After watching the first five minutes of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament game last week between Howard and UMBC (won by Howard), I switched over to the thrilling World Baseball Classic final between the USA and Venezuela.
It was a joy of a game to watch, with Venezuela leading 2-0 for most of the game. Bryce Harper’s homer tied it up, only to have Eugenio Suarez’s game-winning double in the ninth inning seal the 3-2 win over Team USA.
The post-game celebration was also fun to watch. The team from South America looked so happy — just like American kids who had just won their town’s Little League Championship.
What stood out, though, was the lack of Black players on the USA side. Sure, Yankee Aaron Judge was there, front and center for Team USA, as was Minnesota’s Byron Buxton, but that’s it.
In the 1970s when I was a kid, 20 percent of the Major League baseball players were Black. Now it’s down to 6.2 percent. The influx of Latinos in baseball is up to 26.8 percent. There are so many talented Latino ball players on the diamond and that’s great for expanding the game. They bring speed, passion, and a hunger that sometimes is lacking on Major League rosters.
Baseball is no longer the game of choice for inner-city kids. The days of schoolyard softball and stickball seem over. Basketball and then football are the easiest ways to be a pro if you have the talent. In addition, college scholarships are not a huge thing in baseball the way they are in basketball and football.
Is anybody talking about NIL in baseball? If they are, it’s as a whisper. You see every day how much money collegiate hoopsters and gridiron stars can make via NIL. Football and basketball games are at the top of the sports pecking order today, while baseball could be fourth behind soccer — a truly world game.
Baseball, boxing, and horse racing used to be the premier sports in America, but not anymore.
It was interesting to see the proud Venezuelans yell out their national anthem at the top of their lungs, showing the world their pride.Their country has been through much upheaval, including the kidnapping of their former president, Nicolás Maduro, this past January by U.S. military forces. Still, they played like a team, and all looked the same.
The first time baseball had an all non-white team was almost 55 years ago.
On September 1, 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates fielded the first all-Black and Latino team in Major League history since the Negro Leagues. That memorable team had a starting lineup of Rennie Stennett (2B), Gene Clines (CF), Roberto Clemente (RF), Willie Stargell (LF), Manny Sanguillen (C), Dave Cash (3B), Al Oliver (1B), Jackie Hernandez (SS), and Dock Ellis (P).
There was no designated hitter yet. That was two years away.
Clemente and Stargell were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 and 1988, respectively. The Pirates also captured the 1971 World Series, beating the Baltimore Orioles four games to three after being down two games to none.
Can you fault a young and wise athlete if they do their due diligence and pass on a baseball future? Why play baseball, with the cost of all the equipment you’ll need — gloves, cleats, bats, etc. — when in basketball, all you need are sneakers and a ball.
Baseball used to be America’s pastime, but the words “past” and “time” seem very apropos. One and done is simple enough for basketball.
That doesn’t seem to be the mantra in baseball as its color continues to fade.
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