Post#79 » by SichtingLives » Mon Aug 8, 2022 3:09 am
If you don't know the difference between a fastball, slider, split or change-up, you likely won't get baseball and it will put you to sleep. It is a sport that is entirely contingent on understanding the chess match between pitcher and batter, thats 90% of the sport. And even if you do get that, it could still bore you to tears. But baseball culture as a fan is not about excitement it's about atmosphere. it is not required that you be dialed in for every pitch or every game, and you probably shouldn't be. It's great background fare when you're dicking around on the internet or chilling in your living room with your wife or friends or your stuffed animals on a hot summer night. It's basically like a familiar companion. I personally enjoy talking **** at all the .220 hitting scrubs, of which there are a lot of this year. And for all the lulls in action, the excitement and interest level are going to spike up in more games than not, especially in later innings, which makes it that much more exciting when something actually does happen. The whole thing about enjoying a baseball game is you're basically hanging out with the broadcasters and the backdrop of the game provides for longrunning conversations about ball and everything else. It's not a sport that is meant to be consumed by adrenaline seeking spectators.
The live game is a different animal because there's more of a carnival energy in the air. I saw a Jays/Phillies spring training game in Clearwater the year after they played in the world series. The game was ok but in the 6th inning there was a guy wearing a Jays uni in a sea of Philly fans down by the 3rd base dugout. An osprey that was perched in a nest on a light tower flew overhead and unloaded a massive deuce all over the Jays fan. It was amazing. The crowd went absolutely bonkers. This is what baseball is all about. The side stories. The people watching. It's the only sport that is custom geared towards old fashioned, crowd appreciated intelligent heckling. Snacking on nachos and talking nonsense until you turn away right quick to watch a dancing with the stars ad and get cranked off the shoulder with a foul ball. Or watching a kid and a 47 year old man in team hat and jersey scurrying towards a foul ball, the old man always wins, maybe even rips it out the kids hands, and hoists the ball up in victory as the child bursts into tears. lol gets me every time.
Football has never interested me. I find it boring. Maybe because I don't understand all the nuances of the sport and I hate the constant stop start stop nature of it. But most people love it. Idk got to just figure it out for yourself.
10 miles through the snow uphill both ways
