Astros moving to American League

[Sammy Sofa]

LeBron was marketed pretty well while being in Cleveland. Kevin Granett in Minnesota as well.

 

HOW IS KEVIN LOVE NOT BEING "MARKETED?"

[illiniguy]

LeBron was marketed pretty well while being in Cleveland. Kevin Granett in Minnesota as well.

 

HOW IS KEVIN LOVE NOT BEING "MARKETED?"

He's not at all being pushed like KG was when he was in Minnesota. You think he is?

[SouthSideRyan]

LeBron was marketed pretty well while being in Cleveland. Kevin Granett in Minnesota as well.

 

LeBron and Garnett were prodigies. It's not really comparable. Add in that the stuff Love excels at is pretty boring. He's Tim Duncan on a bad team.

[XZero771679666304]

Yet baseball is dominated by kids from poor countries.

 

they have room to play in those countries. finding playable fields to practice on that aren't five miles outside the city is a problem for the kids around here.

 

Not only that, but more and more MLB, individual players and individual teams are investing in the baseball infrastructure in countries like the DR, encouraging and facilitating kids.

 

But there is also a huge culture around baseball that there isn't in inner cities here. That could be changed with the proper allocation of resources.

[Sammy Sofa]

I have no idea. All I know is I see Kevin Love all the [expletive] time in NBA promos and in commercials and on ESPN. I have no clue how I'm supposed to measure that to Kevin Garnett's "marketing" while he was in Minnesota.

[illiniguy]

LeBron was marketed pretty well while being in Cleveland. Kevin Granett in Minnesota as well.

 

LeBron and Garnett were prodigies. It's not really comparable.

Dammit I want everyone to love Kevin Love. That's what this comes down to, he's a former fat, white kid that is now dominating the the NBA. Plus he had the most awkward sports cameo ever on some Disney show. If me wanting Kevin Love to be a media super god is wrong, well then I don't want to be right.

[OleMissCub]

Baseball is a difficult game to just be jumping into when you are 15 or 16. I'm sure it goes a long way to have been playing a sport like basketball in your youth if you want to be a good basketball player, but there is something about baseball that sets it apart. I suppose it has something to do with what a mental game it is. I'm having a hard time clarifying exactly what "that" difference is, but I'm sure most of you get what I'm referring to. Although maybe that is just me showing my baseball prejudice since it's the only game I've ever really played, but baseball is just a hard game to pick up when you are older.

[illiniguy]

Baseball is a difficult game to just be jumping into when you are 15 or 16. I'm sure it goes a long way to have been playing a sport like basketball in your youth if you want to be a good basketball player, but there is something about baseball that sets it apart. I suppose it has something to do with what a mental game it is. I'm having a hard time clarifying exactly what "that" difference is, but I'm sure most of you get what I'm referring to. Although maybe that is just me showing my baseball prejudice since it's the only game I've ever really played, but baseball is just a hard game to pick up when you are older.

Baseball is probably the hardest game. It's a game of failure. I can get onboard with what you are saying.

[seanimal]

Did they mention how worried they were about the NBA having small amounts of white people?

 

there's actually a surprising amount on barely-athletic white guys in the NBA like korver and miller. then there's jimmer fredette. all sorts of no

[XZero771679666304]

Baseball is a difficult game to just be jumping into when you are 15 or 16. I'm sure it goes a long way to have been playing a sport like basketball in your youth if you want to be a good basketball player, but there is something about baseball that sets it apart. I suppose it has something to do with what a mental game it is. I'm having a hard time clarifying exactly what "that" difference is, but I'm sure most of you get what I'm referring to. Although maybe that is just me showing my baseball prejudice since it's the only game I've ever really played, but baseball is just a hard game to pick up when you are older.

 

It pretty clearly involves more skill. You can get your foot in the door (so to speak) with raw athleticism in sports like football and basketball, but baseball requires a strong skill base that has to be built up over age (with rare exception).

[OleMissCub]

But there is also a huge culture around baseball that there isn't in inner cities here. That could be changed with the proper allocation of resources.

 

The culture certainly has some to do with it, but I don't think it's as negative a force as some out there think. Since doing the RBI stuff in Jackson I've never gotten the vibe that they dislike baseball, they are just indifferent to it. A lot really do like it though and jump at the opportunity to play. Some of you Illinois guys would probably be surprised at the decent amount of Cubs fans among the kids. I don't think the positive effect of WGN can ever be overstated as regards the Cubbies. The same goes for the Braves and TBS.

[JoshiQ]

Baseball is a difficult game to just be jumping into when you are 15 or 16. I'm sure it goes a long way to have been playing a sport like basketball in your youth if you want to be a good basketball player, but there is something about baseball that sets it apart. I suppose it has something to do with what a mental game it is. I'm having a hard time clarifying exactly what "that" difference is, but I'm sure most of you get what I'm referring to. Although maybe that is just me showing my baseball prejudice since it's the only game I've ever really played, but baseball is just a hard game to pick up when you are older.

 

It pretty clearly involves more skill. You can get your foot in the door (so to speak) with raw athleticism in sports like football and basketball, but baseball requires a strong skill base that has to be built up over age (with rare exception).

 

What's the saying? The hardest thing in sports is to hit a 95 MPH fastball or something? Don't know if it's true, but wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if it was.

[jersey cubs fan]

Baseball is a difficult game to just be jumping into when you are 15 or 16. I'm sure it goes a long way to have been playing a sport like basketball in your youth if you want to be a good basketball player, but there is something about baseball that sets it apart. I suppose it has something to do with what a mental game it is. I'm having a hard time clarifying exactly what "that" difference is, but I'm sure most of you get what I'm referring to. Although maybe that is just me showing my baseball prejudice since it's the only game I've ever really played, but baseball is just a hard game to pick up when you are older.

 

Probably soccer as well. Football depending on position. A QB isn't going to step into the game late. A defensive lineman or wide receiver may be able to.

 

Although, there probably aren't any high level hockey players that got into it late either.

[XZero771679666304]

Baseball is a difficult game to just be jumping into when you are 15 or 16. I'm sure it goes a long way to have been playing a sport like basketball in your youth if you want to be a good basketball player, but there is something about baseball that sets it apart. I suppose it has something to do with what a mental game it is. I'm having a hard time clarifying exactly what "that" difference is, but I'm sure most of you get what I'm referring to. Although maybe that is just me showing my baseball prejudice since it's the only game I've ever really played, but baseball is just a hard game to pick up when you are older.

 

Probably soccer as well. Football depending on position. A QB isn't going to step into the game late. A defensive lineman or wide receiver may be able to.

 

Although, there probably aren't any high level hockey players that got into it late either.

 

Hockey is definitely in the same category as baseball when it comes to skill, but you see even fewer blacks playing it than baseball. And it's not like rinks are on every street corner, to say the least.

[Sammy Sofa]

But there is also a huge culture around baseball that there isn't in inner cities here. That could be changed with the proper allocation of resources.

 

The culture certainly has some to do with it, but I don't think it's as negative a force as some out there think. Since doing the RBI stuff in Jackson I've never gotten the vibe that they dislike baseball, they are just indifferent to it. A lot really do like it though and jump at the opportunity to play.

 

Yeah, this is really why things like RBI are so valuable; it's really not an issue of the kids actively disliking baseball. Most of them simply don't even consider it in the first place.

[OleMissCub]

Baseball is a difficult game to just be jumping into when you are 15 or 16. I'm sure it goes a long way to have been playing a sport like basketball in your youth if you want to be a good basketball player, but there is something about baseball that sets it apart. I suppose it has something to do with what a mental game it is. I'm having a hard time clarifying exactly what "that" difference is, but I'm sure most of you get what I'm referring to. Although maybe that is just me showing my baseball prejudice since it's the only game I've ever really played, but baseball is just a hard game to pick up when you are older.

 

It pretty clearly involves more skill. You can get your foot in the door (so to speak) with raw athleticism in sports like football and basketball, but baseball requires a strong skill base that has to be built up over age (with rare exception).

 

What's the saying? The hardest thing in sports is to hit a 95 MPH fastball or something? Don't know if it's true, but wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if it was.

 

Hitting a round ball with a round bat solidly I think is absolutely the hardest "basic element" of any major pro sport. People across the world can make the same shot Kobe makes using the same size ball and the same size hoop.* But how many can hit an 85mph pitch? Very few.

 

 

 

 

*I get why the comparison to what Kobe does on an NBA court and what we do in pickup games is faulty...

[OleMissCub]

y'all leave Hockey out of this...

[XZero771679666304]

But there is also a huge culture around baseball that there isn't in inner cities here. That could be changed with the proper allocation of resources.

 

The culture certainly has some to do with it, but I don't think it's as negative a force as some out there think. Since doing the RBI stuff in Jackson I've never gotten the vibe that they dislike baseball, they are just indifferent to it. A lot really do like it though and jump at the opportunity to play.

 

Yeah, this is really why things like RBI are so valuable; it's really not an issue of the kids actively disliking baseball. Most of them simply don't even consider it in the first place.

 

I wasn't saying kids dislike baseball here, but that kids in Latin America love it. It's just not on the radar for many black kids and that can be changed.

[JoshiQ]

Baseball is a difficult game to just be jumping into when you are 15 or 16. I'm sure it goes a long way to have been playing a sport like basketball in your youth if you want to be a good basketball player, but there is something about baseball that sets it apart. I suppose it has something to do with what a mental game it is. I'm having a hard time clarifying exactly what "that" difference is, but I'm sure most of you get what I'm referring to. Although maybe that is just me showing my baseball prejudice since it's the only game I've ever really played, but baseball is just a hard game to pick up when you are older.

 

It pretty clearly involves more skill. You can get your foot in the door (so to speak) with raw athleticism in sports like football and basketball, but baseball requires a strong skill base that has to be built up over age (with rare exception).

 

What's the saying? The hardest thing in sports is to hit a 95 MPH fastball or something? Don't know if it's true, but wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if it was.

 

Hitting a round ball with a round bat solidly I think is absolutely the hardest "basic element" of any major pro sport. People across the world can make the same shot Kobe makes using the same size ball and the same size hoop.* But how many can hit an 85mph pitch? Very few.

 

 

 

 

*I get why the comparison to what Kobe does on an NBA court and what we do in pickup games is faulty...

 

I like to believe this as well. I was a fairly good baseball player. I sucked the big one at basketball. Never tried football.

[OleMissCub]

I wasn't saying kids dislike baseball here, but that kids in Latin America love it. It's just not on the radar for many black kids and that can be changed.

 

it's unfortunately not on the radar for a lot of white kids either.

 

My favorite part (other than the Ichiro section) of Ken Burns' 10th Inning was the very beginning when it was playing the National Anthem and showing all the kids playing ball in the streets of the DR. It made me imagine what it must have looked like in the 1930's or whatever when the ONLY game kids really played in America was baseball. It looked just like those old pictures of kids playing streetball in Brooklyn.

[jersey cubs fan]

You mean stickball? You can't find a NYer over 60 who doesn't wax poetically about playing stickball.

[rocket]

i think an all-black version of the sandlot might cure baseball's inner city problem

[OleMissCub]

i think an all-black version of the sandlot might cure baseball's inner city problem

 

Have one white kid and let him be the pitcher.

[Mark Priors Calves]

i think an all-black version of the sandlot might cure baseball's inner city problem

 

Have one white kid and let him be the pitcher.

white hustley grit guy off the bench, imo.

[seanimal]

baseball also faces an uphill battle because of the amount of people and equipment needed to play, at least in a formal sense. growing up in the city we used to play stickball in the alley all of the time, but that was with basically any sort of whacking device and usually a tennis ball. at school we played 16" softball and all that required was the ball, an old aluminum bat, and some makeshift bases. it wasn't until i moved to the suburbs that i played actual baseball. it's just a difficult game to get going in the city if you don't have a soccer mom to push you into organized leagues.

 

regarding the equipment, yeah, the kids in latin america field a ball made of who-knows-what with milk cartons for gloves. while that's certainly a possibility here, i think a lot of american kids would just rather not suffer the indignity.