#10 - It's American. Although (like anything in the West) it may have it's primitive origins elsewhere, the development of baseball as we know it is distinctly American. It has long been considered our "national pastime" and even been described as a "national religion". And yet it still has magnificently interesting diversity, with players from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Japan, Korea, Australia...you name it. And if the embargo is ever lifted, look for a huge influx of Cuban players.
#9 - It's a summer sport. I hate being cold. Granted, my M's had four games straight snowed out this spring, and October can get pretty nippy, but the majority of the season occurs during the hallowed months of summer. Nothing like a cold beer on a hot day at the ballpark. Which leads me to...
#8 - It has a long season. 162 games. Plus 2 playoff SERIES, plus the World SERIES. No ten game season and a 1 game showdown here.
#7 - It's full of nice guys. Sure, not 100%. There will always be the Barry Bonds and Jose Consecos, but for the most part, baseball is dominated by hard working, respectable guys. Not overpaid thugs.
#6 - Everyone gets cool nicknames. Even the managers and coaches can have them. This can usually be accomplished by either shortening a first or last name, or adding a 'y' to the end, or often a combination of the two. In certain cases, a completely unique, honorary name can be bestowed. The result makes for an exceedingly more colorful listening and discussing experience. The Big Unit, The Kid, Papi, Ichi, Wash, Grover, Bone - heck, you can even get away with calling a 6'8" first baseman named Richie Sexson "Big Sexy".
#5 - The coaches wear uniforms. Hey, these guys stopped looking good in stirrup pants a looong time ago. But they're out there suited up just like their players. It's a team effort, folks.
#4 - It's a thinking man's game. Statistics. Strategy. It's all about the numbers. Batting averages, ERA, lefty-righty match ups, slugging percentage, fielding percentage, OBP, OPS, WHIP...If it can be calculated, it's a statistic. And the managers and players study them well. There are leaders in every stat, and sacred records doomed to be broken. Plus they all get cool acronyms.
#3 - It has tons of exciting plays. It has been said that baseball is the ultimate combination of skill, timing, athleticism, and strategy. The home run certainly has captured the most attention over the years, but even that can come in a variety of ways. The walk off, the grand slam, or perhaps the inside the park homer, as was accomplished by Ichiro in today's All Star game for the first time in history. But for a true baseball fan, a sac bunt or a suicide squeeze can be infinitely more exciting than a homer. Triples are exciting. There's running, leaping, and sliding catches. Robbing base hits and home runs and stealing bases. A towering upper-deck drive, or a dribbler down the line that keeps the inning alive, it's all exciting when you understand the wonderful subtleties and nuances of the game.
#2 - It's unique. Virtually every other major team sport (and even a few individual sports) are simply variations of the same theme. Hockey, Basketball, Soccer, Football, Tennis, Volleyball - they all involve either moving an object to opposite sides of a playing field, or hitting it back and forth across a divider. The field, the gameplay, the complex rules - the very essence of baseball is unique, refreshing, and imaginative. Which leads me to reason numero uno...
#1 - It ain't over til it's over. One of the unique qualities of baseball is it's lack of a clock. Unlike other major team sports, there is no way to gain a lead and simply kill the clock. Sure, if a team is ahead after 9 innings, they win. But they have to get that 27th out. There is no "sudden death" to restrain rallies, and extra innings can last indefinitely. And while my Mariners have been on the losing side of one of the biggest comeback in baseball history - they blew a 12 run lead over the Cleveland Indians on August 5, 2001, losing 15-14 in 11 innings - they also embodied the comeback spirit of baseball during the unforgettable "Refuse to Lose" season of 1995. Game 5 of the ALDS vs. the damn Yankees. Bottom of the 11th, 2 on, down by 1 run...well, why don't you just go here and click on "Martinez's historic ALDS Game 5 double" and see for yourself.
#7 - It's full of nice guys. Sure, not 100%. There will always be the Barry Bonds and Jose Consecos, but for the most part, baseball is dominated by hard working, respectable guys. Not overpaid thugs.
#6 - Everyone gets cool nicknames. Even the managers and coaches can have them. This can usually be accomplished by either shortening a first or last name, or adding a 'y' to the end, or often a combination of the two. In certain cases, a completely unique, honorary name can be bestowed. The result makes for an exceedingly more colorful listening and discussing experience. The Big Unit, The Kid, Papi, Ichi, Wash, Grover, Bone - heck, you can even get away with calling a 6'8" first baseman named Richie Sexson "Big Sexy".
#5 - The coaches wear uniforms. Hey, these guys stopped looking good in stirrup pants a looong time ago. But they're out there suited up just like their players. It's a team effort, folks.
#4 - It's a thinking man's game. Statistics. Strategy. It's all about the numbers. Batting averages, ERA, lefty-righty match ups, slugging percentage, fielding percentage, OBP, OPS, WHIP...If it can be calculated, it's a statistic. And the managers and players study them well. There are leaders in every stat, and sacred records doomed to be broken. Plus they all get cool acronyms.
#3 - It has tons of exciting plays. It has been said that baseball is the ultimate combination of skill, timing, athleticism, and strategy. The home run certainly has captured the most attention over the years, but even that can come in a variety of ways. The walk off, the grand slam, or perhaps the inside the park homer, as was accomplished by Ichiro in today's All Star game for the first time in history. But for a true baseball fan, a sac bunt or a suicide squeeze can be infinitely more exciting than a homer. Triples are exciting. There's running, leaping, and sliding catches. Robbing base hits and home runs and stealing bases. A towering upper-deck drive, or a dribbler down the line that keeps the inning alive, it's all exciting when you understand the wonderful subtleties and nuances of the game.
#2 - It's unique. Virtually every other major team sport (and even a few individual sports) are simply variations of the same theme. Hockey, Basketball, Soccer, Football, Tennis, Volleyball - they all involve either moving an object to opposite sides of a playing field, or hitting it back and forth across a divider. The field, the gameplay, the complex rules - the very essence of baseball is unique, refreshing, and imaginative. Which leads me to reason numero uno...
#1 - It ain't over til it's over. One of the unique qualities of baseball is it's lack of a clock. Unlike other major team sports, there is no way to gain a lead and simply kill the clock. Sure, if a team is ahead after 9 innings, they win. But they have to get that 27th out. There is no "sudden death" to restrain rallies, and extra innings can last indefinitely. And while my Mariners have been on the losing side of one of the biggest comeback in baseball history - they blew a 12 run lead over the Cleveland Indians on August 5, 2001, losing 15-14 in 11 innings - they also embodied the comeback spirit of baseball during the unforgettable "Refuse to Lose" season of 1995. Game 5 of the ALDS vs. the damn Yankees. Bottom of the 11th, 2 on, down by 1 run...well, why don't you just go here and click on "Martinez's historic ALDS Game 5 double" and see for yourself.
2 comments:
Amen, brother. I couldn't agree more.
Jerry! I finally visited your blog!
Great post, and all so very true.....
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