| Show In Left Field Editors Editor's Note this is the first installment of ofa a monthly feature that will last throughout the baseball sea sea- son By Corey Bullock Special to Horizon A young year third-year player by the name of Joe walked into the owner of the Cleveland Indians and demanded a ar r raise ise He wanted the owner to double his salary giving him a percent raise from what he was making the previous previous previous pre pre- pre pre- year The owner politely declined and made a counter offer You see the owner wanted to keep this player but didn't want to have to pay the money Finally Joe proposed a deal He said that the owner didn't have to pay him a dime if he didn't hit ov over r in inthe inthe inthe the upcoming season However if he did hit over he would be paid what he was asking a percent increase on what he was making the year before The owner agreed In 1911 Joseph Jefferson Jac Jackson on hit and the owner of the Cleveland Indians paid him double double what he made the year before Not much has changed in the past 87 years Players want a tonof money Fans complain about the absurd amount of money players make yet they still go to the ballparks And baseball baseball baseball base base- ball still cares I get asked a lot if baseball will survive survive survive sur sur- sur- sur vive the hike in players salaries or the 1994 baseball strike I answer that question the same way every time Yes Y You u see baseball cares and as long longas as it cares it will survive Major League Baseball may not care Minor League Baseball l may not care college baseball and high school baseball may not care re but baseball baseball- the game cares The hitting and the fielding and the running and the game cares Major League Baseball could cease to exist and baseball would survive because it cares The Baseball Field Oops I mean the Midvale City Alexander Dahl Dali Field where the Bruins play could stand vacant as cemetery at midnight and b baseball would survive Why Because baseball cares It cares that most of us cant can't do the simplest of things Hit a baseball con con- It cares that we care It cares You see as long as there is a father willing to play catch with his son As long as somewhere someone is thinking thinking thinking think think- ing even dreaming about baseball it will survive In the words of Jimmie Dugan 1 Tom om Hanks in the movie A League of Their Own Baseball is what gets inside of you Its It's what lights you up As long as someone somewhere is getting getting getting get get- ting lit up by baseball It will survive Baseball cares Do you |
