Women in Baseball
America cannot survive without baseball. Baseball is the national past time, the lifeblood, of american society. Without baseball, we'd have nothing to talk about, nothing to do for fun, nothing at all.
When america's men went to war, so did our baseball players, all physically fit men in their prime. And since america couldn't survive without baseball, what did it do? It turned to the women.
Women from all over stepped up, and they ruled baseball for years. It was an age where women weren't raised to be athletic, and still they managed to keep Major League Baseball going. Women showed they could hit, pitch and field with the rest of them.
And what happened? When the men returned, they scoffed at the idea of keeping the women with them, and sent them back to their homes. Men who had grown up wanting to be professional ballplayers, and had trained themselves for it. Who had prepared their whole life.
Well now, we have girls who play in the little league, one of the biggest baseball organizations for kids. Females can get almost as much training as males, although they must have great desire to play the sport, for they'll often by scorned, rejected, and thrown at. But we're trying.
But where have we gotten? The closest we have is Ila Borders, the pitcher tearin' it up in the northern league, refuge to Daryl Strawberry in '96. Ila's better than half the minor league prospects in the farm systems, yet nobody wants her. Why?
People used to protest at Yankee Stadium when their team consisted of all blacks. "Don't go past the gate!" they'd chant, "Yanks discriminate!" Aren't they discriminating now, along with every other team in baseball?
Some people may argue that women aren't physically capable of doing it. Okay, here's their argument, and here's mine: Because a man swings with his upper body, it will take less time for the bat to reach the ball, something vitally important when you have pitchers throwing in the nighties. Girls swing more naturally with their hips, which slows down their motion.
Well, I've been told that as a player, I've got exceptionally fast hands (I can swing quick, basically). I can hit in 75, which is slightly lower than the minors, and I'm only in eigth grade, and have four years to improve me swing before I can legally be drafted by a major league team. I am not the only woman with quick hands, and if the batting cages went up to eighty, I'm sure I could hit in that sooner or later.
Also, while it's easier for a woman to swing from her hips, it's possible for a woman to swing with her upper body, although she must take extra care in developing her upper body strength. I have never heard of anyone teaching how, though.
Some argue there aren't any good women prospects, perhaps that may be because they aren't being looked for? The least the majors can do is say that women are allowed in baseball. Girls are so doubtful they're allowed in baseball that they barely try. Those who do put their all into it can only get so far because people are so closed-minded to women in baseball. If someone up there had a clinic for girls, or just said, "I am not opposed to women in the major leagues", it would be a huge morale booster to them.
In my area, the New Jersey Diamonds just opened. I am not at all interested in playing for them. I want to play for my Yankees, I want to play in the major leagues. And if enough talented females join together and prove their worth, we'll have to be allowed in sometime.
There is no law against having females in baseball.
I, personally, love baseball. While I may not have the skills to make it to the majors OR the minors, I will always love the yankees. But if something isn't done soon to help females get into major league baseball, I'll no longer respect them.
Email: shaunagm@hotmail.com