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Decrease in African Americans in baseball has officials puzzled, concerned
The Miami Herald/St. Paul Pioneer Press ^ | 22 Mar 2004 | GORDON WITTENMYER

Posted on 03/23/2004 7:10:58 AM PST by Guillermo

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To: Rummyfan
"Finally it's appeal is more intellectual than football or basketball.

Would you care to explain why you think baseball has a greater intellectual appeal than football or basketball?

81 posted on 03/23/2004 8:43:26 AM PST by SouthParkRepublican ( Nothing like brain eff’ing the minutia while ignoring the obvious)
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To: Mr. Bird
Hitting a baseball, and then running the basepaths, are quite athletic endeavors. If we attempt to whittle sports down to pure athleticism, we'll end up with marathon runners. Now that's boring.

Absolutely. But I think you take "non-athletic" to be a pejorative. I mean just the opposite.

82 posted on 03/23/2004 8:43:41 AM PST by AmishDude
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To: lewislynn
Baseball players aren't athletes and baseball games are boring, especially athletically.

Yeah, it doesn't take much athletic skill to hit, with a piece of wood, a moving object that starts out flying at your head at 85 MPH and ends up 3 feet away from you below your knees. All in the space of what, 66 feet? Jeez, the average man or woman should be able to do that straight out of the womb . . .

83 posted on 03/23/2004 8:43:46 AM PST by Hemingway's Ghost (The Spirit of 1775 Lives on in Massachusetts. Long live Samuel Adams.)
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To: Guillermo
By the way, not that anyone that follows MotoCross and SuperCross cares*, but there is for the first time in history a black SuperCross champion: James "Bubba" Stewart. James could be wearing the #1 plate, but has chosen to keep the #259 because his friend Tony Haynes wore the number 259. More info on James Stewart.


*No MX/SX fans care about Bubba's skin tone because this is one sport where the fastest, most skilled, hardest-working rider has always been on top of the podium, and that is what the sport is about -- who works the hardest, rides the best, and puts it all together.

84 posted on 03/23/2004 8:47:07 AM PST by spodefly (A tagline is a terrible thing to waste.)
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To: SouthParkRepublican
Would you care to explain why you think baseball has a greater intellectual appeal than football or basketball?

Baseball is the most statistics-friendly of sports. Discrete events. It can be summarized in a box score. The box scores of sports with clocks are much less revealing.

Also, George Will writes about baseball.

85 posted on 03/23/2004 8:47:37 AM PST by AmishDude
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To: AmishDude
But hitting a baseball is no more "athletic" than bowling, playing billiards.."

Pro bowlers and billiard players (Bet you can't name a few dozen?) are active in their sports up into their geriatric years. Few baseball players are still competitive by the time they reach their late thirties. That's because the ATHLETIC SKILLS required have left them. I have never heard of a pro bowler or billiard player whose body could not handle the demands of the game in their later years.

86 posted on 03/23/2004 8:48:04 AM PST by Hoof Hearted
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To: spodefly
Does the plate indicate ranking?

I assume Haynes was paralyzed in competition.

87 posted on 03/23/2004 8:49:29 AM PST by AmishDude
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To: DCPatriot
Hitting a baseball is the most difficult task in sports.

Hitting a golfing hole-in-one is harder. But both golf and baseball are stultifying to watch.

88 posted on 03/23/2004 8:51:03 AM PST by LexBaird (Tyrannosaurus Lex, unapologetic carnivore)
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To: BadAndy
Actually, according to an April 2003 population report based on the Annual Demographic Supplement to the March 2002 Current Population Survey, the percentage of black americans overall was 13% in March 2002, and according to a May 16, 2003 SI article by Mike Fish, the percentage of black major league baseball players at the beginning of the 2003 season was 10.5%.


89 posted on 03/23/2004 8:51:11 AM PST by atlaw
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To: Hoof Hearted
Baseball does involve a bit of running and other athletic requirements, but hitting the baseball is less so. Again, the analogy to golf is more precise -- the senior's tour.
90 posted on 03/23/2004 8:51:24 AM PST by AmishDude
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To: Guillermo
This is no mystery. Size is not as much of a factor in baseball as talent. Big kids, who mature early, are directed to football and basketball in middle school, then when they get to high school, the coaches forbid them to play baseball because they want them in the foot ball or basket ball program year around. They force them to make a choice.
91 posted on 03/23/2004 8:51:42 AM PST by Eva
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To: RikaStrom
word of the day suggestion ping
92 posted on 03/23/2004 8:52:05 AM PST by cyborg (sheretz mekori notef mugla's dead score one for civilization!)
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To: AmishDude
Being athletic helps, but to me, an athletic endeavor is one that anybody in good shape can do well without much specific training or practice. Hitting a baseball well will result from hours of practice but running laps will only help very marginally.

By "athletic" I guess you're saying that there's got to be an aspect of physical training involved, as well as the skill aspect. And, of course, hitting is a tremendously physical thing.

For example, being strong helps a lot -- both upper body, and leg strength are crucial. Working on bat speed helps a lot -- which also requires a lot of physical conditioning. If nothing else, the success of "steroidal hitters" shows that there is a very strong physical component.

What you're basically saying, BTW, is that there's nothing "athletic" about the primary focus of most sports -- shooting a basketball, fielding a baseball, being a goalie, hitting a puck with a hockey stick, catching or throwing with a lacrosse stick, kicking a ball of any sort....

In other words, you seem to be saying that "skill" is not an athletic thing. The fact is, practice and workouts improve skills, in exactly the same way that practice and workouts improve physical conditioning. Which is why teams and players who practice skills, are better than those who merely get in shape.

You've made pointless distinction -- skill and physical ability are inseparable components of "athleticism."

93 posted on 03/23/2004 8:53:11 AM PST by r9etb
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To: Guillermo
I don't really see what is wrong here...if more of them (African Americans) want to play basketball and football than what is wrong with that?

I could honestly care less because I haven't watched baseball since the first strike in the 90's.
94 posted on 03/23/2004 8:53:14 AM PST by Blue Scourge (Off I go into the Wild Blue Yonder...)
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To: Snerfling
Baseball requires super-human ability that is unseen -- the ability to hit the BB thrown by major league pitchers. I still don't see where the breathtaking ability in soccer is, but so many billions love it, I still assume it must be there. Of course I look like an idiot kicking a soccer ball around, I always have.
95 posted on 03/23/2004 8:53:34 AM PST by johnb838 (Kerry: Wrong on Defense, Wrong on Taxes. Repeat as necessary.)
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To: Guillermo
Dear Bid,

Just put the best 9 non-steroided on the field and stay out of the way.

96 posted on 03/23/2004 8:53:35 AM PST by breakem
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To: smith288
LOL!
97 posted on 03/23/2004 8:54:04 AM PST by cyborg (sheretz mekori notef mugla's dead score one for civilization!)
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To: man of Yosemite
Yeah, ticket prices are through the roof...there is no way I would even be able to dream about going to a NBA game...I just do not make enough right now...well I could but I need to make my car payment more than I need to go see the wizards.
98 posted on 03/23/2004 8:57:03 AM PST by Blue Scourge (Off I go into the Wild Blue Yonder...)
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To: SouthParkRepublican
The action is more spread out, long periods of nothing happening interrupted by furious activity.

More stately type of scoring, i.e., you can only score when at bat, whereas in football any play can result in scoring for either team.

Fielders and pitchers have to work closely together to set a defense.

Knowing what to do with the ball per the situation: number of outs, men on base etc.

As I'm writing this I see analogous situations in football, so maybe I'm way 'off base'.
99 posted on 03/23/2004 8:57:24 AM PST by Rummyfan
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To: SouthParkRepublican
Would you care to explain why you think baseball has a greater intellectual appeal than football or basketball?

Baseball requires a batter to recognize pitch, location, ball motion all in the span of about .7 of a sec. Repeat this for 162 games trying to scientifically determine patterns and tendencies of pitchers who are charting your nuances, tendencies, weaknesses and hitches... Now...move on from one portion of baseball to another. Fielding. Then baserunning. Then player movements to maximize your teams potential...

The game is exceedingly hard and nowhere compares to bowling or billiards.

100 posted on 03/23/2004 8:58:20 AM PST by smith288 (Who would terrorists want for president? 60% say Kerry 25% say Bush... Who would you vote for?)
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