William Nathaniel Showalter III, manager of the Texas Rangers, specializes in boring quotes that reveal little of his bent on life, less about his team and nothing on opposing players.

Listen to someone talk long enough, though, and eventually he’ll say something interesting. Showalter did when he revealed a theory on the decline of American pitching as told to him by William Nathaniel Showalter II, his father.

“He blamed it on air conditioning,” said the manager who answers to the nickname Buck. “Before air conditioning, it was hotter inside than outside, so kids always went outside and played ball to cool off.”

Brilliant.

The only way to build a strong throwing arm is to throw a baseball. Use it or lose it.

Every time a series of ugly baseball scores litters the newspaper, it calls to mind the wisdom of William Nathaniel Showalter II. You’ll find no more frightening score in today’s paper than Free State 35, Leavenworth 6, five innings.

The Firebirds, ranked second in the Class 6A poll, have a number of hitters who crush the ball, so it’s not as if they don’t deserve credit for putting up a score that’s supposed to be reserved for Bob Lisher’s team. Still, if not for air conditioning keeping so many boys indoors during hot summer days, the Firebirds would have faced pitchers with stronger arms and might have scored 16 runs for the game, but not in one inning.

Tuesday’s wild scores weren’t limited to high school.

Kansas University 19, Missouri State 7. The Cleveland Indians put 15 runs on the board, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Florida Marlins 12 apiece, the Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals 10 apiece. The Milwaukee Brewers also scored 12 runs and lost, to the Houston Astros, who won some money for all who had them in 13-run pools.

More than steroids, for which players now are tested, and human growth hormone, for which there is no test, are to blame. (HGH, by the way, is the stuff that makes the heads grow and the jaws jut and gives so many players that similar Cro-Magnon man look, which, sadly, doesn’t deter the groupies.)

Hitters are weaned on batting cages where 80-mph fastballs come at them at a young age. That plays a part, but not as big a part as the location of the pitches, which so often come in belt-high over the middle of the plate from a pitcher who has fallen behind in the count yet again. Coaches and managers are forced to use unreliable pitchers because the pool has shrunk. Why?

Air conditioning. And video games. And the death of sandlot baseball.

For the most part, boys only play baseball at structured practices. If they’re lucky, they play for coaches who make sure everybody puts their arms through a workout. If they’re unlucky, the sons of coaches get 90 percent of the attention, and the rest stand around and watch Junior.

Ever wonder why so many big-league pitchers come from the Dominican Republic? Stop wondering. Young boys play baseball from sunup to sunset in the summer with no adults hovering over them, counting their pitches with clickers. Their arms get stronger, their fastballs livelier.

Quick, somebody book me a flight to the Dominican. I need a 2-1 baseball game, and I need it now.