McCutchen's Take

[GwynnInTheHall]

I came across this on another forum. It's a great read and has spurred some interesting discussion over what really can be done to help level the playing field.

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/left-out/

[TranaGreg]

thanks for posting. definitely worth a read.

[Weapon1]

I've been involved in youth baseball for about 15 years now in a relatively well off area, T-ball to high school, as a coach, administrator, and now just an umpire, and have seen the changes. Quite sad, and frustrating.

[bryanbutler]

this is not unique to baseball, as soccer has been suffering this for years as well (AYSO to club to travelling team). i don't know as much about youth football or basketball so can't speak to them...

[Sour Masher]

Great read on an important issue. It just makes me regret even more trading McCutchen as a prospect. It would be fun to root for him on my team again.

[Lucky]

Thanks for posting this. Excellent read, very thought-provoking.

[Silentmist]

Major league baseball has a program in place to bring baseball into inner cities. I believe it was started two years ago?

I wish I could dig up the article from when I saw it.

That being said, regardless of how talented those kids were, their parents knowingly cheater OTHER children. Lord knows how baseball treats cheaters *cough* Pete Rose *cough*

[Sharky]

Thanks for posting. An important issue, and within baseball's power to influence outcomes.

[madducks]

Thanks for posting. An important issue, and within baseball's power to influence outcomes.

Indeed. With the amount of money being made in baseball, MLB owners and players should be building youth league fields and buying equipment for youth league players in low income areas.

[Weapon1]

Indeed. With the amount of money being made in baseball, MLB owners and players should be building youth league fields and buying equipment for youth league players in low income areas.

That's only part of it. You need coaches, and in areas where the fields aren't within walking distance, transportation to practices and games. And parental involvement.

[mgwiz22]

That's only part of it. You need coaches, and in areas where the fields aren't within walking distance, transportation to practices and games. And parental involvement.

It would take more than that. Think about the end of the article.

Haines City has a very nice baseball complex and is far closer to where he lived than Lakeland or Orlando. He also went from Lakeland to Orlando for a better team. Uf would have given him a baseball scholarship but it only paid 70% of tuition so he would have played football. He talked about kids in Latin America being paid and raised by in baseball academies.

Can baseball institute an academy system in the US? Baseball could institute baseball schools here but I don't think it could pay 14 year olds $50,000, as the article says they are doing in the Islands.

My opinion is that baseball needs to do a better job marketing their product to the youth of America "of all economic classes". Perhaps the courts should long ago have declared major league baseball to be a monopoly in constraint of trade (it's their control of the minor league systems which have affected this area). Teams could at least support and organize youth baseball in their own areas. Baseball is simply not as popular as it used to be.

There's no quick fix to this issue.

[Moonlight J]

Baseball is making money hand over fist. They're not investing enough money in challenged communities to grow the sport. Those areas play the cheap sports - soccer and football. The Rays send out PR releases when they help local little leagues & stuff. Last one I saw was a $3000 donation to a little league. I know when you're supporting multiple things, you have to be judicious in what you dole out, but c'mon.

Oh, and the Rays took Wade Townsend over Andrew McCutchen...

[Kevin Seitzer]

Indeed. With the amount of money being made in baseball, MLB owners and players should be building youth league fields and buying equipment for youth league players in low income areas.

This is happening in Houston.

[Sharky]

Mike, madducks didn't say anything about building fields in third world countries!

[madducks]

Andrew McCutchen will be without his dreadlocks this year as he had them cut off for charity today. They will be auctioned soon at MLB.com.