Ron Washington grew up in the "Desire" projects of New Orleans, where eight stickball games were played simultaneously on courts surrounded by three-story apartment buildings. When the A's third-base coach drives through his hometown now he still searches for those lasting images from his childhood.

"I've never seen it," he said.

Not once can Washington recall seeing kids playing pick-up baseball on the streets of New Orleans. What was once a daily occurrence has become a rare event in inner cities across America. A game that once thrived in urban centers, with kids swinging broomsticks on almost every corner, has become virtually extinct.

Washington travels the country with the Oakland A's during the baseball season and what he sees --- or what he doesn't see --- is the same everywhere.

Rarely does he ever see African American kids playing the game he once considered the only escape from a life in the hardscrabble projects.

"They're just not playing baseball in the inner cities like they used to," Washington said. "Basketball and football are the big thing. My nephew is five years old and he's running around with a basketball dribbling better than me."  The numbers of African Americans in Major League Baseball are dwindling. In 1975, 27 percent of major leaguers were African Americans. By 1996 that number plummeted to 19 percent. Eight years later it stands at 10 percent.

Little League programs in many urban centers have dwindled because of lack of interest. Some estimate that as few as five percent of current Little Leaguers are black. The lack of participation makes maintaining fields less of a priority. With no feeder systems, high school programs are deemed nonessential.

Scouts who once combed the inner cities for talent now circulate almost exclusively in the suburbs, where predominantly white players have more time at their disposal and parents who not only have time to shuttle them to and from practices, but the money to buy $250 aluminum bats and private instructors.

Despite a huge influx of Latin American players in recent years, more and more African Americans see baseball as a white man's game. And based on participation studies, that's precisely what it is becoming.

"In the past 10 to 15 years it has become almost sociological," Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. "Inner-city kids either don't have the opportunity or aren't turned on by baseball. Seemingly there are more and more opportunities in basketball and football. Baseball has become an afterthought."

Basketball has become the sport of choice in American cities. Some believe the reasons are economic. It's easier to afford a $20 basketball compared to the rising costs of gloves and bats. It takes little to maintain a court and hoop compared to a baseball diamond. Almost every kid owns a pair of basketball shoes. Baseball spikes have no other practical purpose.

Inner-city kids have come to identify with NBA players rather their baseball counterparts. They still want to Be Like Mike, even if Mike is retired.

"(Michael) Jordan had a lot to do with it," A's general manager Billy Beane said. "He had a big impact on kids wanting to play basketball."

The most popular sports stars are recognized by one name only. Shaq and Kobe, Tiger and even Venus and Serena are easily identified. Historically, baseball hasn't promoted its individual stars as prominently as other sports. Sneaker and sports-drink companies have traditionally used basketball and football players to promote their products to the masses.

Baseball players struggle for the same name recognition in a culture that increasingly celebrates flamboyant athletes who become the center of attention.

That may be acceptable behavior in the NBA, where finger wagging, chest thumping and rim hanging are en vogue, or even in the NFL, where players celebrate even modest accomplishments with choreographed gyrations.

In baseball, "showing up" another player is considered a violation of the "code." A hitter admiring a home run or a pitcher pumping his fist after a critical out can result in retaliation. For a kid immersed in the look-at-me culture, baseball may be a difficult sport to identify with.

"In the inner city people are poor," Washington said. "These kids see guys like LeBron James come out of high school and get paid quick. Kids aren't interested in baseball. It takes too long to reach your pinnacle."

Major League Baseball is trying to reintroduce the game to a new generation of urban players and tap a virtually unlimited talent supply through its RBI (Revive Baseball in Inner cities) program. Funds have been allocated to rebuild fields, create leagues and promote clinics where there are none.

A baseball academy not unlike the academies found in Latin American countries was built in Compton, Calif. If the academy is successful baseball could expand the concept to urban centers across America.

"Reversing a trend like that can be a slow process," Beane said. "But they're taking steps in that direction because we're losing a lot of potentially great athletes."

Not only are inner-city kids not acquiring the skills necessary for them to become future major-league players, but they’re not acquiring a passion for the game that can make them future major-league fans. If this trend continues, baseball in the inner cities will become nothing more than a faded memory.

"We used to play stick ball for hours and hours and hours," Washington said, smiling at the memory. "I don't remember playing basketball much. We didn't have good equipment but we had a love for the game.”

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