Major League Baseball

I remember growing up as a kid in Pittsburgh and whenever the Pirates had a home game you couldn’t get near the city without sitting in traffic for hours on end. Hence the reason for tailgating. That was the only way you could make sure you were in your seat with your hot dog and Pepsi in hand waiting to see that opening pitch. I played little league baseball for some 8-9 years and loved the Pirate’s, and when I got the opportunity to go to a game I had dreams of catching one of Willie Stargell’s home run hits.

I recently had the opportunity to go to a Dodger game and I have to say, it is sad how few people were in the stands. And it’s not just the Dodgers Stadium that is barely half-filled during a home game this is going on everywhere. It is no longer like one of Kevin Costner’s movies or the famous line “Build it and they will come” any more. There are cities just like Pittsburgh that have built stadiums in this last decade with hopes of bringing in more fans and generating more $$ so the team could afford the better players. Hell, even the ticket prices are dirt cheap when compared to the NFL or NHL that sell out almost every game.

I am envious of those who grew up in the 50’s and 60’s and I can only dream of simpler days when there were no cell phones, you actually had to write a letter by hand and send it in the mail, only to wait a week for the person to read your thoughts, and automobiles had style like the Cadillac’s, 57 Chevy’s, or even my dads favorite, the two toned 56 Crown Victoria. When you could actually understand the words in a song and people never locked their front doors or when you were caught speeding the police officer gave you “a good talking to” and you were on your way instead of a $500 fine and points on your record. Steel mills were thriving and the country actually was proud of the products that were “Made in the USA”.

Now what do we have? Politicians that are so greedy that they lie through their teeth, telling the American people what ever they want to hear so they get elected, and the funny thing is they have no intention of doing whatever it is they promised but the American people are so wrapped up in their day to day that we never stop and hold these people accountable. What did they think would happen to this country when they started giving “tax breaks” to those American companies that would have their products produced overseas? Whatever happened to “taking care of your own”? Why are we so worried about what other countries think, that we have to send millions of dollars to other countries to feed their young when there are kids living on the streets in our own back yard!?

When will it stop? When will we worry about “our” kids? When will we start investing in American made products even if they are a little more expensive because they help keep alive what built this country?  All I can say is…take me back to the days when life was simple, you could tell a Chevy from a Ford, music made sense and the most exciting part of a Sunday afternoon was when we sang “Take me out to a ball game”!