I don't know about your thesis Charlie.The game is attracting millions of more fans every year.Television contracts are through the roof. Young players like Mike trout, Bryce Harper, GianCarlo Stanton, Jason Heyward, Stephen Strasburg and more are a throwback to the days when the game was played the right way. Fans want to see these men in person. New names teams are becoming Goliaths like the Nationals, A's, Baltimore, Cincy.etc. And the A's do it on less money than some teams pay for one superstar.
I walked away in 95 as a protest to the 94 strike.It only hurt me, That connection between father and son(ie. Field of Dreams) was lost and it hurt too much. Then in 98 we saw a resurgence of the game like no other period since the early 50's.(Albeit, it is tainted by steroid use, but it brought the game back)> It was there after... 911 when all of us needed that one constant.It helped New Yorkers greatly, and it helped heal the country seeing Pres. Bush(regardless of what you think of him) throw out that pitch in New York.
No Charlie, baseball is great and will continue to be so because it is more popular now than at any time in the last 40 years. Cheer up my friend.There are plenty of things and players to love in the game and not just on the silver screen.
P.S. You will be happy to know that a movie is set for prodcution based upon the epic book "The Pitch That Killed about the 1920 fatal beaning of Ray Chapman by Carl Mays-the only death in baseball by a thrown pitch. It is scheduled for release in 2014. Get Happy again Charlie-baseball is looking up. Harold Kasselman