My Thoughts on Baseball

Last year my father and I decided to embark on a multi-year excursion: we would like to see a baseball game in all 30 professional ball parks in America. We started this adventure last year, making our way up to the Rogers Centre in Toronto, and we continued it a week ago at our beloved home stadium, Fenway. Later this summer we are going down to Camden in Baltimore and then Citizens Bank park in Philly. I will be blogging about those adventures (sorry for missing the first two trips), but for now, I wanted to start by talking about why I love the sport of baseball so much.

Baseball used to be known as America's past time. Technically, it still is, but not really. It's popularity diminishes annually. It's a slow game with little to no action, so it has trouble retaining the attention of our easily distracted society. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful game. There's something about the sounds and sights of a ballpark, the feel of a spring/summer breeze on a warm evening in June, the smell of hot dogs and stale beer as you walk through the gates. Baseball is comforting. In a society that is constantly moving, baseball provides a pause button. A way to slow your life down, and enjoy a single moment.

The first time I put on spikes and walked onto a diamond, I was 5 years old. I don't remember much from playing at that time, but there a few memories from my playing days: I remember my first (and only) home run when I was 12. I remember making an error in little league that cost us the game and crying as I walked off the field. I remember having two walk off hits when I was 14. Most importantly, I remember making my decision to stop playing baseball so I could focus my attention on wrestling year round. In retrospect, I am certainly glad I made that decision. Wrestling has turned me into the man that I am. I've never regretted a single decision I have made. But the closest thing to a regret that I have, is quitting baseball.

I know many of you readers probably don't enjoy watching the sport. I understand why. It's not as fast as hockey, not as physical as football. The athleticism that baseball requires is not apparent to most people. While I certainly don't think that David Ortiz could run under 10 second in a 40 yard dash, let alone dunk a basketball, do you think that Paul Pierce (We'll miss you #34) or Adrian Peterson could hit a rock that is coming at them over 90 mph with a big stick? I doubt it. It certainly is not your traditional form of athleticism, but baseball players are athletes that can do something other people cannot. They play a sport where the best players accomplish their goal under 40% of the time. If that were NASA, we'd be screwed.

There is so much history to the sport too. Fenway has been around for over 100 years. Very few people in the world have been alive longer than this building. It is a monument, perhaps the greatest in Boston. Not too mention some of the great names that have come and gone. Jackie Robinson paved the way not just for black baseball players, but for black athletes. He is immortalized as a symbol of hope and perseverance. Roberto Clemente died while bringing supplies to earthquake survivors in Nicaragua. A true hero. One day I hope my children think about Pedro Martinez and reflect on how amazing he was, and I will get to say, I watched him play. I once sat 20 feet from where Dustin Pedroia swung a bat. The history is abundant, and ceaseless.

My point for this post is not to convert anyone to baseball fanatics. It is to provide an understanding as to the subtle elegance that comes with baseball. Ken Griffey Jr's swing was one of the most beautiful things I had ever witnessed. I can only imagine what growing up watching some of the greats would have been like. Baseball may not be America's past time anymore. It certainly is not the only sport I love to watch. But baseball is about more than sports. Baseball is a beacon light in a world filled with darkness. It allows us as fans 3 hours of bliss. 3 hours of relaxation, as the rest of the world hastily floats by.