SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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I was reading this article about some Mets who were on our Olyumpic baseball teams:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443931404577552894040748890.html
R.A. Dickey says that it's too bad baseball is a "fringe" sport internationally and that the rest of the world wasn't interested enough in it to keep it in the Olympics. I watch the Olympics and there seem to be several sports that few countries really compete in in, (beach volleyball?). I view baseball as an international sport- not to the extent soccer is or basketball has become, but it popular in North and Central America and eastern Asia, basically the Pacific rim. Isn't that enough?
I called Bud and the Manchild and Bud thought it was a matter of expense- you build a baseball stadium in London, what are you going to do with it afterwards? Yes, you could turn it into a soccer filed, but they have plenty of them. I would think a baseball field and grandstand could be converted to other uses ro rather easily torn down, (you wouldn't need to build a concrete edifice). I don't see the problem here.
I do remember when the announcement was made there was specutlation it had more to do with MLB not releasing it's stars to play play in the Olympics like the NHL does or perhaps an anti-American feeling in the wake of the invasion of Iraq. Frankly, that makes more sense to me. But it also seems like the wrong basis for making such decisions.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443931404577552894040748890.html
R.A. Dickey says that it's too bad baseball is a "fringe" sport internationally and that the rest of the world wasn't interested enough in it to keep it in the Olympics. I watch the Olympics and there seem to be several sports that few countries really compete in in, (beach volleyball?). I view baseball as an international sport- not to the extent soccer is or basketball has become, but it popular in North and Central America and eastern Asia, basically the Pacific rim. Isn't that enough?
I called Bud and the Manchild and Bud thought it was a matter of expense- you build a baseball stadium in London, what are you going to do with it afterwards? Yes, you could turn it into a soccer filed, but they have plenty of them. I would think a baseball field and grandstand could be converted to other uses ro rather easily torn down, (you wouldn't need to build a concrete edifice). I don't see the problem here.
I do remember when the announcement was made there was specutlation it had more to do with MLB not releasing it's stars to play play in the Olympics like the NHL does or perhaps an anti-American feeling in the wake of the invasion of Iraq. Frankly, that makes more sense to me. But it also seems like the wrong basis for making such decisions.
