Let’s see if the New York Times will pick up this story…
Thirteen years ago was the beginning of the death for young Black boys attraction to baseball. It didn’t have to be that way because the most charasmatic athlete since MUHAMMAD ALI was about to put on a pair of cleats and attempt to hit a breaking ball. MICHAEL JORDAN had retired from the Association and he was contemplating bringing his rare air to the Major Leagues. Unlike the great two-sport athletes of our time like BO JACKSON and DEION SANDERS, JORDAN was in a universe all of his own. He was a national hero that had a global following.
Baseball’s attraction for African American youth had been waning since the late seventies. Ever since we found out that REGGIE JACKSON was actually a Mexican Puerto Rican. Latin players were now becoming the rising minority demographic in the MLB and the Black players inside the league had all of the charisma of a wet paper bag. Great players like RICKEY HENDERSON were confusing to Black kids because he often talked in the third person. Right inside of the city that JORDAN ruled with his Bulls teammates there was a popular young slugger who himself was on the verge of stardom. His name was FRANK THOMAS and we shall heretofore refer to him as player hater supreme.
Instead of welcoming JORDAN’s presence into the Chicago White Sox, THOMAS lashed out at him for his attempt at playing baseball. THOMAS argued that there was some kid somewhere that wasn’t getting the chance to play baseball on the highest level because of the roster exception that was given to JORDAN. Nevermind the fact that JORDAN wasn’t placed on the White Sox major league team, he was only offered a minor league contract and a chance to tryout. What THOMAS was really afraid of was that JORDAN would steal his little bit of Chi-Town shine. It wasn’t enough for JORDAN to own Chicago for six months out of the year, but now he was going to own it 24-7-365.
Because of FRANK THOMAS’ hate JORDAN was unmotivated to pursue baseball with the zeal that he normally displayed. He played a bunch of minor league games and he even hit a couple of minor league home runs, but JORDAN never got to shoot the shot on the MLB big stage. Too bad for us because that could have been the one thing to motivate Black kids to look at baseball in a real sense and not just something for which to buy an oversized jersey and hat.
I missed this the first time around?
No joke, yesterday morning I met a 13-year-old black kid at the gym in Baltimore who wanted to play baseball. Yes, he was from the suburbs.
The Big Hurt was out of line but MJ wasn’t a big leaguer, period. You know if he was he would have found a way to put the big hurt on the Big Hurt.
Trivia: Frank Thomas and Bo Jackson were teammates in both baseball and football at Auburn U. (and then later in the big leagues with the ChiSox).
There is no way that MJ was going to let Frank’s country ass intimidate him from playing quality baseball. It was his pathological tendencies that kept him on the Barons that long as he probably tried everything just short of astral projection to succeed.
Saw him play in spring training against the Marlins in 94 and he looked happier than a pig in shit playing outfield.
Ozzie Smith was on ESPN radio yesterday talking about this in relation to Gary Sheffield’s recent statements in the new GQ about the decline of black players in the Big Leagues. With Leborn and Kobe dominating the NBA all of these kids see the instant gratification that that kind talent provides. Not realizing that those two are PHENOMs. They end up chasing a dream, not realizing that they may have more chances by picking up a bat.
And eff Frank Thomas by the way……
Twins OF Torii Hunter defended Tigers star Gary Sheffield’s comments about Latin players being easier to control than African American players, during an interview on Fox Sports Radio.
“You go over to Latin America and you could buy a guy for $5,000. That’s the same guy from Compton, who you get in first round for a million dollars out of high school,” Hunter said.
Torii told FSR’s Andrew Siciliano that its all about the bottom line. “It’s a business thing. You can go to Latin America and get the same talent as a black player in Compton. But that black player from Compton is going to be $2 million. If he doesn’t pan out, then they’re going to be out $2 million. You go to the Dominican or Cuba and you get a guy for $2,000, then you are only out $2,000.”
“I think that it’s a business thing, not a race thing. Because it happens to African Americans, then it becomes a racial thing. I do agree that ten years from now you are going to see no blacks (in MLB).”
^^this coming from Torii Hunter Yesterday , I find this to be very True
Nerditry,
Go flash back to news articles during that time and you will see that the press used Frank Thomas as their lightning rod to voice the players’ dissatisfaction for the ‘preferential’ treatment that Jordan was receiving.
MJ was bringing his rock stardom to MLB and hell’a player had their nose out of joint as well as some owners I’m sure.
MJ wasn’t drafted, but given an invite to try out with the White Sox because they also owned part of the Bulls franchise.
Two years later the steroids era kicked off after the MLB strike that caused the season to end and the cancellation of the World Series. Trust me that if MLB would have fucked with Jordan they may not have needed to put all their players on steroids as the alternative.
I got some shit to say about Sheff’s remarks when I come back. In the meantime I love how them bitch asses at ESPN are like “Haha, Gary Sheffield is always saying something crazy. He’s like Charles Barkley.” Sheff spoke the truth from the booth. MLBaseball has an infrastructure that is embedded in the Çaribbean and Latin America because of the poverty there. It develops players on the cheap. It’s really no different than outsourcing.
DP, MJ batted below his weight and stole some bases. He was a great minor-league teammate and Frank Thomas was out of line for his comments, but if MJ wanted to make the big leagues, he would have improved for three years and then become a serviceable utility outfielder in the majors. I’m glad he didn’t.
Sheffield’s comments carried some truth, particularly on the economics that you stress. But the Dominican and other Latin locales have a ton of kids playing (and they did before the majors added infrastructure), a much bigger pool at this point from which to choose. And what he said on authority, etc. is BS on at least two counts — #1, that’s the environment in every sport, #2, it’s an affront to the manhood of his Latin American brothers.
^ LM,
Regading what Sheff said on authority: He said it in the context that the players outside of the U.S. can be offered less and find those amounts acceptable.
This doesn’t apply to the Japanese players although and that is part of the mechanics of supremacy.
Don’t believe the hype LM.
Truth be told, Sheffield’s comments in this month’s GQ are not the first time Sheff has been on record saying this. He said things of a similar nature in ESPN the Magazine several years back. I find it interesting that his comments are creating some kind of stir 5 years later than when he first made them. Honestly I find nothing offensive in the remark that Sheff made. Plus it further supports my long running theory that baseball is America and as one goes the other follows. America has no more use for the Negroe, we’ve been systematically disenfranchised via the vicious cycle of felon voting laws, apathy, and ignorance. As we become an afterthought on the national political scale due to lemming like Democratic voting and becoming and being numerically surpassed by the Latino population in this country the need to address “black issues” is becoming some what moot. National and local politicos are clamoring to tap in to the biggest “minority” base in the country to exact their political agenda and gain clout.
As the Bush administration talks out of both sides of their mouth about illegal immigration and “undocumented workers” they cannot deny the economic ramifications of the profit margins created by employing these people to keep overhead low, mantain a consistent product and maximize profits. Sounds alot like whats happening in baseball according to one Gary Sheffield. Also to wit, I don’t think that Gary is actually mad or have a problem with the influx of our brown brothers, baseball wouldn’t be shit with out with contributions of Latino players. To me its more of a knock at the power structure (read: supremacy) that is systematically alienating one group so that it can better line its own pockets and have a better profit margin. (Sounds like the start of the paragraph no?) All the while 150 years later hot dog vendors are still having fun serving you the cat, rat, & dog on a bun…
ITS JUST A FRIENDLY GAME OF BASEBALL…
This post is the troof.
Sheff’s comments hold the spirit of truth, but were stated in manner that has the pigmentally-challenged screaming bloody murder.
Oh yeah, the Free P. Hilt campaign worked like a charm.