Start the boycott

It's difficult to follow what their issues are, but guess what: It doesn't matter. No grievance or salary issue the players and their legal mouthpieces might try to point to will register with those of us living and working in the real world.

I remember a different era. As kids growing up in a quiet neighborhood in the Midwest, we used to play baseball as often as we could. We didn't have a baseball field to play on, but that didn't matter. One of the neighborhood guys lived in a house with a huge yard, and we had worn a dirt path for the baselines, and there was a wide spot of dirt for each base. It was fun. Now and then we'd bet a can of 7-Up or Coke on which side would win, but it usually didn't even matter who won. It was simply a joy to play.

Who were the pro heroes then? Guys like Rocky Colavito. Sandy Koufax. Willie Mays. Mickey Mantle.

Maybe it looks different from the perspective of the decades, but the game -- and its players -- seemed to have a lot more character back in that era.

Whatever happened to playing for the fun of it? What happened in our nation to turn everything good into just one more cash cow? When did greed have to take over?

What owners and players alike need to understand is that the game is really not what they put on the field. No matter how impressive a hitter's or a pitcher's stats, it only has meaning as long as fans are in the stands, watching on television, or listening to the game on the radio.

That's right: The fans are the real game, but the players and owners alike have lost sight of that.

It might be painful, but those who truly care about the sport of pro baseball need to completely walk away from it for several years. The people behind the strike talk -- and they've gone on strike before, so don't kid yourself into thinking they won't do it again, and yet again in a few more years -- have convinced themselves that the fans will come back when they throw the switch.

Don't do it. Instead, spend more time with Little League, high school, and college games.

The players' union and the team owners have betrayed the fans, and the character of the game. Just say no to their bickering.

The players and the owners deserve each other.

The nation deserves better.

JB