Baseball deserves more respect

Kiley Mackie
Staff Writer
Mar. 11, 2004, Page 4

The 26 men on the Doane College baseball team are no different than other athletes.
They train, run, sweat, bleed and play until every ounce of energy has been zapped from their bodies – and then they get up and do it again.
Yet one factor separates the team from others in the Doane athletic program. The players of America’s favorite pastime do it all in the midst of adversity from administration and fans.
Despite numerous victories, including a Great Plains Athletic Conference title two years ago, the team has continually been left to warm the bench. They get no respect.
The men often have to practice late at night because other sports are given precedence in using Fuhrer Field House. Players with 8 a.m. classes sometimes return to their rooms as late as 11:30 p.m. with three to four hours of homework to do before they can rest.
The players’ use of the Field House falls under attack when other teams accuse them of damaging the gym. In reality, the team has broken only one light fixture.
The complaints force team members to defend their use of a facility that is inadequate for baseball practice.
The caution required in the Field House hinders the team’s ability to practice the most elemental strategies of the game, such as hitting and fielding the ball.
Though warm weather may solve the problem of practicing inside, the outside option is not much better.
Baseball and softball are the only sports that lack designated practice and game areas on campus.
The teams must travel to Tuxedo Park to play on the slovenly kept city field with rudimentary stands.
The quality of the stands, however, is the least of the team’s concerns because the games are rarely attended by either students or faculty.
Inconvenient field location plays a big part in low fan attendance. The lack of media coverage also contributes to poor attendance. The fact that baseball games do not make money for the college may be part of the lack of respect.
Doane keeps spending money on building renovations and additions. Perhaps the administration should provide an on-campus field that would boost game attendance.
Baseball and softball players deserve more than the shaft they have been getting.
It’s time the Doane starts wising up to the facts.