Western Courier

Issue date: 6/24/04 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: JEFFERY WASHINGTON / KRT Edie O´Brien (second from left) and her son, Nicholas, 4, receive a ball and bat from Reggie Sanders (right) of the St. Louis Cardinals during play against the Texas Rangers at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Texas. Sanders brought out the bat and ball after an adult fan refused to turn over a foul ball to the young boy during the game. Baseball is becoming one of America´s pastimes again, as players try to rekindle the magic.

Ten years ago baseball was in the grips of what would become the darkest days of the game since the 1919 Black Sox scandal. The 1994 season was cancelled nearly midway through due to a player strike. This caused two things to happen that had previously seemed impossible, the World Series was cancelled, and America seemingly lost its fascination with baseball.

It is simply amazing how drastically the sport's fortunes have turned around in those ten years, especially considering all else that has happened to blemish the game as well. A nation disgusted with outrageously paid athletes griping about their salaries tuned out baseball for a few seasons after the strike. Many loyal, lifelong fans of the game even swore to never follow the game again, as record lows in attendance and ratings marked the game throughout the mid 1990s.

Now it seems that many of those stray lambs have returned to the fold as Major League Baseball reported record attendance highs in many ballparks, and not just for the regular season, but starting all the way back in spring training. This is somewhat astonishing considering the poor public relations baseball has had of late. Just two years ago contraction was the buzzword throughout the league as baseball was considering shutting down teams like the Minnesota Twins and the Montreal Expos due to poor attendance. That same 2002 season featured a baffling all-star game that ended in a 7-7 tie because both managers had run out of pitchers to use. This was the sort of press that America's pastime could ill afford.

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