Ken Davidoff's baseball insider

$5K from MLB...?
That's disgraceful...

The $30,000 in scholarships is a start, but I hope MLB takes this much further. I'd like to see 50 scholarships of $10,000 each and for them to continue in each of the four college years for a total MLB contribution of $2 million per year. That would support 200 students a year in college. Unless you are going to a SUNY school, $10,000 doesn't get you too far, but it's more than nothing.

I'd also like to see a marked expansion of the inner cities program, including regular visits by players to pump the kids up. I'd like to see MLB-Bud Selig get 50-100 colleges to throw in one full scholarship each for those associated with the program. A college with thousands of students can certainly afford to do it. Let Bud and his guys persuade schools to do it.

I know that Bud Selig probably tips more at Gillies custard stand than $ 30,000, but..this is only the funds from a joint marketing program with KPMG

RBI is an attempt by MLB to implement grassroots baseball programs. MLB. the MLBPA, numerous players and all 30 clubs have donated about $ 30 million to the effort since MLB took over RBI in 1991. CC Sabathia has been one of the most generous, and Torii Hunter has been active - and numerous players are or have been involved.

The real reason for the program is the drop in African American participation in the major leagues from over 20% in the 70's to about 8% now. Reasons include the internationaization of the game (and the tremendous pride that Dominicans and Puerto Rican kids have in their baseball players) , the NFL and NBA's new stranglehold on youth culture as Jackie Robinson's relevance passes by this generation and the increased "Moneyball" focus on drafting college players where A/A athletes are woefully underrepresented.

To all of you criticizing MLB's donations, how much do you donate to college scholarships of kids you don't know?

Why don't you quit bitching and be happy that MLB is doing anything - $5,000 is a heck of a lot better than $0.

To be precise, A/A players on the 40 man reached 27% in 1974 and as of 2003 only 6% of college baseball players were A/A.

It's sad that a player like Chris Young on the Padres, who wrote his thesis on MSM treatment of Robinson's baseball career, is more attuned to the legacy than most current A/A athletes. remember Vince Coleman and "I don't know no Jackie Robinson"?

I hope I didn't land in the complaint group, Tim. You are correct that anything is an improvement over nothing and no one should be insulted for donations of any size to a worthwhile cause. I've been very involved in the not-for-profit world for almost 30 years and small but broadbased support is crucial to an organization's survival.

Hello from Azerbaijan!

I wonder whether Puerto Rican pride in the game is sustainable over the long term, given that its young athletes, unlike their Dominican counterparts, are subject to the confines of the MLB draft. We have all heard countless stories of baseball academies sprouting up in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, and Panama, among others, but I believe that very little is going on in Puerto Rico....

Nice touch with the Zep. It was a great way to start a morning in 505land in lieu of the past 40 days and 40 nights of a Favre deluge that has me searching for some kind of Ark of Sanity.

Gentlemen,
Scholarships are great. I endorse them wholeheartedly.
But the roots of baseball have been under siege for decades now in a far more sinister way.
FACILITIES!!!
We (Our kids) need places to play!!!
The sandlots and grammar school fields that I grew up with on Long Island are now soccer fields.
Unless you live in AZ, FLA, TX, or CAL, chances are, the only place that you can grab your buddies and hop your bike with a glove hanging off of yourhandlebars and a bat over your shoulder to play on a field of dreams is by scaling a locked gate at a local HS field. And then only get an inning or two in before security chases you off.
Pardon my regionalism for a moment, but I have been fighting a futile battle in 505land land for the last 20 years.
I live in a climate where you can play baseball for 10 months a year. With our population base, we should be putting out 5 to10 D-1 players a year. The only "summer league" for baseball players is run by the American Legion and is strictly for existing HS teams on existing HS fields.
Inner city you say?
We have kids in Albuquerque graduating High School who have NEVER played a night game in their life.
NO LIGHTED FIELDS--at all.
We do not have ONE SINGLE public park with a regulation baseball field on it.
Our LIttle League complexes(?) are completely self sustaining and operate STRICTLY on donations and volunteer work by parents and dedicated baseball fans.

But we have a helluva lot of soccer fields.

Our standard grassy parks all have big signs on them that say "NO BASEBALLS OR BATS".
I can't even have a catch with my son?
But I can kick a soccer ball with him?

If we don't build it, they won't come.

Just my whining rant....from two time zones away.

Calm down, Tim. Is it too much to expect a multi-billion dollar industry to spend more than $30,000 a year on scholarships for deserving students from the inner cities where it plays? I don't think so. I contribute a vast percentage of my income to charity, but I fail to see the relevance of what we do as individuals. I have been a teacher for 27 years and a coach for even longer. I think based upon my life's work and the sacrifices I have made while you might have been out having a meal at a good restaurant have earned me the right to have an opinion on whether baseball is doing enough, considering the commissioner earns at least $15 million a year and some of the owners are among the richest people in the country.

I hope that I landed in your complaint group, Tim, because I think baseball should be doing more. Maybe if it did more and was more active, it would lead to more fans and more popularity among the young people it is targeting with the program.

Hey, I-505, I still have a bone to pick with you from your rant from last night! ;-) Below was my reply:

"Thanks, I-505. I was on an overseas flight, and had not yet checked the box scores. Why would a seasoned vet's slower reflexes have helped against Putz? (Oh, wait, seasoned vet Cliff Floyd struck out against Putz in that ninth inning.) Just asking..."

Its interesting that we rip Baseball and Bud Selig for a lot of things in the sport. When Selig and company are trying to to get more kids involve in baseball, it kind of gets lost in the shuffle. Certainly, African-Americans playing baseball has decline the last 30 years, and baseball is trying to do something about it. Its not going to happen overnight, but its going to take time to see if their is progress being made. I do think some of today's ballplayers don't know the history of baseball. I seen interviews where someone ask a player about the history of the sport, and they would have no clue at all.

JE - the PR winter league is in shambles and the draft has actually caused a downturn in baseball's popularity. The DR is still a bright spot - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0940835/

Jim - MLB is not in the business of providing scholarships, it is in the business of supposedly developing talent. 505 is right about the need for fields - and RBI has done some good work in that area and has plans to expand beyond the Compton complex.

Bob, didn't the Puerto Ricans request a 10-year exemption from the draft late last year, but MLB turned them down? Is this a good enough reason to institute an international draft, if not now, then down the road...?

I can see where baseball needs to have their community relations departments do more to get kids to want to play baseball. Do baseball teams even give decent budgets to the community relations department anymore? Unfortunately kids today don't like to do much outside except rollerblade, surf, skateboard or play soccer. Playing hard games where they can look like dweebs (like baseball) aren't part of the equation. It's a tough world where "sports" like the X Games are more popular with kids than real sports.

Bob - I submit that MLB is a corporation and like any responsible corporation it should sponsor college scholarships to deserving graduates. I am not asking them to cover the entire cost, just a portion. Why is that asking too much in a $6 billion industry? MLB should give back to inner cities. Maybe by doing it they will do themselves a favor, create some goodwill and get a few more fans in the process. I am not saying it has to be done through the RBI program. But, it should be done.

Dennis, baseball is trying to do something about it, partly for self-survival reasons and partly for altruistic reasons. You mentioned that baseball has been trying to turn around the situation for the past 30 years but then go on to say that success will take time. Three decades hasn't been enough? Doesn't that make the case for ratcheting up the effort? Baseball isn't an easy sport. It's tough for a kid to hit a moving ball with a bat. Add speed and a ball that can be made to drop, go inside, outside or even up and it becomes even more difficult. Football, basketball and soccer don't pose these same challenges. The rules of baseball are also not easy to learn compared to the other sports. Heck, George Steinbrenner owned the Yankees and he didn't even understand the rules. We have all heard about the famous story involving George and the run scoring on the third out.

Dennis, I think Bud should fly you to Wisconsin. He owes you a hot dog and a custard at Gilles Frozen Custard for your deep loyalty to him and steadfast defense of him.

Jim:

I feel that throwing money at the problem never works, and demanding that "you're rich so you must give" is mandatory voluntarism or creeping socialism.

Owners, players, the union and each individual team have their own foundations and give to their local communities (and not just for baseball related matters).

Let's be honest. Baseball doesn't offer our new generation of brain dead kids the psychosexual content, violence, epileptic fit videos and instant satisfaction they require. The "Me" generation as adults have almost destroyed the game in favor of soccer and self-esteem sessions. Once we bounce these bastards from the world stage along with their pernicious culture we probably have a better chance at seeing baseball have a comeback,

JE,

I saw your comment from last night.

What would you like me to say?
Acknowledge that the "veteran" Floyd struck out last night?
Okay....fine...I watched it. Just one guy on a fairly young TEAM.

I am not trying to disparage the Ray youth movement, JE.
I endorse it.

However, at the same time, I am not ready to give the AL East Crown or even a Wild Card spot to the Rays THIS YEAR, BECAUSE of that youth movement.
I don't believe that their time has come... yet.

They've got a fairly "easy" road trip over the next 10 games.
Seattle Oakland and Texas.

Let's see how they do.

0-1 going into today.

BRAVO BOB TUFTS AND YOUR 12:30

Bob, I don't disagree with anything you wrote. But, I also don't think a $6 billion industry presided over by its corporate entity, MLB, should be congratulated on having provided $30,000 in scholarships. Yes, teams do a lot on their own. I know the Yankees are among the most generous, if not THE most generous and the Mets are up there, too. I don't like the Wilpons, but on that score they are doing good work.

Could MLB do more? YES. Of course I think it should come from the bottom of warm and fuzzy Bud's heart and not for socialistic reasons. Hey, I am the furthest thing from a socialist you will ever find, not that I want to talk politics on this site or anything.

JE - yes the PR sports officials met with MLB in September 2007 to try to get out from under the draft, but no such luck!

The decision to cover PR with the draft has caused a dramatic decline in PR players and a rise in MLB signings in DR, Venezuela, Mexico, the Far East that are not covered by the draft.

Jim - the best current option is probably to try to replicate the RBI Compton campus and develop after school and summer school academic and athletic programs, with each team sponsoring the program in its home town.

Go after the parents - offer the kid's parents a safe place for their children to be, better education, college counseling and knowledge of the student loan programs and introduce them to college campuses via visits for summer tournaments when college fields are not in use. (The Boys and Girls Club - MLB's officla charity, already does this with inner city kids, as they bring them to boarding schools through the Prep for Prep program. Affilitate with programs in DC and Baltimore like the SEED Foundation which has inner city boarding schools and prepares kids whose parents have never attended college for their future.

It has to be a combined education and athletic hook, where you dangle the promise of an education that can be afforded via federal funding with the idea that sports will help get you into a good school (unfortunately, baseball scholarships are very limited like all non-revenue sports - this is where players and owners should think about donating one to their alma mater as you suggested!)

Jim, If I'am the Bud Selig apologist, then so be it. I'll take my lumps and criticism form everybody including you.
If you notice, Raul Ibanez has gotten hot at the plate since the trade deadline. He had the game-winning walk-off home run last night against the Rays.
The Twins have a monster road trip coming up starting August 21 that could made or break their season. They play 4 games against the Angels, 3 with the Mariners, 4 with the A's and 3 with the Blue Jays.. The Twins will play 14 games in 15 days. During that time the Republican National Convention will be held Sept 1-4 in Minneapolis, while the Twins will be in Toronto to face the Jays.

Dennis, you are what you are. No need to hide the fact you admire and respect Bud and think he has done a wonderful job as commissioner. Perhaps one day you will write in support of his membership in the HOF.

When I was a little boy I played Little League. Everyone did. It was a natural. I can attest to the fact that not everyone does now. In fact, the percentage of kids in my area that do is rather low. This doesn't show up in the bottom line stats because we are a nation that has grown by at least 100 million since I was a kid. More kids = more participation, albeit at much lower rates. (It's like when the government says that employment is at a record level. It should be. Our population is larger.)

Little League now includes girls, softball, etc. I have noticed that people who never played ball don't have the same command of the rules as people that played. I have witnessed this lack of command while attending games with friends who really didn't know what they were talking about. A grassroots effort is needed to reinvigorate the game. I'm sad when I ask kids how many are playing on a baseball team and one or two hands go up in a class of 25.

Have you guys been following the events in Georgia? Russia has invaded its neighbor, plain and simple. Being next door in Azerbaijan, people here do not seem overly nervous, at least not outwardly. But this is a big deal, no doubt about it. Keep in mind this region's importance as an energy corridor to the West, among other things.

Here is a link to McCain's response: http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MmUxYzA5ZjRiZjYxMzRiNTIyZTJmMTBkNDIwYWRlYjI=

Looks like Brain Giles will not be going to the Red Sox. ESPN.com is reporting that Giles will not approve a deal to go to the Red Sox. Remember, Giles does have a partial no-trade clause in which he can veto any deal to 8 teams, including the Red Sox.

Here is Obama's response. Need I say that it's tepid at best?
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSWBT00953020080808

JE, I have and I am very concerned. Russia under Putin (and I still consider Putin to be the real power there) has taken a path that is frightening, from shutting down budding democracy, to the return of authoritarianism to trumped up charges against Kremlin opponents to destroying private companies. It is downright scary. They also are using oil/natural gas profits to revive their military and have made moves to start cozying up to Cuba again right on our doorstep.

And don't forget, Jim, Georgia has been an outstanding ally. Do you know they STILL have 2,000 troops stationed in Iraq? (Half of them have just been called back home, not surprisingly.) I hope that we do not let the Georgian people down.

Yes, I am fully aware our Georgia's friendship with us depite Russia breathing down their back. I know that the current administration was Georgia and Ukraine to be be placed on the track for NATO membership and the other countries have objected. I hope we don't let them down either, although with this Congress, it wouldn't surprise me if they give GB a hard time on this one.

I hope Georgia beats Florida once again at the World's Biggest Cocktail Party. :)
I was just remembering that the Little League I played for was run by the Catholic Church in my neighborhood. There were 2 different ones in 2 separate parts of the zip code. One had the big playground where we played after school and the other had the sports league and supplied unis and coaches, transportation and fields which were at Marine Park on Avenue U in Brooklyn where the league played on Saturday mornings. Well over the years the churches lost their constituents, their schools closed and the neighborhood changed into a West Indian area. Marine Park went into disrepair for some time and even though it is in good condition now, the baseball fields when I walked by there when I still lived in NY were never in use. In the area where I lived much later on we had a little league in the Ty Cobbs (anyway the field was named Ty Cobb). They had a small stadium under the el train but hardly ever was in use. I had a small park across the street from where I lived with a large baseball diamond etched in the concrete. When I first moved there girls played softball on the field on Thursday night. After the first year the only games that were ever played there were roller hockey.
Football was much better organized, running fund raisers to keep their leagues up and running in their sports complex, which was involved with the church. If baseball had grass-roots organizations that got involved in getting kids in the community out to play like I did when I was a kid (and I didn't even mention the leagues at the parade grounds across from prospect park that I don't think exist anymore) things would be better, but those grass roots organizations seem to be gone.