Throwback Thursday: July 4th, 2013 in Syracuse

The decision was logical, inevitable, yet still incredibly sad. There will no minor league baseball this summer. A huge part of smaller town America is placed on hold until at least 2021 -- and in some places, perhaps forever.
Empty ballparks, an eerie quiet. The grass will still be green and the sky remains blue, but no memories will be made and no new fans minted -- especially difficult for a sport that bad needs outreach, a new spark to rekindle enthusiasm. Or maybe just tilt the attention spans of potential fans back from video games, soccer or the NBA.
We're in Syracuse, now the home of the Mets top farm club, but in 2013, the Triple A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. What could be a more American tradition than a 4th of July doubleheader against their International League rivals, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs?
This year will be different. No mascots. No autographs. 
The grass will still be green and the sky remains blue, but in places such as Syracuse, Sacramento and Springfield, no games will be played, memories made and no new fans minted. That's especially difficult for a sport that bad needs outreach, a new spark to rekindle enthusiasm. Or maybe just to tilt the attention spans of potential fans away from video games, soccer or the NBA.

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