http://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/511167

Have you guys discussed this article yet? As a former college and pro baseball player, along with coaching select for 4 years, this is the dumbest article I've read trying to pin racism on the lack of black MLB baseball players.

Did Sheffield get the needle out of his ass?

Can I have OP's autograph?

My autograph is as valuable as Obamas...although I do have a baseball card

Or maybe most black kids don't care about baseball. That was certainly the case when I was growing up.

I don't recall one AA kid even trying out for my High School team.

Exactly. In all of my playing days, and later coaching days, there are literally .00001% (my own scientific figure) of black youths playing baseball.... I'm 29 for reference.

None of what he said holds any weight. For one, blacks are way more interested in basketball and football, and baseball is the forgotten sport for the kids growing up in the inner cities. Also, there are plenty of black baseball players who are reserve/role players. The "you gotta be a damn star or nothing if you're black" is ridiculous.

tl;dr - Sheffield is an idiot

Unless a sport is overrepresented with AAs, the holders of the purse strings are racist.

Race baiters gone bait.

I know Sheffield is an idiot... but to be a reserve\bench player, while certainly financially better than a minimum wage job sacking groceries... those spots are generally used for - utility\versatile\role players that are near peak with very little more upside. In some cases you have players that are young and peaked (Leury Garcia) with little more upside. In some cases, (Sardinas) you have injury problems to overcome... and in some cases, you've got an aging player for veteran leadership and extending their years (Michael Young, Murphy, et al).

Catcher is just not a position you see many AA kids take.

I've never seen a scout\coach say, "Yeah... I know he throws the 95 mph heat, but if only he weren't black, we'd let him pitch. If we didn't already draft a bunch a white kids in the rounds 40-49... I'd we'd pick up a few AAs."

Not a single scout or GM today would pass on a baseball player of ANY color or background, that couldn't pitch... and especially pitch left handed.

This is ALL about investing in black communities, race baiting, and guilting white people to pump money into the Urban\Inner City areas. AAs see all the money MLB pumps into the islands and LATAM... they see the number of kids coming out of there and think, "If only we could get them to pump money into south Dallas..." MLB is racist because they invest heavily in LATAM, instead of AA areas.

There are very good reasons the NBA is packed with AAs. There are very good reasons the ROW plays soccer. Cost. Availability.

Investment for basketball: $10 basketball and $200 Nikes (which they are buying anyway). You can play almost anywhere... you can play with noone else. You need talent. You don't need skill.

Investment for baseball: $30-75 glove, $30-50 cleats which are only worn for baseball, $10 ball. If you want to go to the park and play... you need someone with a bat... you need bases (cardboard?)... and you generally need several people. Minimum you need two people to play catch. You need to organize. You need a special place to play so you don't break out windows. You need patience. You need skill. You don't need talent.

In a word... you need a "team." You need someone who can pitch, and without that... the game really isn't going far and it isn't necessarily something you can just hang out and do... by yourself. Most of the time... you need someone like a coach... a dad... an uncle...

Basketball? You need a firm surface. You can dribble anywhere, anytime. You can throw the ball against the wall... you can play HORSE... you can play 1:1...

Sheffield has zero credibility for his known steroid use and for playing for 8 teams in his career including 6 different ones in his prime. Clubhouse cancer-esque with that resume

quote:

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Investment for basketball: $10 basketball and $200 Nikes (which they are buying anyway). You can play almost anywhere... you can play with noone else. You need talent. You don't need skill.

Investment for baseball: $30-75 glove, $30-50 cleats which are only worn for baseball, $10 ball. If you want to go to the park and play... you need someone with a bat... you need bases (cardboard?)... and you generally need several people. Minimum you need two people to play catch. You need to organize. You need a special place to play so you don't break out windows. You need patience. You need skill. You don't need talen

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I love texags.

You really dont think the ability to shoot a basketball is a skill?

yea, im sure all of the latin players had the expensive gloves and cleats, on top of having organized baseball from a young age...

i think it was vladimir guerrero that showed up to a tryout barefoot and with like an egg carton for a glove. bartolo colon molded his arm by knocking down coconuts by throwing rocks at them.

baseball is an equalizer sport, you don't have to be strong, fast, big, or even athletic to make it. you do have to be very good at some sort of skill, like throwing or hitting, but you can learn or work on that stuff on your own. throwing the ball up to yourself, or throwing it off the roof...theres lots of things you can do on your own to improve, just like other sports.

[This message has been edited by LeFraud (edited 6/9/2014 10:29p).]