I read with great interest Steve Pfarrer’s Hampshire Life feature on baseball. (“What’s up with the national pastime?”, Sept. 26) I too have been concerned about the state of our national pastime. As Pfarrer points out, the fan base is eroding as games are delayed by calls to the bullpen, we are seeing more strikeouts than hits and those thrilling nine-inning pitching duels are a thing of the past.
But these developments are only part of the story. I was flabbergasted by Pfarrer’s sourcing for his story. With fan attendance at all-time lows, how can Pfarrer ignore one half of MLB’s fan base in his reporting? He failed to interview a single woman. If he had done his homework, a lifelong Red Sox fan like me may have pointed to a key part of MLB’s failure.
Baseball will never catch up to other sports unless we start putting women on the field as coaches, umpires, announcers, and yes, even players. Until we have more women in the front offices of MLB, who can correct these inequities, baseball doesn’t stand a chance in the 21st century. As Jackie Robinson proved to us over 72 years ago, integration puts fans in the stands. Pfarrer should consult the history books.
Ann Romberger
Leverett