Baseball

Baseball season is upon us. Those of you who know me know how much I love baseball. I was a great sandlot player but when I got into uniform the pressure took over and I was a terrible player. Not being the fastest runner didn't help (fastest ha, I almost got thrown out at first base from right field one time.), but I love the game. A 1-0 game is great, good pitching is fun to watch. I enjoy "small ball", the term used when a team manufactures a run using different players instead of a home run to score a run. (a perfect example, the batter walks, then he steals second. The next batter grounds out to second as the base runner heads to third. The next batter flys out to left field as the runner tags up and scores. The team has just scored a run with out getting a hit). I can even tell you the six ways to get to first base without getting a hit. So now a week into the season the Yankees are 2-3, the Red Sox are 1-4 and the Mets are 4-1. Yankee fans are starting to freak, Red Sox fans are giving up on the season already and Met fans, and there seems to be more and more every day are ecstatic. Alas the baseball season is a long season. Come June the Yankees and the Red Sox will have righted themselves and the Mets will be playing like the Mets and it will again be hard to find someone who will admit to being a Mets fan.
Although it is only a few games into the season my son and daughter-in-law have already been to a game. I am hoping to see a couple of games this year. When ever guys get together and talk baseball they start to talk about ballparks. Who has been at and the like. I have been to, Yankee Stadium, old and new, Shea, Stadium, Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Fenway Park, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Nationals Park in DC and outside Wrigley Field in Chicago. My list of places I want to go would be, Dodger Stadium, PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Busch Stadium in St. Louis, AT&T Park in San Francisco. When I'm retired a perfect summer would be to see a game in every major league ball park in the country. I would also like to have my congressman submit a bill making it illegal to name a ballpark after a corporation. Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, The Polo Grounds, Crosley Field, these names conjure up images of what baseball should be. AT&T Park, PNC Park, Citi Bank, Citizens Bank and Ameriquest have ball parks, Minute Maid and Tropicana, (orange juice? at least name it after beer) The only ones that I am ok with are Busch Stadium because it's the family name and Coors Field in Denver because Colors just says Colorado. And these stadiums that keep changing their names that is just wrong also. For example, if Citi Bank wants to end their affiliation with the Mets the name should become City Field after New York City. Think about it "The ivy covered walls of Home Depot Field" just doesn't make me warm and fuzzy, and instead of AstroTurf we would be calling artificial turf Overstock.com grass (Overstock.com Coliseum Oakland).
So pull up a chair and enjoy baseball, America's national sport.




Six ways to get to first base without getting a hit.
1. walk
2. hit by pitch
3. error
4. fielder's choice
5.catcher's interference
6.dropped third strike