Ideas to grow BIG 10 baseball.

[jimotis4heisman]

how many northern teams are able to compete? (top 10 and then top 25) on a consistent basis.

i always thought theosu was one of three or four northern teams who are decent...

[scooter1369]

Lets face it. Baseball as a whole has suffered in the last 20 years. The Michael Jordan Era.

Baseball is boring. We live in a fast paced world where everyone wants instant gratification, fireworks, explosive offense and brutal contact. Baseball supplies none of this. I can't help but think of the movies The Program and Major League 2. The Program is hard hitting, non stop football action. Major League 2 is some simpleton named Rube from the sticks.

I think of baseball as a thinking man's sport. Its strategy. Its superior individual performance in a team atmosphere.

There was an article written a few years ago about the decline of African Americans in baseball. Most of it was attributed to the urban environment and the increasing popularity of basketball. Inner cities don't have room for baseball fields. But empty lots provide a great spot to put up a hoop.

Baseball at every level has to find a way to market itself better to the masses. Hip hop culture is upbeat and on the edge. Baseball is slow and safe.

[STR]

Baseball is a culture of excellence and high skill level that takes a tremendous amount of work. This also make baseball a character culture of work ethic. If baseball is suffering today its because of our cultures lack of work ethic and relying on athletic ability over hard work. Baseball is fine, let the athletes that want to rely on athletic ability alone and not skill development play another sport.

[billmac91]

and those who aren't good enough athletes can juice themselves up to be great or at least good enough to hack it....barry, bret boone, mcguire, sosa, clemens, palmeroid ( I 100% DID take steroids), canseco, mathews jr.....the list could go further, but thats just off the top of my head.....baseball is a great game to watch, and doesn't take those with patience to watch or play....I do agree their should be a bigger iniative to bring baseball to inner-cities

[coastalbuck]

Originally Posted by jimotis4heisman

how many northern teams are able to compete? (top 10 and then top 25) on a consistent basis.

i always thought theosu was one of three or four northern teams who are decent...

You are correct. Lump Notre Dame in there too. Nebraska is pretty northern. Univ. of Delaware used to come down here every year and was pretty good too. Although, I have to say, they'd come down here year after year and get their bats handed to them, then go back and win their Conference and get to the Regionals every year.

Buckyle mentioned unfair rules before, unfair is probably not the best word though I really don't know a better one. Facts are that baseball is a summer sport, somebody said that as well and it is true. College athletes don't attend school in the summer, and there is your problem. I've said it before and I'll say it again, all the Northern schools can do to improve their standing is to play quality competition from opening day till the closing game. That will build the program, get the athletes coming, and improve conference RPI that will benefit everyone.

[JCOSU86]

Originally Posted by coastalbuck

Facts are that baseball is a summer sport, somebody said that as well and it is true. College athletes don't attend school in the summer, and there is your problem.

And why is that? OSU offers many classes in the summer. Did the NCAA (Nazi Collegiate Athletic Assholes) make the "school year" only Sept through May/June? People go to school in the summer, people. It's problably easier too, it was for me at OSU. Why is June, July and August not included in the school year? You can attend school, hell, you can graduate then. Why can't you play baseball (at least until late June)

[CleveBucks]

Almost all athletes attend summer classes, because they can get caught up on credit hours without worrying about games or organized practices. Almost all of the summer classes I took at OSU had football or basketball payers in them. And didn't the NCAA just revise their rules to allow incoming football freshmen to enroll for summer classes?

[coastalbuck]

I've thought about it all day and still can't contribute anything. There are no NCAA sanctioned sports in the summer, none. I guess maybe they could start, but, not all kids want to stay at school in the summer, some have to, but not all. Maybe the best answer is to do a split season, like golf. Fall and spring. I don't know.