Claire Smith: to create new players, CREATE NEW FANS

Until tonight, I'd never seen Claire Smith, just heard her voice several times on XM 175. I liked everything she said but I especially liked her tone of voice. She speaks clearly, at a perfect pace, and a conversational tone as opposed to many others in her field who affect a very high pitch in their voice (which I turn off). In speaking to Jon Miller and Joe Morgan on ESPN TV's coverage of the Civil Rights Game/Cleveland @ St. Louis, the subject of African American players was raised. Claire offered an idea that the MLB, Inc. guys haven't made their #1 slogan or priority and they should. It's free, which may be why they haven't thought of it.

• TO CREATE NEW PLAYERS, CREATE NEW FANS. GET PEOPLE, AFRICAN AMERICANS INCLUDED, INTERESTED IN THE GAME.

I live in Manhattan, but bought a small place in Tampa, Florida in 2003 for the purpose of following some Yankee spring training baseball and to give my 2 dogs, Asta and Fred, a more interesting life. I was shocked from day 1 about the lack of interest in baseball among the average population in Tampa. Legends Field is right in the middle of town, lots of players live in the area, but baseball doesn't exist for most people there. What I've done each day when I'm there is bring up the subject of baseball to everyone I meet, everytime I'm in a check-out line at Home Depot, Lowes, car repair places, grocery stores, Walmart, and the countless workers I've needed to help me with the handyman's special house I bought. Once a worker comes into my house, he has no choice. He listens to me talk about baseball.

• (Last year a guy who cut my lawn said he'd been bidding for a job at Jorge Posada's house. Earlier this year, I employed a painter who's not only met Mariano Rivera, he's been in his house in Tampa).

But these guys were the exception, and neither was a good candidate to BE a baseball fan. During the baseball playoffs, I've gone to sportsbars in Tampa to see if they had the game on. None ever do. ZERO. I talk to the wait staff at these places, ask them about the YES Network, and no one has ever heard of it. But, as a fan I must continue to talk about baseball everyday. When you've seen the blank looks I've seen, you know there's work ahead.

• Claire Smith is Assistant Sports Editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

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