I'll have a story up soon, but Ian Desmond tells his story way better. We all have our personal stories, and money and fame shield one from the ugliness that exists out there. If you can't listen and feel, maybe you're insensitive, maybe you're lucky... https://www.instagram.com/p/CCCp7aSptTr/ 

... But one thing I have kept in mind as a writer: players are human. If non-players want them to be their wind-up ball-playing dolls, that's their problem. No matter what the dollar signs are, they are human like the rest and deserve to be treated as such. As for the game...

... I have said it for years: This sport is being ripped away from kids. It's all about the travel and showcases and "elite" teams. Every city and suburb has a batting cage that fronts for this moneymaking scheme, and there aren't that many elite players. Put the emphasis on ...

... getting bats and balls and gloves into the hands of as many young people as possible. Let them play as much as possible. Let them learn the lessons that come with this great game. We all lose when the game is hoarded.

I have heard a complete and utter line of bull for years about black participation in baseball. It goes, "Baseball it takes years to make it. Other sports you're drafted right out of college," as if we are simply into instant gratification. That's a helluva statement when the ...

... game is off limits because of the equipment, travel, coaching fees and the other garbage. Latin American youngsters deal with none of it, and we get plenty of players. Give people a chance to play. In a lot of cases, baseball is more expensive than football. Are you kidding?