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Returning to the town hall format used in April's show, this summer edition debuts on the final evening of baseball's All-Star Game break. What do you think are the big issues in baseball today?
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(23 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Aug 5, 2008 3:21 PM
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Hi Mike and welcome! We see a lot of favoritism in our teams here as well. They're actually meeting in the next week to try to have new rules for the next season on dads coaching their own kids. We'll see what happens.
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Angela
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(22 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Aug 5, 2008 1:31 PM
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Hello Tsal
I agree with your observation about coaches playing their sons when they are clearly better players for certain positions but it isn't a black or white issue. It happens every where to everyone. I have coached youth baseball for 20 years and have seen it more times than I care to can count.
My son is 13 and has played ball since he was 4 in tee ball. When he was six I started training him to be a catcher. He really caught on to the that position quick. From 7 years of age to 10 he started every game behind the plate for his team whether I was a coach or not even for his all-star team.
Then we moved to another state. We signed him up for baseball with a youth baseball league. I wasn't able to coach or be around much do to the traveling my job required me to do. When I was around for practices and games it was obvious that the two coaches had their sons in positions they could not play and of course they were pitchers and catchers. They both played those position neither one could make the throw to second baseball let alone catch most of the balls or pitch. We watched one of the coaches son walk 6 straight batters before he even went out to talk to him and then left him in the game. Needless to say parents and players were upset especially my son who was an all-star 3 years in a row.
It's a shame that some coaches just can't see or admit their sons are not good at certain position. Because it not only hurts the team moral but it hurts players such as your son and mine who know they can play the position better. My son no longer plays baseball and it hurts me because I know how much he loves the game. I wish you all the best with your son. I hope some day he make it to the major leagues and shows those coaches what a big mistake they made. Tell him no matter if he wins or loses to always keep his head up as long as he has played his best he has nothing to be a shamed of.
Sincerely
Mike
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(21 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Jul 29, 2008 3:26 PM
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Hi everyone!
I wanted to stop in and say hello to all of our new members! A great big HBO WELCOME to you! Glad to have you with us!
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Angela
HBO Forums Host
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(20 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Jul 28, 2008 4:58 PM
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I saw the segment with Pete Rose. ITs a real shame he can't get into the hall of fame.... One of the best baseball players of all time. Thats ALL TIME. The guy said he was sorry, wished he'd never done it, I believe him and think he means way more to the game than lots of others.
I would like to pass this along about Pete Rose. In 1980, I was 16 years old and baseball was everything! A friend of mine, whos Dad was a minor league manager in the Phillies organization and got us tickets to see the Phillies and the Astros and better yet, an oppurtunity to go inside the Phillies club house. So the clubhouse guy comes to get us, takes us inside and introduces us to a few ball players, in particular I remember Bake McBride and Garry Maddox were very friendly in addtion to a few others. We caught site of Mike Schmidt.. A baseball god... Who says, "what are you guys doing here?" We say: "we drove up from Fort Worth to see the Astrodome".. To which Mike Schmidt says... "Well, you can't see much of it from in here can you?" Needless to say, I was crushed! Clearly Schmidt was irritated we were in there making us feel somewhat unwelcome. Just after that, Pete Rose walks up without any solicitation from us, introduces himself, shakes our hands, taking time to chat with us for a few minutes giving a couple of 16 year olds the thrill of a lifetime! So when I think of Pete Rose, I think of a stand up guy who contributed so much to the game and the fans over the years who shouldn't be denied his place in baseball because he made some personal mistakes in his life that more than likely had no impact on the games they played.
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7/23/08
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(19 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Jul 23, 2008 2:05 AM
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Back to Pete Rose...baseball probably gives second chances to to thieves, murderers, wife-beaters, drug abusers, etc., etc. But a guy who bet on the game is banned for life. This is a group stuck on a rulebook written when? 18-something? If a group or organization is to grow & prosper, it has to be willing to change it's rules along the way. (Hello, Catholic Church? Hello, Islam?)
Who is worse: A guy who bet on his team to win and did everything to win that game, a wife-beater, a drug abuser?
I know who I'm voting for.
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7/20/08
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(18 of 23)
Who should vote for Hall of Fame?
Jul 20, 2008 12:14 PM
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I think the biggest issue in baseball is that the wrong people are in charge of the Hall of Fame. Why are the sports writers in charge of who gets in? Most of them have probably never even played at a competetive level. I think the panel of voters should consist of hall of fame members and current players and managers. They should be the ones to decide who deserves it.
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6/29/06
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(17 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Jul 20, 2008 1:36 AM
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We all know what opinions are like... So here's mine...
I grew up a big baseball fan due to my Dad's influence. Nowadays, both my Mom and Dad are huge Yankee fans, and watch every game, but I have mostly lost touch with the game.
My personal experience is because I don't have the ability to even watch most of the games due to the TV networks that the teams started. In order to create even more revenue, the owners figure that can have people pay to watch the games at home, then some of the cable providers don't even offer the channel!
I know they are questioning the loss of the minority fans, but it seems that by limiting access for the fans to watch every game, they shot themselves in the foot. How do they expect fans to become emotionally involved with the season if we can't watch the games every day?
So the tradition has been broken with me in my family. My son and I have become big fans of European soccer, because we were able to watch the games on Fox and ESPN over the years.
It's a shame. I would've loved to hang with my son on the couch watching the Yankees on WPIX, and discussing if A Rod should've ever been handed the pinstripes. Instead, we're discussing the greatness of Cristiano Ronaldo and looking forward to the upcoming English Premiere League football season.
I have a decent gig, but I'm not sure if paying for the YES Network (if I could even get it) would be something I could justify each month with the regular bills associated with kids and home ownership. I have no idea how inner-city kids would see getting YES as a priority either. Seems that there's a lot more important things in life that we all need to pay for.
Less Access=Less Fans. I imagine that the team TV Networks generate just enough money for the owners to not really care that much about this issue anyway. Their concern is money, and they are making more of it.
Just my opinion...
MM in NJ
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Edited by Parcans at 07/19/2008 10:39 PM PDT
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7/18/08
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(16 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Jul 18, 2008 8:01 PM
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The underrepresentation of Blacks in baseball probably has more to do with the resources required to play baseball and less to do with Bob Costas' reference to the lack of fathers in Black homes (what is that about?). Also, I find it interesting that MLB is supposed to be developing a program called RBI when I know that my wife worked at a High School (that was about 5 minutes from Yankee Stadium )and they had to eliminate their baseball team (all Black and Latino players) because they couldn't afford uniforms...Isn't charity supposed to begin at home? Ultimately, what's the incentive for MLB to increase Black participation in baseball when the revenue numbers are skyrocketing?
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Edited by clord35 at 07/18/2008 5:02 PM PDT
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(15 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Jul 17, 2008 6:03 PM
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How about Pete Rose with the Las vegas skyline behind him as Costas is interviewing him last night? Who is thiis guy's PR person? Unfortunatley for Pete, no one cares any more. KH
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(14 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Jul 17, 2008 5:51 PM
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Tsal, all the thoughts and questions about what you were saying in your post were answered when I read your last paragraph.
Bravo to you for seeing that your son will have the opportunity to experience and actualize his talents on the diamond and bless him for having wonderful parents like you.
And damn the situation that put you in that position and bless you for seeing your way beautifully through it.
All the best to and for all of you!
Cleo
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"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmund Burke
"I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." From "He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven", W.B. Yeats
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(13 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Jul 17, 2008 12:01 PM
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African-American kids are very interested in the game of baseball. I have a son who's very talented and gifted in baseball. He's eight years old and has been playing since he's six. He's been chosen for the All-Star team each year. During regular season, he plays third base or short stop. But, on the All-Star team, he has to play in the out field and he's considered the sub. He can out play the majority of the players on the team, he's quicker, he's a fielder, and he loves the sport. Now the problem, all the coaches sons are on the team, whether they deserve to be there are not. An agreement/or deal is made among the coaches before the season begins about the All-Star team and players. It's just that my son demonstrates such great baseball skills until its a disgrace not to include him. At first, age six, his father and I would not adress the issue of him having to be the sub while other children receive more playing time that was not worthy. We thought as long has he was having fun, then we were okay. Not that we didn't recognize the unfairness, we felt it was not worth the argument or having to ask the question of why our son is being benched when he can out play half of the team.
Just recently, my son was chosen, once again, for the All-Star team. However, this year the outcome was quite different. The team was participating in the state tournament and doing well. My son was playing center right field. He was fielding the grounders (that made it to the outfield), catching his pop flys, and backing up his team mates. But out of five games, he was subbed out in four of them. The last game the team played on Friday, my son was pulled out to let another player go in the game. I looked over in the dug out. His head hung down. I walked over to the dugout to ask why was his head down. He looked at me and asked, "Why do they always take me out the game?" At this point, the game was no longer fun for him because he started to recognize another issue taking place. He recognized he played better than alot of the players on the team but they remained in the game. He told us himself that he no longer wanted to play and stated he wanted to go home. (It was an out of town tournament.)
At this time, I recognized my son was not playing for the fun of it any more but for the love of the game and to win. His father and I decided to take our son off the team because we could not ansewer his question without being honest. We sat down that evening having dinner and explained to our son exactly what we thought the answer to his question was. We told our son, "Life is always not fair. He was a great ball player and he should have been playing more than some of the other players. Unfortunately, the coaches saw things differently. We explained the coaches-son aspect, small community (all the parents grew up together), and ,of course, race ( he's the only black on the team. We had a strange vibe that the parents thought we should have been thrilled that he was selected to be on the team.
Now, as parents, its our duty to make sure his love for the game remains the same. Our son will attend a sponsored baseball camp by the city university next week (July 21-24). He's just as excited as he was playing for the team. We refuse to allow small town politics of baseball parents stop our son from doing something he loves. We are looking for a personal trainer to assist him with all baseball skills and to inform us on the appropriate equipment (gloves, bat, etc.)he needs. His father and I knows he has to be better without a question in order to compete against his peers of another race. Our son has learned a life-lesson at an early age, but we are determined it's going to make him stronger. My son may not completely understand now but he will later, because there is a story to be told behind every great person. This may just be the beginning of his story.
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(12 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Jul 17, 2008 1:54 AM
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I must talk about Pete Rose.. Any man who can say he has never made a mistake should look in the mirror and laugh..Pete has any record that you might want to break but as a whole we say that you are not good for the game, so you are banned..If I was banned from all my wrong doings then I would not be able to go to work, yet you depend on me and many others like me to protect you 24 hours a day.. why do we as a whole rate a man on what he did wrong and not what he ha done for the greater good of man kind..BASEBALL is the game of choice, we teach our kids to throw a baseball before they throw a football of before they shoot a basket..We say that BASEBALL is a purest sport and I accept that I want my son to understand that..but even the purest make a mistake, and he was forgiven..Give Pete a break there has never been anyone like him since, and I will take a lifetime to see it again.....
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7/16/08
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(11 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Jul 16, 2008 11:50 PM
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Give me a break,if the owners wanted to put and end to the drugs in baseball they could.If i was paying someone all that money I would want to make sure my investment was clean from any type of drug from sports enhancing down to smoking marijuana if a hair test can prove what you have been doing for the past six months or 1yr 5yrs then whats the problem. When your average joe goes to get a job urine this blood that hair sample this whats the problem players union shouts rights owner should say im paying all this money i should have some rights to. players today dont have the love of the game like players of the past too much money out there i suppose i would rather my son look up to bob uecker or hank howard or joe charboneau than alex rodriguez or roger clemens or barry bonds with all of the new guys its about the mighty $$$$$$ if something dont change, baseball will not be americas past time it will be a different ball game all together The biggest issue in baseball should be about the fans that have made baseball what it was when ty, baur, aaron, mays, ryan,winfield and all the ones i didnt mention
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(10 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Jul 16, 2008 11:38 PM
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Well, on the show thay talked about Black kids not playing Baseball and how short the Mlb, with out Black ball players. Well, in some towns like Naperville Illinois the coaches over look Black ball players and for some kids thay just go to other sports. There are some coaches that just don't want Black kids on the teams, and in Naperville Illinois at Neuqua Valley High School, thay know how to keep black kids from playing Baseball. Now, thay might just have one or two kids that are black on the team out of one hundred, but that's the ones that will pay big money in the booster club. Black kids love Baseball but once you get in to high school, the white coaches keep them out of Baseball.
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(9 of 23)
Re: What are the biggest issues in Baseball?
Jul 16, 2008 11:32 PM
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There is an issue that the media seems to have avoided in NY. That the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Jets (It's really all teams in all major sports across the country) are basically forgetting about their core fans, those of us who are not wealthy. I took my son to his first Yankee game, the first game of the Detroit playoff series two years ago. We sat about twenty rows in back of first base as I had been given the tickets. I don't know if we'll ever sit so close on our own.
The Mets are building a new ball park with approx 12,000+ less seats than Shea Stadium. Although they will make plenty of money with all the new corporate boxes, we know the Mets are going to charge an incredible amount for good seats.
Bud Selig professes to want to please the fans. We'll I guess he means the corporate and individual wealthy fans. The only media person I know who writes about this is Phil Mushnick of the NY Post.
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