Mon., May 9
Baseball: America's Most Expensive Pastime?

With steep ticket prices and a season that lasts well into September, baseball has strayed far from the sandlots and the dreams forged in dusty baselines. But hope yet remains: in the game's minor leagues, in pick-up games, and in Latin America and other places, where the news hasn't gotten out yet that America's national pastime is past its prime. A new generation of baseball junkies is being born, and they're ready to take the game from astroturf back to its grass roots. To talk about this, we're joined by Karl Lindholm, assistant professor of American Studies at Middlebury College, and John Wagner, a writer for The Toledo Blade who covers the Toledo Mudhens, a AAA minor league baseball team.

What do you think -- is there a place in the ever-growing stadiums for every person, or has the working person's game long left that behind? What's the last game you watched in the ballpark? Have you checked out the Pawsox, the Lowell Spinners, Cape Cod league, or high school games around your area? Do you miss the crackers jacks, peanuts, pretzels, and beer, the calliope music and the 7th inning stretch? Or are you better off with a little extra money in your pocket?