ettin

Hi Mark, the way you phrased the question, I responded to, made it seem like you didn't understand that there was a financial disparity that you didn't grasp. Yes I agree that they have no where to play, which is primarily due to the financial disparity in minority neighborhoods versus white ones. It is the same reason you don't see a lot of minority golfers because the equipment costs and ability to find a golf course, much less one you can afford to join, is few and far between, just like baseball fields and equipment. In fact you can take it one step further with your own observation that minority kids need to send letters to MLB foundations to procure free equipment whereas many white kids parents purchase it for them because their parents have better-paying jobs and the discretionary wealth to pay for it. Minorities have to jump through more hoops to get the same equality that white kids enjoy (many unknowingly enjoy because they don't face the same barriers minority children do. Not their fault but the "playing field" needs to be more equal). Many white children start at an entirely different baseline in life and are able to enjoy and access a lot more of life's liberties than minority kids, who generally start at a lower baseline and face more discrimination, bias, suspicion, and barriers on a daily basis in their lives than white people ever see or experience. Case-in-point: I was speaking with a black co-worker (She is a quality engineering manager for the company I work at) a few weeks ago and she told me that every time she goes into her local neighborhood market, the store clerks literally watch her everywhere she goes. This is just a small example of the daily bias and suspicion minorities face, where they are viewed as "suspicious", "violent", or less than human. If George Floyd had been white, that officer would almost certainly not have been sitting on his neck and in fact would probably, at worst, had him in handcuffs standing by the police cruiser or sitting comfortably in the backseat of the same vehicle.

He had the sweetest swing shifts.

He doesn't remember much about the encounter but the guy was a former Marine and gave great JarHead.

I truly think MLB is taking a shotgun and pointing it right at their own heads with these recent pushes to reduce the Minor Leagues in general and then questionable decisions like this where they will let Major League Baseball play but not the Minor Leagues. "Hey we are having trouble attracting young players to the game of baseball, so let's reduce the number of Minor League outlets to not only accommodate those shrinking numbers but to also decrease our visibility and footprint around the country! Hooray!" "Hey let's take our most valuable MLB assets and put them on the field while we let the undiscovered and underdeveloped future of our game wither away on the vine down on the farm! Hooray, we are saving money! Us owners are SO SMART!" These takes by MLB also make me wonder why the League is thinking about expansion too? I mean if teams are shifting to younger players (as evidenced by a lot of recent extensions to young players) and letting older players walk off into retirement in their mid-30's, rather than keeping them and their built-in reputations, leadership, and, albeit declining, skills in the game, aren't they burning the candle from both ends by hacking off large swaths of the Minor Leagues and the players that play in them? Won't this decrease the available players both young and old, thus making it harder to fill Major League rosters? Won't two more expansion teams require a large number of players to fill their 40-man rosters and Minor League systems? These moves by MLB will potentially damage the game moving forward in my opinion. I am not sure they are fully thinking this through for the long-run. As much as Claude hates him, Pujols and players like him (Yadier Molina, Matt Carpenter, et. al.) are good for the game and fans in a reasonable dose.

White financial advantage manifests itself in the ability to purchase all of the equipment necessary to play professional baseball (gloves, bats, balls, catching gear, etc.). Additionally, the ability to purchase land, develop a baseball field and all of the necessary fencing, plates/bases, field maintenance, etc. has to come from a donor and/or local city government that is willing to invest in that community. The ability of a poor minority community to raise the funds and/or acquire and develop the needed property is not only financially-challenging but logistically-challenging and takes the strong will of an individual or community to make happen. It also doesn't help that Major League Baseball doesn't seem to take a real, deep interest in minority communities overall. Certainly there are programs, owners and MLB players who champion various causes in the U.S. and abroad but is it enough? If you're a young black man and you have a few bucks in your pocket and you are picking a sport to invest that money in, it is easier to buy a single football and play catch with your friends in a field or even purchase a basketball and dribble it around the neighborhood. Buying a glove, ball, and bat and convincing your friends to do the same so you actually have someone to play with is more of a financial stretch. Finally, you are probably correct that baseball is not looked at culturally as a first-choice sport in black communities and that is all due to the financial threshold that must be met to participate in it.

Respectfully Chuck I think you have simplified your argument to much. Often, when we are young, our opinions, experiences, and thoughts are not fully developed. These racist, sexist, tropes/comments have existed since the founding of this country (and beyond that) yet there has been little progression in changing our culture in regard to them. It could easily be that Ian Desmond has finally found the courage to speak up? Just because he has now broken "bro code" shouldn't condemn him to some non-masculinity hellscape. This so-called "attack on masculinity" has come about because men have consistently been domineering shitheads, oh since the dawn of time? White men in particular wield so much power around the world and have dominated women and minorities so much that this move towards equality offends the sensibilities and power base of men (particularly white men, again) that they are lashing out like spoiled little babies (i.e. not real men). They don't want anyone else playing in their deluxe sandbox. Also "guessing" at Ian Desmond's thoughts or projecting how he may or may not have acted without hearing it from his own mouth, is a bit irresponsible Chuck. Let the man speak for himself and not put words in his mouth. Life is a series of constant learning opportunities and Ian Desmond may be learning something about himself that he has decided to share with the world. EDIT: Not jumping on you Chuck, but I have been playing OOTP so much this is the first time I've read threads here in days....

I'm glad you're reading! Just teasing you Vladdy, I like the Detmers pick too, there is still some upside and he could probably walk into a back-end starter role immediately if the Angels were so inclined.

Sure Beatles, I get it, sometimes my wife and I go walking and we suddenly realize we don't have our masks on (despite the fact no one is on the streets, we rarely run into people and everyone in my neighborhood is pretty conscious about physical distancing we feel stupid and usually turn around and go get them). I know it is a "habit" that we are not used to as a whole. My point is more to the fact that there are people out there who blatantly disregard the danger and by doing so they willfully put others in danger as well including family and friends or people they run into on the street. There was a lady who recently visited a Trader Joe's in Palos Verdes, that went viral on YouTube, who was screaming at the manager because she was told she needed a mask. There have been others that run up and actually cough on people because they think the whole thing is a "hoax". There is some segment of the population that does not take this seriously at all and it won't be funny once one of their family members or friends gets put on a ventilator and is at serious risk of death. Common sense should be ruling the day here (masks, physical distancing, hygiene, stressing the seriousness of how easy this virus transmits between humans) and the White House won't even acknowledge or mandate (or lead by example) those very basic preventative measures that can help save lives and possibly mitigate tragedies. It drives me nuts that science and facts are being ignored and lives are being lost because of ignorance and 'Merica! Appreciate your response, Beatle.

Except it is more contagious than the average flu. Honestly, the normalization of this is astounding to me. The fact that people refuse to wear a simple basic mask when they go out is deeply troubling, it shows a basic lack of caring for their fellow human beings. It is such a simple thing to do: Live your life, do the necessary things you need to do, but practice basic physical distancing, wear a simple mask (very easy to put on, everyone is saying it), and practice good hand cleaning and basic hygiene. Can't wait for an even more serious virus to be introduced and the immediate reaction is going to be, "Nah I don't need a mask, I'm good!".

Oh, then that makes it okay!

It would be perfect if it was a Woody drink cup instead.

Respect for our ancestors = Necrophilia with a take-home Gift Basket

This conclusively proves the theory that ALF is a fan of Homo Erectus.

I agree.

You heard it here first folks! Chuck wants more dicks on the mound when the period begins!

And for me too!!!! Dammit AO!

Scout fans and Scout agents.

Me.

Thanks for TOS-sing my salad, Lou.

And not an idoit.

If you could please cite and provide the links to all of the scientifically, peer-reviewed data that shows what you just said, regarding COVID death counts/tolls, lab confirmations is actually true, and the veracity, or lack thereof, of quarantining, I will buy it. You sound skeptical of the shutdown (quarantine) but don't provide any facts to back up the claim. This also includes your last two sentences which have no grounding or basis in fact because those studies most likely haven't been done yet and even if they have I'd personally check the accuracy, sample size, and reputation and experience of those who performed the study to ensure it was professionally performed by experts in the pandemic field, as most scientific, peer-based studies take months, if not years, to complete.

I am more curious why the post was put in this thread, TBH....

So we all understand that the point of the quarantine was to help stop the spread of the virus and help flatten the curve of how many cases swarmed our medical system at one time, resulting in less deaths and lesser demand for medical equipment for our healthcare system, right? Do we all also understand that if our healthcare system gets flooded, doctors and nurses, who are at the front line of this fight, will be more likely to contract COVID-19 themselves and, in fact, many have died already helping others who are sick? What happens when you finally have that stroke that has been building up and you go to the hospital looking for your regular doctor who has been taking care of you for years and you find out he/she passed away a month ago helping a flood of COVID-19 patients because they all went to the Angels game and spread the virus among themselves? I'll tell you the answer: You get the doctor who actually isn't a stroke specialist performing brain surgery to help resupply oxygen to your body. You say you want sports back? That's fine, just expect the medical team to run out their second and third string MD's. We have a real problem with privilege in this country and disrespect for establishments and experts. It got worse the moment President Shithead, who thinks injecting disinfectant into your body, took office and started dismantling the foundations of our Democracy and shutting down the response teams stood-up to directly combat specific dangers, such as pandemics. Brian instead of presenting a logical argument, you use derision and name-calling (Newscum) instead. Move to a different state if you don't like how the Governor of CA is addressing a pandemic and at least trying to save lives, unlike the Federal response, which is missing in action (and designed that way so that blame can be placed on others instead of POTUS). Did you know the average age of a baseball fan is 57 years old? Did you know that non-Hispanic whites have the highest probability of contracting COVID-19 and dying? (Nearly 12% above the weighted average among all races) Did you know that age 45 people or older experience a noticeable jump in death rate due to COVID-19 related symptoms? So Brian, keep fighting for your Angels games. "Yeah let's go to a ballgame, f*ck Newscum! Live free or die! Liberty! *cough* *cough* Pursuit of Happiness! *cough*"

And they wonder why they call white people "crackers".