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Bennett CerfBennett Cerf
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Session:         Page of 1029

kinds of bad habits have crept into the game. The pitcher fiddles around with his cap and the rosin bag. The catcher goes out and has four consultations an inning. The manager goes out and has a conference. Then they look to the outfield and beckon a new pitcher because they have a new theory that a left-hand pitcher should pitch to a right-hand batter. All of this phony strategy has slowed up baseball so that it's gotten to be almost a bore to watch.

Q:

My grandfather, as I told you, was a great baseball addict, and you don't see this in my generation as much. People are interested but they're interested in hockey or they're interested in football.

Cerf:

One of the reasons is that, when we were kids, there were lots of empty lots around New York and in all cities. We had plenty of places to play ball. Now the kids have no place to play ball so they really, unless they're in Little League...

Q:

Well, that's a big thing.

Cerf:

Yes. That's a big help, but it's organized. We used to play every afternoon. The kids would go and make their own teams. You got very interested in baseball when all of the kids got into it. In the Little League, only the boys who are pretty good get in. Everybody played, and we used to toss





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