At some point in almost every kid’s life, dreams of being a sports hero are prevelent. When I was a kid, I dreamt of being a baseball player.

I wanted to be one of the finest hitters to ever grace the game. I wanted to dominate the game in such ways as old-time heros like Willie Mays, Ted Williams and Babe Ruth did. I didn’t only want to be known for my hitting, but for my defense as well, and I also wanted to be respected by everyone in the game, from coaches to players to the fans as a good representative of the game.

These issues were important, but above all else, I wanted to play for my favorite team, the San Francisco Giants.

Well, as you might have guessed, my dreams have not and will not come true. My glories only went as far as little league all-star teams. I wasn’t even good enough at the high school level for a small 1-A team.

But even if I had possessed the talent and committment to become a superstar at the professsional level, my dreams most likely would not be entirely fulfilled.

The sad truth is that baseball players today often find themselves on a multitude of teams before they finish their career. Even future hall-of-famers travel around the league as if they are unwanted journeymen.

Take into account the latest victum of this tragedy, Mike Piazza, formerly of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Florida Marlins and current New York Met. Piazza is one of the most feared hitters in baseball, and if he keeps up his pace, he is certain to have his spot in Cooperstown.

The Dodgers traded Piazza to the Marlins along with third-basman Todd Zeile for outfielder Gary Sheffield, third-baseman Bobby Bonilla, catcher Charles Johnson, utilityman Jim Eisenreich, and a player to be named later.

The Dodgers had their reasons for making the trade. Piazza didn’t offer them the leadership that they wanted, and it is the last year of his contract and they wanted to bypass spending gobbs of money next year…bla bla bla. Who cares.

What the Marlins did next is sick and wrong and is a spit in the face to all of baseball, and all of professional sports for that matter. Piazza was traded to the Mets for outfielder Preston Wilson and highly rated prospect pitcher Ed Yarnall.

The Marlins owner Wayne Huizenga has sold out to his fans and should not have the privilege of owning a baseball team. He went out and purchased a championship team, and because of money, has simply purged nearly every starter off that team.

What has happened to the loyalty that was once embraced by what was once known as America’s game? What has happened to players like Willie Mays, Ted Williams and Babe Ruth.

Sure, Mays was traded to the New York Mets, but that was only after he had a long career with the New York/San Francisco Giants, and wanted to finish his career in the town he started out in. Even Ruth was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees, but he is known for his career in New York, and it was because of what he did with the Yankees that put him in the Hall of Fame. The loyalty was still there.

Just as in today’s society, baseball’s values are being sold out by the almighty dollar. We do not see our favorite players stick to one team any more, and it has made it hard to be a baseball fan.

The reason many people are fans is because of the players on a team. Many fans will attach themselves to a player they like, but when the player leaves, the fan is at a loss. I went through it when Will Clark left the Giants. It took me awhile to readjust to the team’s new structure.

With so many transactions, it is hard to stick with a team because you don’t get to know the players as well, and baseball’s popularity has fallen because of reasons such as these.

Brian Klein is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Remsen.