the optimistic fan...
baseball season is back.
during baseball season, you can usually find me in front of the TV if not at the game itself. most of my friends are more into football and even basketball. as for me, baseball is the sport of choice for me. it probably began as while i was a kid. my pop registered me for little league along with my little brothers. our family as a whole isn't really into baseball. we never really played catch. didn't really talk about baseball. hell, before last year, as a family we only went to one game at jack murphy before it was called qualcomm. we even left early as to avoid traffic. my pop would argue, "i get a better view of the game at home on my couch." aka... pop is a frugal type of guy. but he would even listen to the games on the am radio while he was at work.
i guess even though we never really talked or played the sport, i absorbed it though other means. i got into baseball cards as a kid. i remember the day that i saved up enough money to buy a box of baseball cards. i bought the cheap Score brand and went through all the packs in one night. opened a pack and did the whole..."got it, need it, got it, got it, got it, want it" mantra as i rifled though the cards. brought the cards to school the next day in the plastic sleeves that would fit in your binder and gathered with the usual suspects that would be at the lunch tables during recess trading cards and bargaining. little hustlers.
people argue that "boring ball" is, in fact, boring. i have no real rebuttal for this. baseball is more reliant on stats and pitching (at least in the NL anyway). if there is a good pitchers' duel, the game can be boring to the average fan who just wants to see hit after hit after hit after hit. it's true it can be frustrating. i just say, it's one of those sports where you have to GO to a game to really appreciate it. as well as have someone that knows the sport with you explaining the game as it goes on.
even more frustrating is being a padre fan. year after year, we get so close but never far enough. of course there was the year that we DID get to the world series, only to get swept by team bank roll... aka the yanks. and ever since then, i've hated the yankees. i recall working the night shift that year, and all the baseball fans at work would be listening to the games on their little am receiver. it was always amusing to see hands fly up out of cubicles after a good play.
although the season has just begun, i'm quite optimistic. i think we'll at least get the NL west championship (bring it on LA) and i'm crossing my fingers for more than that.... we'll see.
during baseball season, you can usually find me in front of the TV if not at the game itself. most of my friends are more into football and even basketball. as for me, baseball is the sport of choice for me. it probably began as while i was a kid. my pop registered me for little league along with my little brothers. our family as a whole isn't really into baseball. we never really played catch. didn't really talk about baseball. hell, before last year, as a family we only went to one game at jack murphy before it was called qualcomm. we even left early as to avoid traffic. my pop would argue, "i get a better view of the game at home on my couch." aka... pop is a frugal type of guy. but he would even listen to the games on the am radio while he was at work.
i guess even though we never really talked or played the sport, i absorbed it though other means. i got into baseball cards as a kid. i remember the day that i saved up enough money to buy a box of baseball cards. i bought the cheap Score brand and went through all the packs in one night. opened a pack and did the whole..."got it, need it, got it, got it, got it, want it" mantra as i rifled though the cards. brought the cards to school the next day in the plastic sleeves that would fit in your binder and gathered with the usual suspects that would be at the lunch tables during recess trading cards and bargaining. little hustlers.
people argue that "boring ball" is, in fact, boring. i have no real rebuttal for this. baseball is more reliant on stats and pitching (at least in the NL anyway). if there is a good pitchers' duel, the game can be boring to the average fan who just wants to see hit after hit after hit after hit. it's true it can be frustrating. i just say, it's one of those sports where you have to GO to a game to really appreciate it. as well as have someone that knows the sport with you explaining the game as it goes on.
even more frustrating is being a padre fan. year after year, we get so close but never far enough. of course there was the year that we DID get to the world series, only to get swept by team bank roll... aka the yanks. and ever since then, i've hated the yankees. i recall working the night shift that year, and all the baseball fans at work would be listening to the games on their little am receiver. it was always amusing to see hands fly up out of cubicles after a good play.
although the season has just begun, i'm quite optimistic. i think we'll at least get the NL west championship (bring it on LA) and i'm crossing my fingers for more than that.... we'll see.