Show M Mourning 0 U r n i n g Baseball Bas e b a I I The sorry state of Major League Baseball has many wondering about the future of the game By Justin McBride Staff writer Baseball has tanked itself yet again The last couple of years have been really good for baseball baseball baseball base base- ball with the home run race in 2000 between Mark McGuire and Sammy So Sosa sa and the captivating eating 2001 World Series th that t r saw the mighty Yankees dethroned by the upstart Diamondbacks But that's all gone now Its It's all been overshadowed overshadowed overshadowed owed this season by steroids strikes and an Star All-Star game that ended in a tie At a time when baseball needs the most from its Commissioner Bud Selig doesn't have the answers In fact he has nothing solid to offer baseball at all He says the league is in financial trouble the league as a wh whole le lost million dollars combined combined com com- combined last season A report by Forbes Magazine says baseball made and estimated mil mu- lion do we believe the magazine that studies finances days a year or the former fonner used car salesman Selig struck again at t the AllStar AllStar AllStar All- All Star game The game that was supposed to take the focus off ofT the negative in baseball and showcase baseballs stars ended in a tie casting more shadows on an already dark season The 7 7 77 7 tie at the end of the lith inning is only the second time in inthe inthe inthe the history of Major League Baseball the Star All-Star game has ended in a tie The first time was in Boston in 1961 when rain prevented the s start rt of extra innings That game ended in a 11 11 II 1 I- 1 I tie Never before has a game ended like the Star All-Star game in Milwaukee kee did And now above all of that we have to deal with the possibility of another strike In a season alrea already y marred by a steroids controversy talk of contraction and rumors of the leagues financial financial financial finan finan- cial woes another strike at this point could be the nail in the coffin for baseball Baseball lost losta a lot of fans for a long time myself included after the strike-shortened strike season in 1994 Especially with no World S Series ries riesto to keep fans interested And if a astrike astrike astrike strike happens this year it could be the second time in 10 years that there has been no World Series With rumors of a strike flying one has to wonder if a strike does happen this season how does it affect the fans How many lany fans are going to come comeback comeback comeback back to baseball Many fans were angry when the 1994 strike caused a shortened season and led to the World Series to be cancelled How many would be willing to come back after a second second second sec sec- sec sec- ond strike in 8 years It was hard enough to come back the first tim time It took me 6 years to come back to baseball 8 to really really really real real- ly get back into it Many other fans had the same struggle and others have still not come back to fill the stadiums Now baseball baseball baseball base base- ball r fans ns are faced with the same thing they saw in 1994 It is sink or swim time for Major League Baseball and there seems to be no one who wants to step up and save Americas America's National Past C 0 |