DonS plopped a rather thought-provoking article by Kevin Modesti in my inbox today. He addresses the new generation of ballplayers coming into their own in the majors (as well as those who will be in the coming years) and their responsibility to their sport.
A snippet from the LA Daily News:
The top three things we want from the young players who will define the sport for the next 10 to 20 years:
No needles. No drugs. No cheating. No need to elaborate. You’ll feel pressure to juice yourself up. Don’t.
Play the game right. Home-run rates are down nearly 10 percent this season. That goes hand in hand with the previous wish, and it’s a step in the right direction. Let’s get away from Home Run Derby and back to baseball.
Straighten out the players’ union. Make it a force for good in the game. That role is wide open, since the baseball (MLB) commissioner turned into a CEO, willing to do anything for corporate profit. Next time Bud Selig comes knocking, asking if it’s OK to schedule a season-opener in Scandinavia on Christmas Day so he can sell more Diamondbacks-logo earmuffs, tell him it’s beneath the dignity of the players and to get lost.
I think most people would agree with points one and three. I personally agree with the second but quite honestly, you would be hard pressed to change the mindset of the majority of the fanbase who do love the “Home Run Derby’. But that’s probably a subject for another post.
Read the article. It’s a good one.