Astrosportal.com | Houston Astros News, astros Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div>Better to light a candle than curse the darkness. Four years later, there's a flicker of hope. </div>That's what Friday represented. It was neither a beginning nor an ending, just another step in a long journey to make Baseball as accessible to black kids as it once was. "Frankly, it's something we should have done 10 or 20 years ago," Bud Selig said from his office in Milwaukee. He's one of the heroes of this happy story. So is State Rep. Sylvester Turner, who grew up a few blocks from the park that bears his name. Fields of dreams Drayton McLane did himself proud, too, as did dozens of others from city and state government and Major League Baseball. They gave of their time and money, pushed some, pulled some and did something good. And they gathered in the Acres Home section of Houston to admire three beautiful Baseball diamonds and to share a vision of what's ahead. Sometimes, the good guys do win one. Sometimes, the kids win, too. That's the bottom line in the announcement that Major League Baseball will open its third youth academy here this year. There'll eventually be one in every major league city, and kids will be tutored in everything from math to baserunning. If the Astros find a shortstop along the way, so much the better. Maybe you read somewhere that black kids had stopped playing Baseball. Maybe you read that this happened because they found football or basketball more appealing. Victim of cutting costs Selig never believed this theory. The commissioner thought black kids stopped playing Baseball because they no longer had the chance. Once upon a time, inner cities were dotted with Baseball fields. Over time, they went away as schools and cities cut their budgets. Because Baseball fields cost more to maintain than a basketball court or a football field, basketball and football became the sport kids played after school. "If you don't create a pool to draw from, you lose the kids," Turner said. "The resources for Baseball simply are not there in a lot of urban communities." Selig hated that Baseball had become a sport for the white middle class in the United States. "Jackie Robinson repre-sented Baseball's proudest moment," he said. "Baseball is a social institution with a great history." Baseball integrated before the Army, before Brown vs. Board of Education, before the Civil Rights Movement. "Baseball was the sport of Willie Mays and Frank Robinson and Bob Gibson," Selig said. "African-Ameri-cans are a huge part of our history and our heritage." And then they went away. "We lost an entire generation," Frank Robinson said. Opportunity lacking? Only 8.3 percent of Baseball players were black in 2008, down from a high of 27 percent in the 1970s, down dramatically from 17 percent in 1997, according to Richard Lapchick, who teaches at Central Florida University and has been tracking such things for two decades. "I just refused to buy the idea that African-Americans wouldn't love Baseball if they were given the opportunity to play it," Selig said. Four years ago, he summoned Jimmie Lee Solmon, his director of Baseball operations, and told him they were going to change the world. At least that's how it sounded. He had started two large programs to encourage inner-city kids to play. What he had in mind this time was more sweeping. Selig wondered if Baseball couldn't build the same type of academies in the United States that it had constructed in Latin America. In the three years since the first one opened in Compton, Calif., more than 6,000 kids have participated. Forty-nine of them have been drafted, including 22 in 2008 alone. Baseball shelled out the start-up costs and provides the majority of the annual operating budget. Rawlings furnishes the equipment, Nike the shoes. The University of Phoenix provides tutors for help with schoolwork. "I want people that look like me to know what this world has to offer," said Solomon, who is black. "Tiger Woods did not save the PGA. He just made it cool. Baseball is a cool sport. We've just got to make sure people know that." Astros chip in The Astros have built eight Baseball diamonds in the city and will provide a chunk of the $400,000 needed to operate the Houston academy. "Drayton and Pam (Gardner, team president) supported this project every step of the way," Turner said. "I can't say enough about them." Selig hopes every city has an academy by the time he leaves office in 2012. Those academies will be places for kids to do homework and to hang out with friends. Maybe they'll decide that Baseball is pretty cool after all. "This is my proudest accomplishment," Selig said, "and this is just the tip of the iceberg."

Better to light a candle than curse the darkness. Four years later, there's a flicker of hope.

That's what Friday represented. It was neither a beginning nor an ending, just another step in a long journey to make Baseball as accessible to black kids as it once was.

"Frankly, it's something we should have done 10 or 20 years ago," Bud Selig said from his office in Milwaukee.

He's one of the heroes of this happy story. So is State Rep. Sylvester Turner, who grew up a few blocks from the park that bears his name.

Fields of dreams

Drayton McLane did himself proud, too, as did dozens of others from city and state government and Major League Baseball.

They gave of their time and money, pushed some, pulled some and did something good. And they gathered in the Acres Home section of Houston to admire three beautiful Baseball diamonds and to share a vision of what's ahead.

Sometimes, the good guys do win one. Sometimes, the kids win, too. That's the bottom line in the announcement that Major League Baseball will open its third youth academy here this year.

There'll eventually be one in every major league city, and kids will be tutored in everything from math to baserunning. If the Astros find a shortstop along the way, so much the better.

Maybe you read somewhere that black kids had stopped playing Baseball. Maybe you read that this happened because they found football or basketball more appealing.

Victim of cutting costs

Selig never believed this theory. The commissioner thought black kids stopped playing Baseball because they no longer had the chance.

Once upon a time, inner cities were dotted with Baseball fields. Over time, they went away as schools and cities cut their budgets.

Because Baseball fields cost more to maintain than a basketball court or a football field, basketball and football became the sport kids played after school.

"If you don't create a pool to draw from, you lose the kids," Turner said. "The resources for Baseball simply are not there in a lot of urban communities."

Selig hated that Baseball had become a sport for the white middle class in the United States.

"Jackie Robinson repre-sented Baseball's proudest moment," he said. "Baseball is a social institution with a great history."

Baseball integrated before the Army, before Brown vs. Board of Education, before the Civil Rights Movement.

"Baseball was the sport of Willie Mays and Frank Robinson and Bob Gibson," Selig said. "African-Ameri-cans are a huge part of our history and our heritage."

And then they went away.

"We lost an entire generation," Frank Robinson said.

Opportunity lacking?

Only 8.3 percent of Baseball players were black in 2008, down from a high of 27 percent in the 1970s, down dramatically from 17 percent in 1997, according to Richard Lapchick, who teaches at Central Florida University and has been tracking such things for two decades.

"I just refused to buy the idea that African-Americans wouldn't love Baseball if they were given the opportunity to play it," Selig said.

Four years ago, he summoned Jimmie Lee Solmon, his director of Baseball operations, and told him they were going to change the world. At least that's how it sounded.

He had started two large programs to encourage inner-city kids to play. What he had in mind this time was more sweeping.

Selig wondered if Baseball couldn't build the same type of academies in the United States that it had constructed in Latin America.

In the three years since the first one opened in Compton, Calif., more than 6,000 kids have participated. Forty-nine of them have been drafted, including 22 in 2008 alone.

Baseball shelled out the start-up costs and provides the majority of the annual operating budget. Rawlings furnishes the equipment, Nike the shoes. The University of Phoenix provides tutors for help with schoolwork.

"I want people that look like me to know what this world has to offer," said Solomon, who is black. "Tiger Woods did not save the PGA. He just made it cool. Baseball is a cool sport. We've just got to make sure people know that."

Astros chip in

The Astros have built eight Baseball diamonds in the city and will provide a chunk of the $400,000 needed to operate the Houston academy.

"Drayton and Pam (Gardner, team president) supported this project every step of the way," Turner said. "I can't say enough about them."

Selig hopes every city has an academy by the time he leaves office in 2012. Those academies will be places for kids to do homework and to hang out with friends. Maybe they'll decide that Baseball is pretty cool after all.

"This is my proudest accomplishment," Selig said, "and this is just the tip of the iceberg."