Special report - The changing face of America's pastime

Error processing SSI file

Error processing SSI file
Error processing SSI file
Error processing SSI file

Error processing SSI file

Sunday, April 10, 2005

Steve Perez / The Detroit News

"We played in the back yard, we played in the street, we played everywhere," says former Tigers great Willie Horton, left, with Tigers outfielder Rondell White. "I don't see that anymore."

National pastime strikes out with black athletes
The door Jackie Robinson unlocked nearly 60 years ago remains open. But the amount of traffic through it has diminished. 04/10/05

Out of step: The pace of baseball is partly to blame
Kids have neither the time nor patience to learn a slower game -- for baseball indeed is that. Some see the beauty in it, others can't be bothered. Compared with other sports vying for the young athlete's attention, baseball can be very slow. 04/10/05

Latinos gain stature in the majors
It is the flip side of the coin. 04/10/05

Detroit middle-schoolers are lukewarm toward sport
DETROIT -- Anthony Johnson, a sixth-grader at Robinson Middle School, considers himself a baseball fan. 04/10/05

Blacks still absent from front offices
One area where African-American numbers haven't dwindled in baseball is team management. 04/10/05

Negro Leagues legacy fades
If Major League Baseball is troubled by the declining involvement of African-Americans, those who appreciate the rich legacy of blacks in the game are distraught. 04/10/05

Baseball takes hold of Detroit techno star late in life
Kevin Saunderson, a Detroit techno music star and one of the musical genre's founders, grew up in New York City and didn't step onto a baseball field until his family moved to suburban Detroit 30 years ago. 04/10/05

Detroit baseball veteran sees sport's decline from front lines
DETROIT -- Henry Washington has been involved in baseball in Detroit for 40 years -- long enough to have experienced its heyday and witnessed its decline. 04/10/05

Detroit County Day player prefers 'finesse of baseball'
BEVERLY HILLS -- Jeff Whitlow played them all, but kept returning to baseball. 04/10/05

Photos

More images from this report

Historical coverage

From The Rearview Mirror:

The day the Tigers finally integrated

From The 1999 series 'The old ballpark':

Black players are proud of their roles

New park offers hope for minorities

Negro Leagues history lives on