Thursday May 03, 2007

We Have Failed

We Have Failed
Something is wrong with our country. I know the war is unpopular and gas prices are outrageous. I understand we have political scandals by the week. I even understand that we put more emphasis on Valentines Day than Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day. But this week I ran across a new problem that only goes back to an old problem.

In my opinion we have failed our children in our country. Our parents and grand parents knew it was important to teach us about baseball and we have neglected it. Perhaps the movie “Field of Dreams” said it best with this scene:

Mann: Ray, people will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. "Of course, we won't mind if you have a look around," you'll say. "It's only twenty dollars per person." They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it; for it is money they have and peace they lack.

Mark: Ray, just sign the papers.

Mann: And they'll walk out to the bleachers, and sit in shirt-sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game, and it'll be as if they'd dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they'll have to brush them away from their faces.

Mark: Ray, when the bank opens in the morning, they'll foreclose.

Mann: People will come, Ray.

Mark: You're broke, Ray. You sell now or you lose everything.

Mann: The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again. Ohhhhhhhh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.

Mark: Ray, you will lose everything. You will be evicted...C'mon, Ray.

Ray: I'm not signing.

Mark: Ahhh, you're crazy! Absolutely nuts!!

Ray got it but our children don’t. We have not taught our children the importance of baseball in our society. Many kids today don’t know that baseball held us together as a country through good times and bad. Many kids today know who David Beckham is but could not tell you who Mickey Mantle was. Kids know more about Nelly and less about Nellie Fox.

It is our fault. Ray stood up to the easy way out. Soccer moms did not want “little Billy” to get hit in the mouth by a bad hop. It was easier to take Billy and his little sister Susie to soccer practice and let them play on the same team. It was easier to let them be bored with baseball instead of explaining the game to them. Baseball gloves were more expensive than shin guards. We have failed.

I have known we were failing long before but this week reminded me of it. This is the week where the NCAA announced they were sticking it to college baseball scholarship numbers and participation numbers. Ernie Banks said lets play two but the NCAA says you may be playing fewer games with fewer players in the future. Why don’t you just limit me on the apple pies while you are at it? I say less peanuts and less cracker jacks too.

What have we become? What in the world are we doing? Why limit a great game? Why limit opportunities to participate in a wonderful sport? Our national pastime for goodness sake.

Is it any wonder that our major league teams now are filled with more Latin players and players from the Far East? We can’t even beat Canada in the World Baseball Championships.

Someone please explain to me why we have Title IX. A piece of legislation that is the main reason the NCAA maximum number of scholarships is more for women’s softball than baseball.

Women’s basketball gets two more scholarships than men’s basketball. Women’s track and field gets 5.4 more scholarships than men’s track and field. Women’s golf gets 1.5 more scholarships than men’s golf. Women’s soccer gets 2.1 more scholarships than men’s soccer. Women’s tennis gets 3.5 more scholarships than men’s tennis. Women’s volleyball gets 12 scholarships while men’s volleyball gets 4.5.

Baseball gets 11.7 scholarships. What a joke.

11.7 stinkin’ scholarships for America’s pastime.

Women’s softball gets more scholarships than baseball. Women’s basketball gets more than baseball. Men’s and women’s track and field get more than baseball. Women’s gymnastics gets more than baseball. Freakin’ women’s ice hockey gets 6.3 more scholarships than baseball. Men’s and women’s lacrosse get more scholarships than baseball. Women’s stinkin’ rowing gets 20 scholarships and baseball gets 11.7. Women’s volleyball gets more than baseball.

What are we doing?

My answer is, we are failing our kids. Thank goodness my dad and granddad decided to take a little time to throw the ball in the back yard with me and explain to me the legacy of Ted Williams. Thank goodness I know Lou Gehrig is not just a disease. Thank goodness no one limited my participation in our country’s pastime.

Wiffle ball was played in my neighborhood but many neighborhoods used to play street ball or rollie bat or pickle. But women’s field hockey? Our pastime?

Go ahead soccer moms and women’s ice hockey supporters, fire away!

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