Once rabid baseball cities like Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Minnesota and Philadelphia now draw sparse crowds. Montreal, Florida, and Tampa Bay play in front of gatherings smaller than some slumber parties. TV ratings are lower than ever before.
Sure, the Yankees and Red Sox get the same support as always. And big markets still manage to put big-league crowds in seats for a lot of games.
However, the trust, and interest, in baseball is dwindling.
The game's grandest feat, the almighty home run, has become passe. Guys built like PeeWee Herman are drving balls out of the park at alarming rates. Everything about the the way the game is run is designed to promote the long ball and make them more frequent.
The Texas Rangers lead the league with almost 100 home runs already, and they're 15 games out of first?
Steroids are rampant, and the players aren't having any part of legitimate drug testing.
San Francisco built a whole ball park for Barry Bonds because they want to reap the financial benefits of his breaking Hank Aaron's record. It's barely over 300 feet down the right field line.
The hallowed HR chase for Maris record is now tainted, because McGwire and Sosa show signs of pumpin 'roids. Bonds broke McGwire's record handily, and he, too, looks like a completely roided-out version of his former self.
Only 10 or 15 years ago, you MIGHT see someone break 50 home runs. Cecil Fielder did it, and it led SportsCenter for a month. Now, 8 or 10 guys can do it every year.
That's not all.
Players move from team to team like most of us change underwear. Be careful, don't hate anybody. He'll play on your favorite team the following year. I learned that with Jose Canseco. Now it happens all the time.
Wade Boggs a Yankee? Roger Clemens a Yankee? How blasphamous is that? Even Yankee fans have to be bothered by that. Can you imagine Elway a Raider? Aikman a Redskin? Terrell Owens a Cowboy?
The worst is the impossible relationship between owners and players, and the apparent complete lack of interest in putting out an equitably fair league.
There is no way the Pirates, Royals, Marlins, Padres, Expos, or even the Twins, can consistently field a competitive team to the Yankees, Red Sox, Braves, and Mets. The large market teams can always throw money at their problems, while the Twins have to try the Cinderella route with young players and a bang-up minor league system year after year, only to see their prize prospects leave for New York at their first opportunity.
Torii Hunter a lifetime Twin. Ain't no way.
The most troubling thing, however, is the kids. They don't care about baseball much anymore. They just don't. Soon the NBA will surpass baseball, if it hasn't already, on the popularity scale.
The NFL sits there as the perfect, prime example of how to run a league in today's world. Revenue share, salary cap, free agency with restrictions. Put the league first over players and specific markets.
In 10 years, major league baseball will be minor at best.
Sure, the Yankees and Red Sox get the same support as always. And big markets still manage to put big-league crowds in seats for a lot of games.
However, the trust, and interest, in baseball is dwindling.
The game's grandest feat, the almighty home run, has become passe. Guys built like PeeWee Herman are drving balls out of the park at alarming rates. Everything about the the way the game is run is designed to promote the long ball and make them more frequent.
The Texas Rangers lead the league with almost 100 home runs already, and they're 15 games out of first?
Steroids are rampant, and the players aren't having any part of legitimate drug testing.
San Francisco built a whole ball park for Barry Bonds because they want to reap the financial benefits of his breaking Hank Aaron's record. It's barely over 300 feet down the right field line.
The hallowed HR chase for Maris record is now tainted, because McGwire and Sosa show signs of pumpin 'roids. Bonds broke McGwire's record handily, and he, too, looks like a completely roided-out version of his former self.
Only 10 or 15 years ago, you MIGHT see someone break 50 home runs. Cecil Fielder did it, and it led SportsCenter for a month. Now, 8 or 10 guys can do it every year.
That's not all.
Players move from team to team like most of us change underwear. Be careful, don't hate anybody. He'll play on your favorite team the following year. I learned that with Jose Canseco. Now it happens all the time.
Wade Boggs a Yankee? Roger Clemens a Yankee? How blasphamous is that? Even Yankee fans have to be bothered by that. Can you imagine Elway a Raider? Aikman a Redskin? Terrell Owens a Cowboy?
The worst is the impossible relationship between owners and players, and the apparent complete lack of interest in putting out an equitably fair league.
There is no way the Pirates, Royals, Marlins, Padres, Expos, or even the Twins, can consistently field a competitive team to the Yankees, Red Sox, Braves, and Mets. The large market teams can always throw money at their problems, while the Twins have to try the Cinderella route with young players and a bang-up minor league system year after year, only to see their prize prospects leave for New York at their first opportunity.
Torii Hunter a lifetime Twin. Ain't no way.
The most troubling thing, however, is the kids. They don't care about baseball much anymore. They just don't. Soon the NBA will surpass baseball, if it hasn't already, on the popularity scale.
The NFL sits there as the perfect, prime example of how to run a league in today's world. Revenue share, salary cap, free agency with restrictions. Put the league first over players and specific markets.
In 10 years, major league baseball will be minor at best.
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