RickOShea

When I was a kid, baseball was king.  No soccer, no video games, no other activities that competed with baseball.  With teams full of players, you had to be the best at fundamentals to get more paying time.  You also had parents who would lend their time to coaching.  Now the parents hardly even drop their kids off at the practice field.  How many times after dinner did I throw a rubber ball against the side of the garage practicing fielding.  I can't remember how many MLB players I struck out, pitching against a brick wall.
The bottom line, playing and honing your basic baseball skills was a common thing.  My older brother schooled me in the strategy of baseball.  He explained the cut off throw, the taking of an extra base, etc.
So I firmly agree with the above comment.  The basics are no longer ingrained.  Kids spend the majority of their time in the batting cage.  Baseball is such a more complicated game than swinging for the fences.

When I was a kid, baseball was king.  No soccer, no video games, no other activities that competed with baseball.  With teams full of players, you had to be the best at fundamentals to get more paying time.  You also had parents who would lend their time to coaching.  Now the parents hardly even drop their kids off at the practice field.  How many times after dinner did I throw a rubber ball against the side of the garage practicing fielding.  I can't remember how many MLB players I struck out, pitching against a brick wall.
The bottom line, playing and honing your basic baseball skills was a common thing.  My older brother schooled me in the strategy of baseball.  He explained the cut off throw, the taking of an extra base, etc.
So I firmly agree with the above comment.  The basics are no longer ingrained.  Kids spend the majority of their time in the batting cage.  Baseball is such a more complicated game than swinging for the fences.