Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Another baseball season has come and gone, and the Yankees have won the World Series.  Now we start hearing those opinions of those who say that baseball is too boring or too slow.  I have been a fan for years, and my reply is that you don’t really understand the game’s intricacies or its history if you feel that way.

A couple of things stand out and make me appreciate the game–not necessarily the players or owners or the issues with performance enhancing drugs–but the game.  It’s the only game where the defense controls the ball, and thus, the action.  It has no time clock, so as long as you can still hit and keep the game going, you haven’t lost.  To me, that’s a great analogy for the American spirit.  It’s not over till it’s over, as Yogi Berra once said.

People are always saying that it isn’t filled with action like football, and I can tell you that analysis of football games shows that in an average NFL game of 3 hours, there is less than 10 minutes of actual play.  The rest is comprised of replays from every angle and beer commercials.  Don’t get me wrong, I love football, but not at the expense of the American pasttime.  No other American sport can boast the history of baseball, or the exalted records and time comparisons.  My one visit to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown was like a trip to a hallowed cathedral.  Lou Gehrig’s locker, the plaques, and the other countless memorabilia seemed sacred.

Baseball is still a game sometimes played by out-of-shape men who are able to hit a round object with another round object while it is thrown at nearly 100 miles per hour.  You don’t need testosterone-crazed men with a penchant for violence to put on a show.  Also, unlike football and basketball, it hasn’t been necessary to change the rules of the game regularly.  It’s a beautiful game and can be played by athletes and everyday men and women alike.

I can’t wait for spring to go the ballpark for the first time in the season and see green grass and the hopes of all the teams being rekindled.  It still brings out the little boy in me.

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