Go to ESPN.com immediately....

CDsNuts · June 3, 2007 9:41AM

There's a headline titled: "Sheffield has theory why fewer blacks play MLB"

Any article that headlines "Sheffield has theory....." is something that I will read immediately. Needless to say, it's worth the time.

Lee

Bosox1976 · June 3, 2007 9:56AM

I read that earlier Lee. One of the comments submitted by a reader was interesting too (regarding an old "Outside the Lines" piece and the disparity between Latin players and drafted white counterparts). Sheff is batty as a fruitcake, but his theory strikes me as only halfway nutty (while poorly articulated).

CDsNuts · June 3, 2007 10:00AM

There are many reasons that there aren't many black baseball players, but one of them isn't because black people won't let them be controlled while Latinos do.

The fact that Elijah Dukes is in the Majors really just kills his whole argument.

Lee

Bosox1976 · June 3, 2007 10:15AM

We'll see if he sticks. Numbers decline are interesting. Haven't seen many competing theories, as honest discussions about race and percentages (in about any part of life) seem to be measured, guarded, PC, or rhetoric.

CDsNuts · June 3, 2007 10:27AM

Baseball is not glamourized as much as it used to be, especially in African American culture. You never see kids playing baseball in a African American neighborhood, but go to any pickup basketball court and there's people standing around waiting to play or just watching the game. The kids want to be like Kobe or Lebron, not Barry Bonds or Torii Hunter.

then, when they get to high school, the gifted African American athletes are pushed to play football or basketball (depending on where their skills lie) because the school will benefit the most and the kid will be more popular. Go to an inner city high school, and if they're one of the few that even has a baseball team, go to one of their games and see how many people are in the stands. Then go to one of that school's basketball or football games- you might have to actually buy the tickets from a scalper if the team is good.

I really don't like to generalize, but for the most part, African American kids don't want to play baseball. In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, baseball is still the most popular sport for kids to play along with soccer. If most of the athletically gifted African American kids started off playing baseball instead of basketball or football, there'd be a lot more African American players in the majors.

Lee

Lothar52 · June 3, 2007 10:32AM

<< Baseball is not glamourized as much as it used to be, especially in African American culture. You never see kids playing baseball in a African American neighborhood, but go to any pickup basketball court and there's people standing around waiting to play or just watching the game. The kids want to be like Kobe or Lebron, not Barry Bonds or Torii Hunter.

then, when they get to high school, the gifted African American athletes are pushed to play football or basketball (depending on where their skills lie) because the school will benefit the most and the kid will be more popular. Go to an inner city high school, and if they're one of the few that even has a baseball team, go to one of their games and see how many people are in the stands. Then go to one of that school's basketball or football games- you might have to actually buy the tickets from a scalper if the team is good.

I really don't like to generalize, but for the most part, African American kids don't want to play baseball. In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, baseball is still the most popular sport for kids to play along with soccer. If most of the athletically gifted African American kids started off playing baseball instead of basketball or football, there'd be a lot more African American players in the majors.

Lee >>

agree

stown · June 3, 2007 10:36AM

Football $25
Basketball $25
Bat, glove, ball, cleats, cap, sliding pants, batting helmet $500+ (not including catcher's gear)

MooseDog · June 3, 2007 10:57AM

<< Bat, glove, ball, cleats, cap, sliding pants, batting helmet $500+ (not including catcher's gear) >>

That's not the biggest problem...when I was a kid in Oakland, CA there was plenty of equipment to be had from family members, friends, and neighbors. If you didn't have a glove you borrowed one, if you didn't have cleats you played in tennis shows. Sliding pants? Forget it...the rashes just toughened up the skin. And we played without batting helmets except when we played in organized leagues (might explain a few things...)

The biggest problem I see now is access to and absence of baseball facilities to play on. I recently drove by the school yard where I spent most of my baseball playing time and it was locked up tight. One of the rare fairly nice fields has now been turned into an adult softball field and no kids are allowed to play on it when it is not in use. My old high school baseball field was also chained up and I imagine it's the same in other cities. While probably related to liability issues it's kind of hard to play baseball unless you've got a good size plot of ground to play on, and with vacant lots disappearing in favor of development and no school yards to play on...well it's probably easier to play basketball as there are hoops all over the place and they don't seem to be locked up.

And this is from a city that has given baseball four (soon to be five) Hall of Famers (Joe Morgan, Frank Robinson, Dennis Eckersley, Ernie Lombardi and Rickey Henderson all born in Oakland) plus Billy Martin, Curt Flood, Vada Pinson, and a few dozen others.

bigfische · June 3, 2007 11:08AM

<< Football $25
Basketball $25
Bat, glove, ball, cleats, cap, sliding pants, batting helmet $500+ (not including catcher's gear) >>

I think its more like-
ball 3 bucks
bat 40 bucks
glove 40 bucks

its not fair to include all the extras like cleats, cap, sliding shorts, and batting helmet in baseball and not the other sports. Plus, you really just need a glove and someone in the neighborhood has a bat, and some kid has a stash of balls. Not every kid needs a bat. Baseball is more expensive, but not $475 more.

stown · June 3, 2007 11:38AM

$500+ may be stretching but it's still an expensive sport compared to the others.

I was at a sporting good store yesterday and a kid, no older than 7, was shopping for equipment. His father was asking what was provided and what they needed to purchase. Perhaps the kid was spoiled because he pretty much needed everything.

In today's "protect the children from any harm" enviroment, they are not allowed to wear shorts while playing baseball. Parents don't want to purchase new blue jeans every other weak (sliding can tear a hole or two), so sliding pants are a must.

I'm just saying it adds up... I believe parents, who don't have much disposible income, would rather steer their kid to less expensive sports.

CDsNuts · June 3, 2007 11:59AM

My original point of this thread was that somebody could write a book called "Gary Sheffield's Theories" and it would easily sell 25 billion copies.

Lee

Carew29 · June 3, 2007 12:01PM

To flip the coin, I remember Michael Jordan on the Letterman Show and Dave cracked this joke---" You know what your black tennis shoes and the NBA have in common?" Jordan replied " No", Dave replied " there's no white in it".

basestealer · June 3, 2007 12:22PM

Since when are there "not very many black players"? Blacks comprise 12% of the US population, and more than 12% of baseball players. They are over-represented in the sport of baseball.

CDsNuts · June 3, 2007 12:25PM

I think they are comparing the staistics to what they used to be in the 80s and 90s.

Lee

cravetopps · June 3, 2007 12:41PM

1 in 4 in 1983, 1 in 5 in the late 50s and 1 in 12 now. MLB dollars are being poured into Latino countries like the DR. What they invest in urban neighborhoods pales in comparison. Couple this with the attraction towards football and basketball, where you can play pretty much anywhere, and you have the situation you have today.

stown · June 3, 2007 12:50PM

When Sheff speaks, people listen.

CDsNuts · June 3, 2007 2:02PM

It would be a great follow-up to "Random Thoughts, by Mike Tyson".

julen23 · June 3, 2007 2:37PM

gary sheffield is a not so well-known musical genius too.

julen

Boopotts · June 3, 2007 2:57PM

Gary Sheffield is incredible. My favorite-- and it's a close race, believe me-- is when he was quoted as saying 'I think freedom of religion is great, so long as you're worshipping the right God".

Rock on, Sheff! You could stick me in Vegas with a fifth of Seagrams and $5000 in $20 bills and I couldn't find that kind of entertainment. I don't know what kind of higher power I must have pleased in order to get Sir Gary in the ole' English D, but I'll take it!

Boopotts · June 3, 2007 3:02PM

<< 1 in 4 in 1983, 1 in 5 in the late 50s and 1 in 12 now. MLB dollars are being poured into Latino countries like the DR. What they invest in urban neighborhoods pales in comparison. Couple this with the attraction towards football and basketball, where you can play pretty much anywhere, and you have the situation you have today. >>

See, here's someone else who just doesn't get it. You heard the man-- the reason there are more Latinos in baseball than blacks is because Latin players are a bunch of dimwitted Uncle Toms. Look at all the 'yes men' pouring out of Central America; Jose Lima, Jose Guillen, Odalis Perez-- the list goes on and on.

Boopotts · June 3, 2007 3:03PM

<< gary sheffield is a not so well-known musical genius too.

julen >>

Gary Sheffield is to quotes what Elton John is to suits-- he has thousands of them at his disposal, they're all bright and beautiful, and over 80% of them offend the sensibilities of the average American.

julen23 · June 3, 2007 3:19PM

maybe that was darryl strawberry is a musical genius then.

lo siento

julen

Munson15 · June 3, 2007 11:40PM

<< Football $25
Basketball $25
Bat, glove, ball, cleats, cap, sliding pants, batting helmet $500+ (not including catcher's gear) >>

Oh please....

Football, bat, cleats, pants, shoulder pads, pant pads, helmet, receiver gloves, kicking shoe, QB hand warmer, let's be honest here.

CDsNuts · June 3, 2007 11:44PM

After I win the WSOP and buy my own TV network, I will employ Sheffield as a talk show host and the format will be similar to "Real Time with Bill Maher". We all have dreasm, and this is mine.

Lee

stown · June 3, 2007 11:48PM

<< 

<< Football $25
Basketball $25
Bat, glove, ball, cleats, cap, sliding pants, batting helmet $500+ (not including catcher's gear) >>

Oh please....

Football, bat, cleats, pants, shoulder pads, pant pads, helmet, receiver gloves, kicking shoe, QB hand warmer, let's be honest here. >>

You know that football pants, pads, helmets, etc are all provided by the team, right? At least that's my experience. Also for a pick-up game, all you need is a football; nothing more, nothing less.

Anyhoo.. You obviously missed the point. Go back and read again

fandango · June 4, 2007 12:02AM

its very simple really....

to become a pro athlete you have to start your sport very early on and have god-given talent...

the urban communities have basketball nets all over the place, and very few baseball fields...

a poor kid doesnt need anything to play in a pick-up basketball game, but would need a glove to play baseball...

when you grow up playing basketball, you are not gonna wake up someday and say you want to be a baseball player....

to the afro-american, being a great basketball player is your ticket out of the projects for you and your family...

to the latin american, being a great baseball player is your ticket out....they dont play basketball or football...

its all about the society you grow up in that shapes your beliefs and preferences...sometimes you make your choice unknowingly and todays society has established a formula for professional athletes...

sheffield is talking out of his ass again....the only reason he got into baseball was cause his uncle was Gooden, otherwise he would have been a lousy shooting guard..

Bonds will continue to alienate young afro-americans from baseball (what black kid says I WANT TO BE LIKE BONDS???) nobody wants to be hated, despised, and spat at like bondz...

ps...how many afro-americans on the Cardinals.....1 and he is the worst player on the team (P wilson) and Larussa may have kept him because he didnt want a team with no afro-american representaion for fear of backlash...

this is a new world and MLB baseball is a Latino sport....(just make a list of the Stars and you will see)

Boopotts · June 4, 2007 12:15AM

<< There are many reasons that there aren't many black baseball players, but one of them isn't because black people won't let them be controlled while Latinos do.

The fact that Elijah Dukes is in the Majors really just kills his whole argument.

Lee >>

Oh, I get it-- another oblivious whitey who DARES TO DENY THE SHEFF. What's wrong with you people?

This brings me to another half baked money making scam that we need to look into, Lee-- selling 'Sheffield in '08' T-shirts outside the front entrance of the National this year.

CDsNuts · June 4, 2007 12:31AM

I hear his platform on illegal immigration is revolutionary.

Lee

DaddyRich · June 4, 2007 2:59AM

Sheff is nutty like a peanut butter sandwich.

bbfirebird · June 4, 2007 6:36AM

What surprised me the most about this story is the opening line...
"The percentage of African-Americans playing Major League Baseball is at an all-time low"

What about when there was ONE black player in the league? Or even NONE? Gotta love the ESPN fact-checkers.

CDsNuts · June 4, 2007 6:41AM

Good point. Apparently "all-time" means from the mid-50s to present.

Lee

julen23 · June 4, 2007 6:46AM

i think gary sheffield found the missing iranian during reagan administration also.

good man sheff'

julen

SoFLPhillyFan · June 4, 2007 6:52AM

<< Sheff is nutty like a peanut butter sandwich. >>

A few peas short of a casserole.

Black eyed peas. Wouldn't want to incur the wrath of Sheffield.

On a serious note Dave Winfield addressed this issue in a rational manner in his latest book. All of his reasons have been discussed here. He blames everyone, not one race or ethnicity. Parents, the lack of urban ballparks, the cost, major league players not supporting the game in urban settings, categorizing young athletes and funneling them into one sport at a young age, etc.

Heard him a few months back while on his book tour. He seems to be the voice of reason.

stown · June 4, 2007 6:58AM

<< i think gary sheffield found the missing iranian during reagan administration also.

good man sheff'

julen >>

He rescued Baby Jessica too.

RipublicaninMass · June 4, 2007 7:00AM

a poor kid doesnt need anything to play in a pick-up basketball game, but would need a glove to play baseball...

They could use a bare hand, maybe not the cacther or firstbaseman though

Go to ESPN.com immediately....

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