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Posted on 3/13/13 at 4:42 pm to Broski
quote:
local wannabe writer
Carter Bryant is probably the nicest guy you'll ever meet. Don't be such a tool bro
quote:
The shrinking number of black baseball players can be seen at Historically Black Colleges and Universities as well. According to Andrew Carter of the Charlotte News and Observer, more than half of the HBCU schools that competed in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference had more white players than African-Americans in 2012. Scholarship white baseball players in the MEAC outnumbered black players 74-59, while all other sports combined had 62 white scholarship athletes.
he seems to be defending LSU in the article. Very interesting article
This post was edited on 3/13/13 at 4:45 pm
Posted on 3/13/13 at 5:03 pm to Broski
The fact that college baseball only gives out partial scholarships is of course a huge part of the problem (and also a reason why academic schools like Stanford, Rice, Vandy, & UNC are known to get so many good pitchers).
A few points that haven't been mentioned:
#1. Black baseball players in the U.S. tend to have a competitive advantage at the OF positions, but these are exactly the positions that are most likely to go straight to the minor leagues out of HS.
#2. On the flip side, black baseball players in the U.S. are very rare at the pitching and catching positions--at least when it comes to being at an elite level. Part of this has to do with the fact that tall white kids are less likely to focus exclusively on basketball. Part of it has to do with the fact that black people have no discernible genetic athletic advantage over white people when it comes to pitching and catching. And part of this has to do with the year-round training that many teenage kids in affluent suburbia get for these highly skilled positions.
#3. College baseball currently (it wasn't always this way) tends to have more MLB-level talent at pitcher than it does for big hitters. Thus, most elite black baseball players who play OF in HS will be among the most likely to go pro without going to college.
I mean, just think about it. How many black LSU baseball players can you think of who didn't play in the OF?
OF -- Terry Belle, Joey Belle, Ron Lim, Lyle Mouton, Cedrick Harris, Jared Mitchell, Trey Watkins, Leon Landry, Arby Fields, etc.
P/INF -- Shane Youman ... who else???
I think LSU just caught a random spike of white outfields over the past few recruiting classes, and that pretty much explains entirely the absence of black players, at least relative to the numbers of black players LSU used to have.
A few points that haven't been mentioned:
#1. Black baseball players in the U.S. tend to have a competitive advantage at the OF positions, but these are exactly the positions that are most likely to go straight to the minor leagues out of HS.
#2. On the flip side, black baseball players in the U.S. are very rare at the pitching and catching positions--at least when it comes to being at an elite level. Part of this has to do with the fact that tall white kids are less likely to focus exclusively on basketball. Part of it has to do with the fact that black people have no discernible genetic athletic advantage over white people when it comes to pitching and catching. And part of this has to do with the year-round training that many teenage kids in affluent suburbia get for these highly skilled positions.
#3. College baseball currently (it wasn't always this way) tends to have more MLB-level talent at pitcher than it does for big hitters. Thus, most elite black baseball players who play OF in HS will be among the most likely to go pro without going to college.
I mean, just think about it. How many black LSU baseball players can you think of who didn't play in the OF?
OF -- Terry Belle, Joey Belle, Ron Lim, Lyle Mouton, Cedrick Harris, Jared Mitchell, Trey Watkins, Leon Landry, Arby Fields, etc.
P/INF -- Shane Youman ... who else???
I think LSU just caught a random spike of white outfields over the past few recruiting classes, and that pretty much explains entirely the absence of black players, at least relative to the numbers of black players LSU used to have.
Posted on 3/13/13 at 5:06 pm to ForeverLSU02
very good article! tells it the way it is - 78% black in basketball, 65 % in pro football, but the limited schlorships in college baseball is the factor.
Posted on 3/13/13 at 5:23 pm to TIGER62
Interesting article, not really calling anyone racist or anything, just kinda making a point that there aren't as many black baseball players anymore. The only thing that kind of bothered me was this...
quote:
So the next time “College Baseball’s Greatest Fans” take the stands in Alex Box Stadium, they should ask whether they are truly witnessing America’s pastime.
Posted on 3/13/13 at 5:42 pm to Broski
Not like we don't recruit them. There is a guy who committed to LSU that will never set foot most likely. Guess they forget about them.
Posted on 3/13/13 at 6:04 pm to LSURussian
quote:
I thought the article was a very fair description of the current state of college baseball when it comes to black players.
It certainly was not critical of LSU.
Thought the same. Didn't think it was bad at all.
But I did actually read it.
Posted on 3/13/13 at 6:36 pm to whoisnickdoobs
I read the entire article. The body of the article was neutral to LSU and Coach Mainieri.
I agree. The writer seems to imply that if there are fewer blacks playing college baseball, then somehow it can't genuinely be America's pastime. That the only way baseball could be America's game would be if its racial makeup mirrored "a country that has never been more diverse."
If we are college baseball's greatest fans (notice his use of quotes), and if beneath the facade of the "colorful atmosphere in Alex Box" there happens to be no black ballplayers, should I therefore be required to examine my conscience?
How many black ballplayers would it take for me to say "Yep, that's America's pastime!" 1? 2? 12.6%?
Would I need to see Asians and Hispanics, too? Or just blacks?
quote:
The only thing that kind of bothered me was this...
So the next time “College Baseball’s Greatest Fans” take the stands in Alex Box Stadium, they should ask whether they are truly witnessing America’s pastime.
I agree. The writer seems to imply that if there are fewer blacks playing college baseball, then somehow it can't genuinely be America's pastime. That the only way baseball could be America's game would be if its racial makeup mirrored "a country that has never been more diverse."
If we are college baseball's greatest fans (notice his use of quotes), and if beneath the facade of the "colorful atmosphere in Alex Box" there happens to be no black ballplayers, should I therefore be required to examine my conscience?
How many black ballplayers would it take for me to say "Yep, that's America's pastime!" 1? 2? 12.6%?
Would I need to see Asians and Hispanics, too? Or just blacks?
This post was edited on 3/13/13 at 7:58 pm
Posted on 3/13/13 at 6:48 pm to ForeverLSU02
quote:
There aren't many black players in college baseball to begin with
We better start FORCING people to play baseball instead of football and basketball.
Posted on 3/13/13 at 6:54 pm to ForeverLSU02
Justin Williams.
/thread
/thread
Posted on 3/13/13 at 6:58 pm to Doc Fenton
quote:dreadlocks of doom!!!
How many black LSU baseball players can you think of who didn't play in the OF?
Posted on 3/13/13 at 7:18 pm to Broski
OP should change the title. He makes it sound like this is purely an LSU program problem. When he's just talking about the entire state of college baseball.
Posted on 3/13/13 at 7:23 pm to JBeam
The article actually wasn't half bad -- not the finest piece of grammar I've ever seen, but the author approached the subject fairly and didn't have a bad word to say about LSU.
MLB does need to do a better job marketing the game to inner-city kids -- for the longevity of the sport.
MLB does need to do a better job marketing the game to inner-city kids -- for the longevity of the sport.
Posted on 3/13/13 at 7:23 pm to lsutigers1992
quote:
The best players, BLACK OR WHITE, skip college and sign a big-league contract right out of high school.
They also only get partial scholarships.
Black kids don't play baseball unless they live in Central/South America or the Caribbean area. The number of black kids playing HS baseball is abysmal, and I imagine the ones who are really good go on to professional baseball.
Posted on 3/13/13 at 7:33 pm to Choupique19
quote:
Baseball isn't a sport that you can just pick up when you get to high school, and there just aren't many minorities playing organized baseball as kids.
This. And you saved me some dreaded iPad typing
Posted on 3/13/13 at 7:33 pm to Broski
Who cares? Seriously, why do they have to bring race into everything?
Posted on 3/13/13 at 9:43 pm to PRK
Good article, not at all what I was expecting given the thread subject and OP.
Didn't care for the last line, though: "So the next time “College Baseball’s Greatest Fans” take the stands in Alex Box Stadium, they should ask whether they are truly witnessing America’s pastime."
Didn't care for the last line, though: "So the next time “College Baseball’s Greatest Fans” take the stands in Alex Box Stadium, they should ask whether they are truly witnessing America’s pastime."
Posted on 3/13/13 at 11:13 pm to Broski
This is why I love America. People can do what the hell they want, and others still bitch about the lack of opportunities.
Posted on 3/13/13 at 11:44 pm to TexasTiger1185
The author does not accuse LSU of racism in its baseball recruiting. He simply uses the LSU example as a launching point to discuss the severely limited numbers of blacks currently involved in the sport. This has been a problem for decades now, which IMO makes the article's premise rather stale and prosaic. In that sense, the author deserves acknowledgement in his invocation of the local powerhouse program as a tactic by which to stir interest in a problem that needs attention but has desensitized fans to its existence because of its lasting ubiquity.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 1:27 am to Pilot Tiger
How did I leave him out!?!
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