Women in Baseball
(Or the Lack Thereof)

Derek Zumsteg

Everyone who loves baseball seems to have a different reason. I like baseball because where other sports encourage natural freaks - players who were bedridden in their childhood and grew taller, 350-lb blubberballs who destroy their metabolism to fill space on field - but baseball encourages balance. Alex Rodriguez, my favorite player, is brilliant on defense, throws well (um, mostly), and hits the cover off the ball. Only hockey, of all games, encourages the kinds of balanced play and talent that baseball does. It's a shame, then, that professional baseball seems to look through female athletes much the way it once did minorities. As baseball becomes a world game, recruiting players from across the world, it denies half the world a chance to play.

It's a disgrace. There are a few women in the minor leagues, and that's it. If you know of a woman playing for your minor-league system, mail me now. I'm not kidding. I want to talk to team offices and get information, and right now I can't because there's no way short of scanning every roster for feminine names, which I'm starting to do. But there's not enough. Women are not recruited actively, and I suspect they're treated like circus freaks.

The distinction between men and women in baseball is artificial. Women are regarded as soft and fuzzy, so they play 'softball', with a cute larger ball they can hit. And since they played softball, they're not considered baseball prospects. But here's the kicker: men are. Show me a troubled multi-sport high school boy, and you've found a Braves prospect, probably already signed to a minor-league contract. But a woman who can play basketball and soccer isn't even scouted. She could have a blistering volleyball serve or eat up turf like Griffey, but she'll never do it between the foul lines, because no one will offer her the chance.

The Silver Bullets are often brought to my attention as a perfect example of why women can't play major league baseball. And I say 'Pah.' the Bullets don't make any money, I doubt they have a scouting network like MLB, and they certainly aren't an attractive career option for a talented female athlete who wants to make money. So they don't hit for power. Neither does Rey Ordonez. And while I'll sing the praises of power hitting until I go hoarse, I would take a player who can get on base every time over any hitter in the league. The Silver Bullets, though underfunded and understaffed, didn't do all that badly. They lost a lot, sure. So do the Tigers. You don't think women can play the game? Think of the cutest, least athletic-looking player you know of (you're thinking of Joey Cora, aren't you? I knew it). Now tell me there isn't, somewhere, a woman who can play baseball.

Every year millions of women play high school and college sports with all the drive and talent of their male counterparts, and some get to play in the WNBA (the sucky product with slick marketing) and the ABL (the real deal), but none of them get to play baseball. Baseball should let them in, and it should let them in now. I don't want to see a little spin-off league, I want them on the field. There are 150 million women in this country alone, and given the chance I cannot believe they won't play baseball, making it a better game, bringing in more fans, and generating interest baseball so badly needs.

What to do? Call your local franchise and ask them if they have any women in the minor leagues, and why the hell not. If they do, get their names and teams and (well, tell me first) turn out to see them if you can, check up on their progress, send them cards. Bug your school to let women play hardball. It's not going to happen today, or even tomorrow, but I'd like to see it before my future kids want to be ballplayers, because giving them each a different answer when they declare they want to play baseball is going to break my heart.

Since he was a wee laddie, Derek Zumsteg has wanted to be John Kruk, but alas, his metabolism is just too speedy. Send him condolences and Ho-Hos at dmz@strikethree.com.