Detroit County Day player prefers 'finesse of baseball'
Birmingham Detroit Country Day baseball player Jeffery Whitlow bats one-handed during a hitting drill at his weekly open gym workout at the school in Beverly Hills.
Whitlow gathers up loose balls after a hitting drill. The senior will play baseball at Stanford college.
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BEVERLY HILLS -- Jeff Whitlow played them all, but kept returning to baseball.
In fact, some of the complaints that seem to turn many young African-American athletes away from baseball are the characteristics that attract Whitlow, a senior at Detroit Country Day.
"Basketball used to be my favorite," said Whitlow, 17, who has played soccer and football, too. "But I stopped playing after my freshman year.
"I like the team aspect of baseball. But you also have the individual aspects to shine; the batter against the pitcher. I like being outside. I like the atmosphere.
"Sure, basketball is more fast-paced. In baseball that's what makes it so hard," Whitlow said. "You're standing around, then somebody hits you the ball and you have to react. Sometimes, some games, you might not have a ball hit to you. You have to be ready.
"You have more continuous action in basketball. And there are some who say baseball is boring. They don't have the appreciation for it.
"Having played other sports I just think they're not as hard. Anyone who is big and strong can play football. There's a finesse to baseball. That's what I like about it."
Whitlow, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound center fielder, will attend Stanford on a baseball scholarship.
Ultimately, Whitlow would like to play in the major leagues. He would like to see other blacks try as well.
"If you can develop more of an African-American fan base, more would play," he said. "To me, it seems like baseball is losing a fan base overall, with steroids and stuff. It seems to be declining."
You can reach Tom Markowski at (313) 223-4633 or tmarkowski@detnews.com.
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