Baseball

I love baseball.

Something about it just makes me happy.
Actually, many things about it make me happy. Its a complicated and often nonsensical game, yet it's governed and monitored with a rigid mathematical system of statistics. There's no fixed time limit so games are more laid back and length is almost completely a factor of relative skill of the teams. Yet as laid back as it is no sport I know of in this country, and especially in this city (Boston), is capable of so many heart wrenchingly exciting moments. The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat... I think perhaps it's the suspense that often lends baseball it's edge... You just never know. (But it's a banner industry and the aim of all fantasy league players to try and predict...)

As awesome as it is to get caught up in the rush of a well played game between rivals or a gripping playoff bid, I think the parts I personally like most about baseball is its connection with the seasons. In earliest spring, as the trees bud out and daffodils bloom baseball is also born again. In the summer it reaches maturity and the season shows its character, some teams flower and others fade away. As summer fades and fall begins the leaves on the trees change color just in time for baseball's biggest show. Its a perfect excuse to get outdoors, to feel the atmosphere of the stadium, to jump up at the sound of a well hit ball.

For me baseball is not so much about dissection of past games or prediction of future ones but about the living entity, the feel of the sport. I think this is the part that makes baseball a national pastime... the tangible effects of sun on the skin, smells of fresh cut grass and popcorn. The cool taste of a coke or a beer to wash down a hot dog. The pop and sting of a ball in the mitt playing catch with dad in the backyard. The first successful curveball. The hiss and crackle of static on the radio or the laughter of a group of friends gathered to watch a game on TV. To have an everyday opportunity to witness the birth of legends and heroes.

In today's majors, awash with steroids, stats and money I fear we might begin to loose sight of these things that make baseball so much a part of our national psyche in the first place. We may become jaded with the game because we've become jaded with the system and lost in the numbers. Since obviously this would be a shame I think we should all make a concerted effort to remember what it's all about. And I have a prescription to help you along the way....

For one of my birthday adventures The Girl organized a trip to see the local AAA baseball team, the Pawtucket Red Sox, (or paw sox). Even I was surprised to discover that this much cheaper alternative to a big league game was just as exciting. All of the important elements of the game were in place, from obnoxious fans to the stadium announcements to patterns mowed into the outfield. It is easy to put asside the fact that you don't know any of the players, that you might not be watching the highest caliber of play. It was more about friends and a day out and about a game well played. This was fun. This is baseball.

So get out and watch your high school team, go see a minor league game, check out your local college schedule, play wiffleball in the backyard with your friends or join a summer league. Have ag good time. Smile! Enjoy the game!

ohh.. and... GO RED SOX!!!