A Small Triumph for Female Broadcasters

Suzyn Waldman has one of those diverse backgrounds that would be funny if it weren't for real. Waldman has a degree in Economics from Simmons College and was a theatrical performer - including two years opposite Richard Kiley in Man of La Mancha. She was the first voice heard on America's first all-sports radio station, (WFAN in 1987) and she worked for fifteen years as an award-winning beat reporter and talk show host before joining the Yankee's television network as a reporter. She has had to face the normal impediments to female sports broadcasters (complete with anti-Waldman petitions) and she is a breast cancer survivor. (YES)

Waldman is both extremely knowledgable about the game and skilled in her ability to articulate the nuances. Her direct demeanor and slight hint of a Boston accent (Yankee fans shudder) give her the ability to hold her own with the manliest of the manly male announcers. Far from being the gratuitous sex symbol role that female broadcasters are often pidgeonholed into, Waldman really comes off as "one of the guys," and it will be interesting the extent to which New York sports fans accept her in this new role.

In the pre-season broadcasts, Waldman's partner and friend, long-time Yankee announcer John Sterling, still seems a bit at odds how to work with this new, different addition to his long and distinguished broadcast career. Waldman, too, lacks some of the fluidity that we might expect from her work on the Yankee's TV broadcasts. But the contrasts between personalities, like sweet and sour chicken or Franken/Lampher, could make for a very flavorful experience. It will be interesting to see how the two of them grow into this new situation and make it their own.

I don't know what Waldman's politics are, nor is it terribly relevant. But as yet another previously closed area opens to women, we can see tangible progress being made in 2005. Perhaps this even bodes well for a Boxer presidential or vice-presidential candidacy in 2008.

The Yankees as a Paradigm for Progressives

The NY Yankees are often derided as a cold, detached, and soulless group of professional mercenaries. But as Benedict Carey reported last week in the New York Times, these qualities may be keys to their success.

Decentralization is certainly an attribute that applies to the dizzying array of Progressive organizations that are springing up around the country. Given that little has changed in the fundamental personality types that gravitate towards Progressivism, the only thing that may need changing is our understanding of the game.

The success of the monolithic Republicans may be attributable to the way they changed the rules of the game in the 1990's. With the Gingrich revolution, they became unwilling to accept permanent minority status and the compromise associated with it. Armed with finely-tuned rhetoric, a carefully constructed support infrastructure and a no-holds-barred attitude, they managed to utterly defeat a complacent Democratic party that was playing by the old rules. This has evidenced itself in the way the Republicans have been able to destroy old-school Democrats like Tom Daschle and exploit pragmatists like John Breaux and Joe Lieberman.

The lesson may be that our diversity will be a strength in the games to come. We do not need to be more like the Republican gang of thugs. With Howard Dean, we have in place the beginnings of a strong management team and weening from the teat of corporate donations. Perhaps with Pelosi and Reid we have individuals who are able to reduce conflict and generate collective spirit. All we need to do is learn to calmly work together toward the common goal, hit the pitches we're dealt and understand that the old, civil softball match has been replaced by a game of very serious hardball.

Baseball as the Progressive Sport?

Along with this little news tidbit comes a legitimate question about whether anything as trivial as professional baseball should have any significance to Progressives. It's illusory mom-and-apple-pie image often seems more appropriate to jingoistic conservative rhetoric and it's corrupt, hypocritical Good ol' Boy ownership group (of which W was a member) offers little to inspire people who truly value accountability and character.

But Progressives love their mothers and apple pie too. Much of baseball's appeal is a mythology that represents things we would like to believe about America. And alot of the realities are surprisingly Progressive as well:

• Baseball has a long association with the civil rights movement. Jackie Robinson became a civil-rights hero when his talent made it impossible to continue to ignore black baseball players and Robinson continued to be active in the civil-rights movement after his retirement in 1957. (LOC) Hank Aaron's steroid-free breaking of Babe Ruth's home run record in 1974 occurred in the face of racist taunts and death threats. (SN) Frank Robinson's ascendency as major leagues baseball's first black manager (Cleveland Indians - 1974) beat the NFL's Art Shell (Raiders - 1989) by 15 years. The storied and segregated Negro Leagues have become a cultural icon for many African-Americans.
• Baseball has one of the last strong employee unions. While this has led to problems like the steroid controversy, perennial threats of work stoppages and competitive imbalance, union strength affords freedoms to baseball players that football and basketball players can only wish they still had. The minimum salaries negotiated by the union provide a fair share of revenue for the multitude of players that never achieve multi-millionaire stardom. Baseball has escaped the anti-free-market salary caps that reduce other pro athletes to items on a ledger. Florida Marlins first baseman Carlos Delgado has long protested the American invasion of Iraq by remaining seated during the playing of the National Anthem. No such behavior would ever be permitted from a football or basketball player. (Common Dreams)
• Baseball values age and experience. Baseball players have much longer careers than football and basketball players. Baseball teams also have larger coaching and support staffs than other professional sports and this provides more high-profile opportunities for players after their retirement from playing. And if Bush has his way with Social Security, they will need to keep working.
• Baseball is a game that values history. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of baseball knows Ruth, Gehrig and Mantle. Many still speak with awe about Walter Johnson, a dominating pitcher who's halcyon days were almost a century ago. Few football or basketball fans can name a professional player from before 1960. Progressives often seem to have a greater respect for history than our Conservative brothers. And history is on our side.
• Baseball is the least violent professional team sport. In football, when things go right, people come off the field on stretchers. In baseball, people only get hurt when things go wrong. Bench-clearing brawls are uncommon and are punished by baseball authorities. Mutual respect and personal friendships often transcend team affiliations. People who believe in nuance and non-violent resolution of problems should identify with a game of nuance and non-violence.
• Baseball is a slow, thoughtful game that relies both on quantifiable fact as well as faith. Baseball players are notoriously superstitious, since so much of their success depends on factors beyond their control. But they are judged with an extraordinary array of statistics that provides a somewhat more objective picture of performance than in other sports. Almost no one fails up. Progressives are generally pretty good with the numbers. It's the faith we need work on.
• Baseball is more accessible than other pro sports. Because there are more games, the ticket prices, while not cheap, are significantly below those of basketball and football. It is possible to get a pair of bleacher seats in Yankee stadium for $24. A scalper outside the Garden would laugh if you offered him that for Knicks tickets. Minor league teams, which many people enjoy more than major league ball, are present in almost every community of meaningful size and provide a very economical and enjoyable way to spend a summer evening with the family. Families are something Republicans TALK about, but families are something Progressives DO something about.
• Baseball is regional and decentralized. Like new the Progressive move towards grassroots, Baseball's appeal is largely regional. Football teams have national audiences, but a baseball team's fan base is largely concentrated in the geographical area surrounding the team's home. This is one reason baseball playoff games get relatively poor ratings - if the home team isn't in the race, most fans don't care. All politics is local.
• Baseball players are often good role models. While there is no legitimate reason why professional athletes should serve as role models for children or adults, the fact is that they held up as such. There are certainly boorish scoundrels and narcissistic conservatives in the bunch, but there are also devoted family men and ambassadors that use their wealth to help the impovershed communities they came from. Players are rewarded richly for their accomplishments, not their father's name. The players that are most beloved by audiences are usually venerated for their work ethic and attachment to the community. Charity work is not only common but expected from any player of even modest stature. Even the most respected players have occasional moral failings, but that's something Progressives are willing to accept unhypocritically about everyone.
• Baseball, like politics, is a team game based on individual performance. Unlike the currently hot children's team sport, soccer, baseball requires a hierarchy of skills and a willingness to defer gratification while working for the greater good. It requires acceptance of the fact that even if you are playing well, you will fail in two-thirds of your at-bats. It is a paradigm the Republicans have mastered. It is something the Democrats desperately need.
• Baseball is unifying and bipartisan. Personalities as diverse as conservative commentator George Will and socially-conscious filmmaker Spike Lee speak eloquently about baseball. While many owners are sterotyped as cronies of W, people associated with blue-state Boston Red Sox and NY Yankees both gave overwhelmingly to Democratic candidates in 2003. It is notable that while Democrats have been notorious for being willing to compromise with Republicans, there is no Republican equivalent to the DLC and centrist Republican legislators in congress are becoming as rare as natural breasts in Hollywood.
• Baseball teams and coaching staffs are multiracial and international. Players of every color put aside their ethnic differences for the good of the team. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is whether you can contribute to success that is shared by everyone. Sounds Progressive to me.
• Baseball did not create the Castro dictatorship. Although Fidel Castro is a huge supporter of baseball, the legend that Castro's hatred for America stems from his failed tryout with the Washington Senators is a myth. Castro never had such a tryout or even played the game professionally. Castro's hatred for America comes from his own meglomania and our support for the corrupt Batista regime. Sounds Conservative to me. (Snopes)

Conclusions

In a time where our country and the people of the world face a huge threat from a regressive corporate elite with almost unlimited political power, perhaps baseball should be the least of our concerns. But as Kos says, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy or girl. You can do worse in your diversions than baseball. It's nice to step away from the computer once in awhile and dream a little.