March 2003

Mets fans have always loved Tug McGraw. A Mets Hall of Famer and All Star reliever, McGraw is probably best remembered for coining the phrase "Ya Gotta Believe," which served as the rallying cry of the Mets' 1973 pennant winning team. McGraw's passion for the game has not waned since his playing days, and he is now focusing that passion and his attention on his "Ya Gotta Believe in Baseball" campaign.

Launched in January and just now getting off the ground, the campaign is designed to focus on what is wrong with baseball, and what can be done in order to restore our National Pastime to its former glory. "For the past several years, back to 1972, I've been disappointed in the direction the game of baseball has made in terms of its structure," says McGraw. "The changes in the game have been harmful to baseball, and we have to get a handle on putting it back in the right direction. If they can change it for the worse, we can change it back for the better."

But how can this be accomplished? Obviously, major change is something that takes a lot of time. The "Ya Gotta Believe in Baseball" campaign plans to team up with fans, businesses, corporations and educational institutions in order to create think tanks. These think tanks will research and design proposals and thoroughly map out their feasibility. McGraw feels that this is a four-year plan, with the goal of having solid ideas to present to the Major League Baseball Players Association and the baseball owners before the current collective bargaining agreement in December 2006.

Even before the think tanks are formed, McGraw has his own ideas about getting the game back on track. "The game has become homogenized to the point that it isn't interesting to the American public anymore. We need reinstatement of the National League and American League structure with leadership in both leagues. We need league presidents again, and each league needs to market itself against each other, like the Democrats and Republicans. People enjoy that kind of intensity, and we have to bring it back."

McGraw, a veteran of the 1972 and 1975 All Star teams, described what it was like to be a part of the Midsummer Classic at a time that the league rivalry was meaningful. "The league president used to talk to his league's All Stars about playing for the pride of the league. He would say how we had the best players and the best manager, and would make it a highly competitive event. The pregame meetings set the tone for the games, and there was pride in them." McGraw contrasted those games to the 2002 All Star game, which started out with Minnesota center fielder Torii Hunter making and injury-defying catch that robbed Barry Bonds of a home run. When Commissioner Bud Selig later called the game in extra innings because it was tied, McGraw described it as "a paradox that rendered Torii Hunter's incredible play stupid." In a structure with two strong, motivated leagues, he argues that such an unsatisfactory end result would never be allowed to happen. McGraw feels that the 2002 All Star game is a result of poor leadership, a leadership that focuses more on economics than on the health of the game. "We need to focus on the essence of the game. Once that is done, then the money will follow."

The advent of Interleague play is another factor that McGraw feels has contributed to the homogenization of baseball. While he acknowledges that fans enjoy the opportunity to see teams from the other league play in person, McGraw would like to examine other ways to accomplish that while still maintaining the separateness of the two leagues. One idea would be to have the National League teams playing guest series in American League parks, and vice versa. "That way the fans can still see the other league, but the mystique isn't taken out of the game."

Another one of McGraw's priorities involves nurturing the baseball fans of the future. "Baseball needs to give more to maintain the root system of the game," he says, while suggesting that baseball become involved in the educational system by using the ballpark as a classroom. "Baseball has to be plugged into the education system if it is going to be part of kids' everyday thinking, and ballpark field trips will help them understand baseball whether they have ever played the game or not." McGraw would like to see actual classrooms set up in ballparks, complete with materials that children can take home with them on subjects such as statistics, diversity, languages and history. "These subjects can be presented in a context where kids can see the role that baseball plays in our culture." He would like to see computers used so that kids can communicate with other students across the country and learn about each other while sharing their fandom. "Baseball is a natural teaching tool for looking at the world. There is no limit to how baseball can help." Even the field itself can be part of the learning experience, with McGraw envisioning kids doing things like being timed running the bases and then having math lessons based on their cumulative and average times. McGraw sees these kind of ballpark field trips not only as a way to supplement the educational experiences of today's youth, but also as a way to expand baseball's fan base in the future. Making baseball a fond part of children's' lives creates a situation where those students will want to revisit the ballparks as adults and share their love of the game with their own children. Thus, that ensures the health of the fan base for years to come.

It is McGraw's passion for the sport and his frustration with the current state of the game that has led him to create the "Ya Gotta Believe in Baseball" campaign. He is unhappy that attendance is down, World Series ratings are on the decline, and interest in our National Pastime is waning, and he wants to take a proactive role in reversing these trends. "I never put myself in a position of responsibility before, other than as a dad. So I'm going out and making myself a leader now," he declares.

This is not going to be an overnight project, nor an inexpensive one. Seminars and think tanks cost money. The campaign is in the process of preparing to accept fundraising contributions, and once that is set up it will seek corporate campaign partners. Individuals who are interested in being a part of the campaign may contact McGraw's assistant, Laurie Hawkins, by telephone at 215-508-2640 or by e-mail at info@tugmcgraw.com, or they may check the www.tugmcgraw.com website for updates as they become available.

Additionally, McGraw would like to take the opportunity to reach out to his fans, as well as fans of the game in general. Anybody who is interested in subscribing to "Tug's Take," McGraw's new free e-mail newsletter, should write to him at Tug@tugmcgraw.com. Fans are also invited to use that address to sent him their own special memories of baseball, as well as recommendations and opinions on how to improve the game.

This is an ambitious project, but if anyone is up to the challenge, it's Tug McGraw. In reflecting upon his playing days, he observed, "The way I approached the game I was running on the red line, always going to the max." True to form, he is putting the same kind of heart and intensity into the "Ya Gotta Believe in Baseball" campaign. The combination of McGraw's creativity and his motivation is bound to bring forth some interesting and provocative proposals for baseball to consider when mapping out its course for the future.