to the strike that cancelled last year's World Series as the major reason attendance is way down all across North America, you're probably right. However, there are a number of other factors at work here, not the least of which is that the latest generation of players--much like America's dumbed-down, poorly trained labor force--don't show pride in their work and fail to grasp the basic fundamentals that go into doing a job properly. Instead, the modern players' skills are limited to preening for the TV cameras, strutting for the crowd, and trash talking with opponents and umpires, but when it comes to mastering the subtleties of their craft, forget it. They more resemble delinquents who never go to class, but get passed on to the next grade anyway.

Baseball's fans, or, more accurately, paying customers, have had it. Not even across-the-board, "we-miss-you-so-please-comeback" ticket price reductions and special promotions have swayed the angry and frustrated populace into once again embracing the worst game in town.

Both the owners and players have paid lip service to the devastating effects of the strike's aftermath, yet the feeling is they merely are lip-synching hollow comments for public relations purposes. More than engendering a universal "to hell with all those greedy bastards" outcry among fans, the eight-month players' strike has stripped many die-hards of their lifelong investment--both emotional and financial--in what was once our National Pastime.

In essence, people have fallen out of the habit of being baseball fans. While the latest strike may have been the straw that finally broke the camel's back, there are numerous other elements that make it increasingly easy to say "no" to baseball:

* While a packed house for the "big game" is an exciting spectacle, that translates into big-time headaches for the fans. who are forced to arrive way too early if they hope to see the first pitch. Leaving, likewise, is a chore, with the choices either taking off before the game ends or waiting around for the parking lot to clear. During the game itself, a trip to the bathroom or concession stand can become a two-inning adventure of close-quartered pushing, shoving, and frustration. Remember, too. that while many new ballparks have returned to the intimate configurations of olden days, there still are thousands of seats going for top dollar from which the ballplayers look to be the size of toy soldiers.

Just how many times a season can a guy be expected to drag the wife and kids through that experience? Trouble is, half-empty ballparks create some of the same dilemmas. Entire sections are closed, as well as their accompanying rest rooms and refreshment stands, so that those remaining open are as crowded as if the game had been a sellout.

* There is a smugness to the greed that seems inherent in both players and owners. Players, for instance, charge exorbitant fees for autographs. And don't blame just the modern athlete. Plenty of Hall-of-Famers and retired fan favorites also are cashing in on this practice. The owners, meanwhile, although crying poverty throughout the strike, still expanded their ranks by adding two more teams, If business is so bad. how did they convince some sucker to put up $100,000,000 for a new franchise?

* As for on-field play, expansion inevitably means only one thing--a dilution of talent, especially pitching. The Big Bang theorists can talk all they want about exciting high-scoring games, but the lack of quality hurlers has turned baseball into a travesty. Sure, an occasional slugfest can be loads of fun, but. when football-like final scores must be endured day-in, day-out. it inevitably means that more is less.