LETTERS: Baseball has changed

There was a time in history when baseball was enjoyed by thousands of spectators in America.

Back in the early days of the sport, each of those ballparks were packed with fans who came dressed in their “Sunday best,” in suits and fedoras or dresses and pillbox hats regularly.

The fans who came to those games adored the players on their favorite teams and hailed them as heroes, whether those players became synonymous with playoff glory like Joe DiMaggio or played an entire career without winning a World Series title like Ted Williams.

It didn’t matter whether their beloved hometown teams were big-time World Series contenders or would finish at the bottom of the standings in the Major Leagues. They simply came for the love of watching the game in person.

The camaraderie, the pageantry and the excitement of baseball were all there, including the annual ritual where a sitting U.S. president threw out the season’s first pitch and was treated with respect.

Fast forward to these present times where the state of the game is now a completely different picture than when the sport was played with honesty and reverence in the days of yesteryear.

We now have bigwig, ego-driven players who actually vow to cancel subsequent seasons if a salary cap is ever put in place, even though their annual salaries are enormously sky-high. Funny how all other major sports leagues have a salary cap except Major League Baseball.

Do those players know what it’s like to pan out a living while struggling to make ends meet like the rest of us regular folk? Imagine the “hard times” today’s players will endure while raising their children in colossal mansions with the millions they make just by swinging a bat or tossing a pitch.

Let’s not forget that America has witnessed the performance-enhancing drugs the players consumed to become homerun kings or the cheating schemes the coaches have drummed up to ease their teams’ way to glory.

Many baseball fans today completely lack reverence and display bad behavior by shouting boos and hisses at political leaders who show up to watch their favorite teams.

Can’t those fans leave well enough alone by letting other people enjoy the game in peace? And yes, they include our political officeholders, whether today’s baseball fans like it or not.

As for the fans who are showing their dislike of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, do they even know who he is? If anyone thinks he or she can do a better job in Manfred’s position, let that person cast the first stone. Otherwise, it’s time for them to sit back, behave and enjoy the game like everyone else.

Just like it was in good old days, may the sanctity of baseball be restored as the great American pastime once and for all.

Roberto Lopez

McAllen

Wound care draws praise

I would like to congratulate the Advanced Wound Healing Facility within the Mission Regional Medical Center. Under the leadership of Dr. Maria Aguinaga, this wound care facility provides exceptional professional treatment, while at the same time presenting a warm, friendly and courteous staff.

Patient treatment scheduling, always a subject of controversy, is one of the best I have noted in the RGV. My treatment could not have been better, and their conscientious and professional treatment ended with a complete healing of my wound. Thanks!

Sherwood D. Uhrmacher

Palmview

LETTERS — Limit letters to 300 words; all letters are subject to editing. Mail: P.O. Box 3267, McAllen, TX78502-3267; Email: [email protected]