Ah, back in the ballpark. I attended my first MLB game since the October 7, 2019 Twins/Yankees Playoff Game – a contest I had to leave in the second inning due to an Atrial Fibrillation incident that sent me to a five-hour Emergency Room visit. But, that’s a story for another day. Today it’s the joy of being back in the ballpark.
A few observations about the day and season and then, in honor of the return of fans to MLB parks, a look back at one of my earliest Baseball Roundtable posts – “Why I Love Baseball.”
So, how about a look at yesterday’s game? First, given COVID attendance limits (with seasons ticket holders getting preference) and the timing of my second Pfizer vaccine, I was not able to get to Opening Day this season. It’s long been my strategy to make sure I get to Opening Day and the final day of the season (and others along the way, of course) – a strategy designed to guarantee me the fewest possible days without baseball in the off season. I did miss the Opening Day “hoopla” – team intros, fireworks, celebrity National Anthem performance, flyovers and the like. However, thanks to a good friend and fellow fan (Connie), I was able to score good seats for yesterday’s second Twins home game of the season.
Now, we (I went with another good friend, Scott), arrived at the ballpark about an hour before game time. My bad. I gauged my expected drive time and parking search by past experience (crowds of 35,000-40,000). With COVID-era attendance of just under 10,000, getting to the park was a lot less time-consuming. Getting through the gate with e-tickets on my phone was also a snap; just scan them and walk on in. It was convenient, but I have to admit, I miss the old stiff paper tickets – with their graphics and “memory value.”
Once in the park, I picked up the Twins free scorecard (Note: If you keep score and prefer to use you own scorebook, pick up a scorecard anyway. It’s is a great way to have players’ names and numbers at your fingertips – and it’s FREE.)
Nothing like a dog and a beer at the ballpark. Photo by permanently scatterbrained 
On the way to my seat, I stopped for my first ball park sausage (a Polish), I like to get my snacking in before the game (and my score-keeping) starts. Okay, it wasn’t a gourmet treat (and there are some of those at Target Field), but as Humphrey Bogart was once quoted “A hot dog at the ballpark beats roast beer at the Ritz.” Side note: 1) Some sources quote Bogart as comparing “steak” at the Ritz to a dog at the game, but I found many more citing “roast beef.” 2) This quote may be expiring, you can get roast beef and/or steak at MLB parks these days. 3) I know I should have started the season with a hot dog, but when you name is Karpinski, you have to upgrade to a Polish.
It was a chilly day at Target Field although: 1) Mid- to high-40’s is not that chilly for Minnesotans. 2) The green grass, sound of the crowd and the game, smiling children (and adults) and live interactions were heartwarming enough to counteract the weather.
As for the game, my Twins lost 4-3 in ten innings. I did, however, get to see a tight and exciting game; a two-run home run from the apparently ageless Nelson Cruz; my first 6-4-3 double play (the 6-4-3 and 4-6-3 twin killings are my favorite baseball plays); the speed of Byron Buxton turn what looked like a fairly routine ground out into an infield single, with an advance to second on a misguided, rushed throw to first; and three stolen bases. On the other side of the coin, I also saw two of my least favorite current baseball rules come into play – the wave -‘em-to-first intentional walk and the opening of extra innings with a runner on second.
–———————-Let’s Get This Party Started————————
Clearly, the baseball spirits are committed to making up for 2020’s short, strange and (for many fans) somewhat lost season. Here were are just ten days into the new season and not only have we seen fans back in the ball park. We’ve seen:
- The season’ first no-hitter of the season (April 9 by the Padres’ Joe Musgrove) – which was also just one hit batsman away from a perfect game and the very first no-hitter in Padres’ history.
- A rookie, Rule-Five Draft pick – Detroit ‘s Akil Baddoo – hit a home run on the very first MLB pitch he ever saw, smack his first Grand Slam and collect his first, walk-off game winning hit – all in his first three MLB games.
- Another rookie, the White Sox Yermin Mercedes – collect eight hits (five singles, two doubles and a home runs) in his first eight at bats of the season. (He had one previous MLB at bat, a ground out, in 2020.) Just a few days later, in just his sixth game of the season and seventh MLB game, Mercedes thrilled fans with a 485-foot home run – the longest HR of the MLB season thus far.
- Reds’ outfielder Tim Locastro stealing two bases in two tries – giving him 28 stolen bases in 28 career (2017-2012, 154 games) attempts; setting the record for the most consecutive stolen base attempts to start an MLB career.
- Trey Mancini’s 427-foot home run (April 10) – not just his first long ball of the season, but his first since returning to the Orioles after a bout with Stage Three colon cancer. (Mancini missed the 2020 season.)
- The Angels’ pitcher/DH Shohei Ohtani starting on the mound on April 4 against the White Sox, throwing nine pitches of 100+ mph and fanning seven in 4 2/3 innings and popping a 451-foot home run ( his second dinger of the season) – to give himself a lead in the bottom of the first.
I could go on, but you get the idea. Once again, baseball is giving fans the opportunity to see something special during every game. So, Let’s enjoy.
And, with that, I’d like to open my season by revisiting the ten reasons I love the national pastime.
———TEN REASONS I LOVE BASEBALL———
1. Baseball comes along every spring – a new beginning – accompanied by sunshine and optimism.
Opening Day … A Gift Waiting to be Opened!
Baseball is the harbinger of better times. It signifies the end of winter (not a small thing if you’re from Minnesota) and the coming of spring – a season of rebirth, new life and abundant optimism. Each season, you start with a clean slate. Last year’s successes can still be savored, but last year’s failures can be set aside (although rival fans may try to refresh your memory), replaced by hope and anticipation. On Opening Day, in our hearts, we can all be in contention.
People ask me what I do in winter, when there’s no baseball.
I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
Honus Wagner, Hall of Famer
2. The pace of the game invites contemplation.
Between innings, between batters or pitchers, and even between pitches, baseball leaves us time to contemplate what just occurred, speculate on what might happen next and even share those thoughts with nearby spectators. Baseball is indeed a thinking person’s game.
3. Baseball is timeless and, ultimately, fair in the offering of opportunity.
The clock doesn’t run out. There is no coin flip to determine who gets the ball first in sudden death overtime. No matter what the score, your team gets its 27 outs and an equal opportunity to secure victory. What could be more fair? And then there is the prospect of endless “extra” innings, bonus baseball for FREE.
When I was young my heroes didn’t wear capes or cowboy hat. They wore stirrups and baseball caps. Many still do.
4. Plays and players are distinct (in space and time).
Baseball, while a game of inches, is also a game of considerable space. The players are not gathered along an offensive line or elbow-to-elbow under a basket. They are widely spaced, each with his own area of responsibility and each acting (as part of a continuing play) in their own time frame. (The first baseman can’t catch the ball, for example, until after the shortstop throws it.) This enable fans to follow, understand and analyze each play (maybe not always accurately) in detail. And, baseball’s distinct spacing and timing makes it possible to see the game even when you are not there. A lot of people grinned at President Gerald Ford’s comment that he “watched a lot of baseball on the radio.” In my view, he was spot on. You can see baseball on the radio – you can create a “visual” of the game in your mind with minimal description. That’s why on summer nights, in parks, backyards and garages across the country, you’ll find radios tuned to the national pastime.
5. The scorecard.
Can there be anything more satisfying than keeping an accurate scorecard at the ball park? It serves so many purposes. The keeping of a scorecard ensures your attention to the happenings on the field.
Photo by mwlguide
Maintaining the score card also makes you, in a way understandable only to fellow fans, more a part of the game. That magical combination of names, numbers and symbols also enables you to go back and check the progress of the game at any time. “Oh, Johnson’s up next. He’s walked and grounded out twice.” It’s also a conversation starter, when the fan in the row behind you asks, “How many strikeouts does Ryan have today?” And, it leaves you (if you choose to keep it) with a permanent record of the game, allowing you to replay it in your mind (or share it with others) at will. Ultimately, a well-kept score card enhances the game experience and offers a true post-game sense of accomplishment.
6. The long season.
Baseball, so many have pointed out, is a marathon rather than a sprint. It’s a long season with ample opportunity to prove yourself and lots of chances to redeem yourself. For fans, the long season also represents a test of your passion for the game. Endurance is part of the nature of the true baseball fan. And, and in the end, the rigors of a 162-game season prove your mettle and that of your team. Not only that, but like a true friend … baseball is there for you every day.
7. Baseball invites, encourages, even demands , conversation.
Reason number two hinted at the importance of conversation, noting that the pace of the game offers time to contemplate the action (past and future) and share those thoughts with others. I love that about the game, but I also love the fact that whenever baseball fans gather, their passion comes out in conversation – and they find plenty to talk about:
- Statistics, statistics, statistics. Baseball and its fans will count anything. Did you know that Yankee Jim Bouton’s hat flew off 37 times in his 2-1, complete-game victory over the Cardinals in game three of the 1964 World Series? More seriously, statistics are part of a common language and shared passion that bring baseball fans together in spirited conversation. As best-selling author Pat Conroy observed “Baseball fans love numbers. They love to swirl them around in their mouths like Bordeaux wine.” I agree, to the fan, statistics are intoxicating.
- Stories, stories, stories. Baseball and its fans celebrate the game’s history. And, I’m not talking just about statistics. I’m talking about the stories that give this great game color, character and characters. Ty Cobb sharpening his spikes on the dugout steps, Babe Ruth’s called shot, Louis Tiant’s wind-up, Willie Mays’ basket catch, Dock Ellis’s LSD-fueled no-hitter.
- Trivia, trivia, trivia. This may fall close to the “stories, stories , stories” category, but fans cherish the trivia that surrounds our national pastime – whether that trivia is iconic or ironic. For example, it’s ironic that the iconic Babe Ruth holds the best winning percentage against the Yankees of any pitcher with 15 or more decision against them (17-5, .773). And, it’s ironic that the more recent player to steal home twice in one game (Vic Power, August 14, 1958) did it in a season when he only stole a total of three bases). Then there is the iconic performance of Ralph Kiner, who led the NL in home runs as a rookie in 1948 – and successfully defended that title in each of the next six seasons – the most consecutive home runs titles by any major leaguer ever.
Basically, I took a long time to say I love the fact that baseball fans will talk with passion about something that happened in today’s game, yesterday’s game, over time or even in a game that took place on May 30, 1894 (Bobby Lowe of the Boston Beaneaters records MLB’s first four-homer game). And, as a bonus, all this conversation – all the statistics, stories and trivia – make the games, moments within the games and the characters of the game (heroes, goats and mere participants) as timeless as baseball itself.
I am looking forward to the time when fans will be again be able to again meet and trade baseball facts and opinions in close quarters.
8. The box score.
Today’s box score – a thing of beauty.
BBRT editor’s mother used to refer to an accordion as “an orchestra in a box.” That’s how I view the daily box score – the symphony of a game recorded in a space one-column wide by four inches deep. Some would say the box score reduces the game to statistics, I would say it elevates the game to history. What do you want to know about the contest? Who played where, when? At bats, hits, stolen bases, strikeouts, errors, caught stealing, time, attendance, even the umpires’ names? It’s all there and more – so much information, captured for baseball fans in a compact and orderly space. I am, of course, dating myself here, but during baseball season, the morning newspaper, through its box scores, is a treasure trove of information for baseball fans. (In today’s game, baseball-reference.com provides all that information and more.)
9. The irony of a team game made up of individual performances.
While baseball and baseball fans live for individual statistics and, while the spacing of the players drives individual accountability, the game is, ironically, deeply dependent on the concept of “team.”
Consider the offense. Unlike other sports , where you can deliver victory by giving the ball or puck – time and time again (particularly as the clock runs down) – to your best runner, skater, receiver or shooter, in baseball, your line-up determines who will be “on the spot” and at the plate when the game is on the line. It may be your .230-hitting second basemen, rather than your .320-hitting outfielder. Yet, even as the team depends on the hitter, he is totally alone in his individual battle with the pitcher. And, achieving individual statistics that signify exceptional performance also demands a sense of team. You don’t score 100 runs without a team mate to drive you in (although the statistic remains your measure of performance) … and, you don’t drive in 100 runs if no one gets on base in front of you. And, can you think of any other sport that keeps track of – and honors – the team-oriented “sacrifice.”
On defense, the story is the same. A ground ball pitcher, for example, needs a good infield behind him to optimize his statistical presence in the “win” column. And the six-four-three double play requires masterful teamwork as well as individual performance – duly recorded in the record books as an assist for the shortstop, a putout and an assist for the second baseman and a put out for the first baseman. Then there is the outfield assist – a perfect throw from a right fielder to nail a runner at third earns an assist – even if the third baseman drops the ball and earns an error. Two individual results (one good / one bad) highlighted, but without the necessary team work – a good play on both ends – a negative outcome in terms of the game.
Ultimately, baseball is a game of individual accomplishments that must be connected by the thread of “team” to produce a positive outcome.
10. Baseball’s assault on the senses. (Indoor ballparks fall a bit short here).
The sight of a blue sky and bright sun above the ballpark or a full moon over a black sky above a well-lit stadium. The feel of the warm sun or a crisp evening breeze. The scent of freshly mowed grass or steaming hot dogs. The taste of cold beer and peanuts. The sound of the crack of the bat, the cheers (or moans) of the crowd, the musical pitch of the vendors. Even the taste of today’s ballpark gourmet offerings.
Baseball assaults all the senses ― in a good way.
Now, I could go on and on, there are lots more reasons to love this game: its combination of conformity (all infields are laid out the same) and individualism (outfield configurations not so much); its contributions to culture (literature and movies); its strategy (hit-and-run, run-and-hit, sacrifice bunts, infield / outfield positioning, pitching changes, etc.); triples; the 6-4-3 double play; knuckleballs; and more. But to protect myself – and BBRT’s readers – I’ve limited myself to ten. I probably could have saved a lot of time and words had I just started with this so-perfect comment from sportscaster Bryant Gumbel, “The other sports are just sports. Baseball is love.” That says it all.
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Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
