The rite of spring
Ah, spring training. To a baseball fan, those two words mean everything will be all right in the world. After our frigid February and messy weather this week, we even feel warmer. And thanks to the Internet, there are daily reports from Florida and Arizona and even box scores of the exhibition games - just like during the regular season when a day isn't complete without scanning the boxes.
Baseball is pitching and catching, feeling the crack of the bat and the dust of a slide. It's getting out in the sun, hoping to catch a batted ball at the ballpark, smelling (and usually consuming) that steamed hot dog. It's sitting with Dad learning the nuances of a game, just as his elders did for him. As you think about it as years go by, that generational link brings a tear to the eye. That doesn't happen with any other sport. Ever wonder why?
Baseball is pitching and catching, feeling the crack of the bat and the dust of a slide. It's getting out in the sun, hoping to catch a batted ball at the ballpark, smelling (and usually consuming) that steamed hot dog. It's sitting with Dad learning the nuances of a game, just as his elders did for him. As you think about it as years go by, that generational link brings a tear to the eye. That doesn't happen with any other sport. Ever wonder why?
posted by Larry Benjamin at 9:10 AM
2 Comments:
Sorry, Prima Donnas and steroids don't appeal to me anymore, i'm watching NASCAR.
I think, Larry, it's because baseball is not one of those "opposing goal" sports like basketball, football, hockey, soccer. Those sports are really all the same game, just on different surfaces, with a different type of ball. In baseball, much more is going on in the game itself. It's also played at a leisured pace, which is conducive to conversation.
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