OK, I did something on Twitter that seems to have taken off … so I’d like to do it here as well.
It’s a question for you: What is the best thing about baseball?
Here’s the catch: It should be just one thing. I’m sure each of you could come up with a long list of wonderful things about baseball … but the challenge here is to name just one.
As you might guess, there’s a specific reason I’m asking the question — one I can’t get into yet. It has something to do with my upcoming book “Why We Love Baseball.” Anyway, it would be super helpful if you would join in, and I think it might be fun for everyone to contribute and then read the responses. Thanks!
Wanted to let all know what a truly wonderful read Why We Love Baseball has been. A real treat and one I want to keep on giving. To show how much I enjoy this Poz title, please forgive my one critique. It only is meant to show how much I care...
On page 118, the following reads in the Shohei chapter:
“There are four players in the Hall of Fame with 3,000 hits, 400 home runs, and 200 steals. They are Henry Aaron, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, and Dave Winfield.”
No A-Rod. Not yet, unless I missed something. Not a big deal in the scheme of things, but I owe it to JP as a fan to make sure he knows.
Strat-O-Matic baseball cards. Getting the latest season in the mail.....UPS was like Santa Claus in March or April. Drafting teams. Playing with your Dad. Bobby Richardson at 2b. Luis Arroyo coming in to shut things down. Rolling 2-8 with Mick's 1961 card.
I like the ritual of it. The roar of the crowd, a batter waggling his bat waiting for the pitch, the pitcher looking around to make sure someone doesn't steal a base. It seems slow but it is like a meditation.
Listening to my grandfather's stories of his days at Ebbets field. He worked nights in the post office for his whole life specifically so he could go to the ballpark. I can't say I remember a lot of his stories, but I remember sitting beside him when he felt like sharing them.
It's hard to put into words, but something about watching the game as an adult takes you back to your childhood. You begin to remember great moments you watched, maybe with your dad, or another relative who watched with you. Maybe it's the stats, maybe it's baseball cards, maybe it's the romance of the game... like I said, very hard to quantify, but it's just the greatest game ever invented!
The numbers - stats, box scores, records and all the history that goes with the stats. That's how I learned and loved math as a child. And the fact that the records cover parts of three centuries makes it all the better. And my second choice would be listening to games from all over the country late at night.
I am late to this because I've been trying to figure out how to say it, but: there is a kind of perfection in the rules of baseball. Not just the 90 feet between the bases - although that's pretty good. But while four balls and three strikes may be arbitrary, nearly all the rules after that seem designed to preserve the essential challenges of throwing the ball, hitting the ball, and catching the ball. Four bases and three outs means you have to manage more than a single to score. Even the most famously complex of the rules, the infield fly rule, is designed to prevent the defense from performing poorly in order to game the system.
Honestly, I am not 100 % sure! There’s too many “best things” about this extraordinary game. However, there’s this: The “first” time (of numerous) I watched “The Field of Dreams” as the movie was finishing I cried a cry that — to this day — I am not sure where those deep, deep tears came from!
I love sports, all sports, but at its best, when it'syour team in a tight game late, in a big game, no other sport tops baseball. All the question's running thru your mind, who's up, who's pitching, do they pinch hit, pinch run, switch p, can baserunner score, where are the OF positioned, which one of them has a strong arm, the tension just builds and builds, and atleast in the postseason, there's no clock, game can last for ever, no 1st td win like the nfl, no nba 5 time outs in the last 3mins, no stupid penalty kicks to win the world cup like soccer... only the NHL sudden death compares, but in my mind none top baseball at its best
The fun. Not the actual play - but all of the other shenanigans....on the field, in the dugout, in the bullpen. I love that because there can be a lot of sitting around there's things like 'the hotfoot' and 'put the gum on the hat and see if he notices' and 'doing weird things for the bullpen camera'. Not to mention the on the field joy that Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus brought. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmbtemOcXYg
There's about a million Best Things About Baseball, but #1 has to be: there is no clock. As long as a team has an at-bat left, they have a chance to win the game.
*unfortunately, this is the flip side of The Worst Thing About Baseball, which is: somehow, Rob Manfred and MLB owners don’t understand this … instead of trying to improve the fan experience, they waste absurd amounts of time and money trying to reduce the time of game, when they should be trying to make a better experience for fans.
I love the feeling of timelessness when at a game. There's no clock (yet, but I'm not opposed to a pitch clock bc even Heaven will not drag on but advance with purpose). And the timelessness extends to the past itself - when I think of baseball history, it is narrated by Ken Burns, and there are skinny boys in jeans playing stick ball, and there are people dressed up going to black and white Sunday day games moving at 1.5x speed like they always do in those old videos, etc. But it's a timelessness that isn't relegated to the past, and fits with me listening to Royals games through my pillow as a kid in the 80s when I was supposed to be asleep, and taking my 2 yr old daughter to games now and seeing her eyes get big when the crowd cheers or starts a clap. I love other sports for other reasons, and they've undoubtedly been better to me as a fan than most royals teams have, but baseball will always be my foundational sports love.
I love it when a ball is hit perfectly. It doesn't even have to be a mammoth home run, it could land right in the fielder's glove, but when someone hits the ball with the barrel, all sorts of possibilities open up: 500-ft homers, web gems, going from first to home on a XBH. There's also the sounds it generates: the roar of the crowd, the announcers perking up, and, of course, the crack of the bat
I love that each field is unique, a fact that sets baseball apart from all other sports. Each park’s character, eccentricities, and quirks are elements home fans embrace and visitors appreciate – at least until the well in one of Wrigley Field’s corners turns what would have been a homer anywhere else into just another flyout for their team. This was true for parks of yesteryear (Polo Grounds, Forbes Field, League Park), and it remains true today (Fenway Park, Oracle Park, RingCentral Coliseum). It is also true at all levels of play, from the Majors on down through high school (as wonderfully highlighted in a recent column by David Briggs in the Toledo Blade) – even Little League! This flair (and folly!) are part of the magic that is baseball. And we could all use a healthy dose of magic these days.
Teaching my son( a natural righty) to bat left handed and be a catcher when he was about six years old. He did the former, refused the latter but loves baseball to this day(he's 36 and brings his glove and two sons) when he comes to visit.
I have lost some of my love in past couple of decades (in my now life spanning 8 + decades).I was disenchanted by the greed of both owners and players. I ask for some time to bring politics into discussion. Why couldn't both parties agree that a certain cut of proceeds/salaries being dedicate to construction of ball fields and support of programs. We know the percentage of African American athletes is on the decline. It can be changed. Baseball has a role.
Baseball should not abandon its patient play. The criticism of baseball being too slow was unrefuted by many. Now, it is an example of the current need for instant feedback and access to a keyboard.
I hope your book talks about how baseball can play a role in larger societal issues.
Growing up in SoCal, Summer was defined by Vin Scully calling Dodgers games on TV and radio. Heck, Vin called so many National level games I thought he WAS the voice of baseball.
Both of my grandfathers died before I was born, but both were big baseball fans. My Dad described how much his Scottish immigrant father loved Ted Williams and how passionate he was about the Brooklyn Dodgers. My Mom told me about her Dad’s predictions of Carl Yastrzemski’s future greatness and how she used to tease him about getting his black tie out for him when the Sox lost. I’ve told my son my Dad’s story of a Bobby Doerr home run he witnessed that according to my Dad was still rising as it cleared The Wall (no, I don’t believe it, either) and how he always thought Dom was better than Joe. My son has heard my stories of the horrible ends in 1978 and 1986, but also the inexpressible joy of 2004 and 2007. Through the years, my grandfathers have always been with me watching the Red Sox. My Dad is there, too (I can almost hear him saying that Kike Hernandez is due as he constantly used to say about Dwight Evans). These days they’re all sitting next to my son on the couch even though my Dad died 8 years before my son was born. More than anything else, baseball for me is a treasured family heirloom that provides a bridge across generations.
Well said Scott. Raised a Sox fan, too -- I think spouted the family mantra ("Ted Williams was the best hitter that ever was") before I understood the rules of the game.
The odd process by which players that are not stars or even above average become your favorites. Bruce Benedict played when I became an Atlanta Braves fan and was a decent to good defender but only mediocre at the plate for the most part. But I loved him. Happens again and again.
I love how, when someone is trying to explain the rules to an adult who has never seen a game before, the explainer will invariably bring up the infield fry rule within the first five minutes.
JP
Wanted to let all know what a truly wonderful read Why We Love Baseball has been. A real treat and one I want to keep on giving. To show how much I enjoy this Poz title, please forgive my one critique. It only is meant to show how much I care...
On page 118, the following reads in the Shohei chapter:
“There are four players in the Hall of Fame with 3,000 hits, 400 home runs, and 200 steals. They are Henry Aaron, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, and Dave Winfield.”
No A-Rod. Not yet, unless I missed something. Not a big deal in the scheme of things, but I owe it to JP as a fan to make sure he knows.
BG
Strat-O-Matic baseball cards. Getting the latest season in the mail.....UPS was like Santa Claus in March or April. Drafting teams. Playing with your Dad. Bobby Richardson at 2b. Luis Arroyo coming in to shut things down. Rolling 2-8 with Mick's 1961 card.
Shagging flies with your son on a summer evening right after the sun has gone below the trees, with the smell of cut grass and barbecue in the air.
Connection. Sitting with your kids the way my father did just taking in the majesty of time slowed down.
It moves forward and backwards. Holds tight to the past but is always interested in the present
It’s on everyday! Soundtrack of summer and may be dare I say better on the radio 📻?
I like the ritual of it. The roar of the crowd, a batter waggling his bat waiting for the pitch, the pitcher looking around to make sure someone doesn't steal a base. It seems slow but it is like a meditation.
Going to Fenway Park and watching Shohei Ohtani pitch and hit on the same field that Babe Ruth pitch and hit...
Listening to my grandfather's stories of his days at Ebbets field. He worked nights in the post office for his whole life specifically so he could go to the ballpark. I can't say I remember a lot of his stories, but I remember sitting beside him when he felt like sharing them.
It's hard to put into words, but something about watching the game as an adult takes you back to your childhood. You begin to remember great moments you watched, maybe with your dad, or another relative who watched with you. Maybe it's the stats, maybe it's baseball cards, maybe it's the romance of the game... like I said, very hard to quantify, but it's just the greatest game ever invented!
The beauty and graceful ballet of an amazingly turned double-play.
The numbers - stats, box scores, records and all the history that goes with the stats. That's how I learned and loved math as a child. And the fact that the records cover parts of three centuries makes it all the better. And my second choice would be listening to games from all over the country late at night.
I am late to this because I've been trying to figure out how to say it, but: there is a kind of perfection in the rules of baseball. Not just the 90 feet between the bases - although that's pretty good. But while four balls and three strikes may be arbitrary, nearly all the rules after that seem designed to preserve the essential challenges of throwing the ball, hitting the ball, and catching the ball. Four bases and three outs means you have to manage more than a single to score. Even the most famously complex of the rules, the infield fly rule, is designed to prevent the defense from performing poorly in order to game the system.
The summer of Mark Fidrych.
the unassisted triple play
Honestly, I am not 100 % sure! There’s too many “best things” about this extraordinary game. However, there’s this: The “first” time (of numerous) I watched “The Field of Dreams” as the movie was finishing I cried a cry that — to this day — I am not sure where those deep, deep tears came from!
I love sports, all sports, but at its best, when it'syour team in a tight game late, in a big game, no other sport tops baseball. All the question's running thru your mind, who's up, who's pitching, do they pinch hit, pinch run, switch p, can baserunner score, where are the OF positioned, which one of them has a strong arm, the tension just builds and builds, and atleast in the postseason, there's no clock, game can last for ever, no 1st td win like the nfl, no nba 5 time outs in the last 3mins, no stupid penalty kicks to win the world cup like soccer... only the NHL sudden death compares, but in my mind none top baseball at its best
The manager wearing the same uniform as the players for some reason
Baseball is the essence of childhood, and everyone wants to prolong childhood
Because there's (almost) a game every day. You can watch your team ebb and flow. It's like a sport soap opera.
Wrigleyville - Murphy’s before and after a Cubs game. Though with the cost of tickets I’m leaning to before, during and after.
Defensive indifference. It’s the best.
The numbers. That's what got me hooked as a kid during the 98' home run chase and Pedro pitching so well.
The best thing about baseball is spending a relaxing summer afternoon sitting with a couple of friends or family rooting for the home team.
The fun. Not the actual play - but all of the other shenanigans....on the field, in the dugout, in the bullpen. I love that because there can be a lot of sitting around there's things like 'the hotfoot' and 'put the gum on the hat and see if he notices' and 'doing weird things for the bullpen camera'. Not to mention the on the field joy that Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus brought. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmbtemOcXYg
There's about a million Best Things About Baseball, but #1 has to be: there is no clock. As long as a team has an at-bat left, they have a chance to win the game.
*unfortunately, this is the flip side of The Worst Thing About Baseball, which is: somehow, Rob Manfred and MLB owners don’t understand this … instead of trying to improve the fan experience, they waste absurd amounts of time and money trying to reduce the time of game, when they should be trying to make a better experience for fans.
Letting the heartbreak fill you up as much as the joy.
Almost forgot: it spawned Wiffle Ball!
I love the feeling of timelessness when at a game. There's no clock (yet, but I'm not opposed to a pitch clock bc even Heaven will not drag on but advance with purpose). And the timelessness extends to the past itself - when I think of baseball history, it is narrated by Ken Burns, and there are skinny boys in jeans playing stick ball, and there are people dressed up going to black and white Sunday day games moving at 1.5x speed like they always do in those old videos, etc. But it's a timelessness that isn't relegated to the past, and fits with me listening to Royals games through my pillow as a kid in the 80s when I was supposed to be asleep, and taking my 2 yr old daughter to games now and seeing her eyes get big when the crowd cheers or starts a clap. I love other sports for other reasons, and they've undoubtedly been better to me as a fan than most royals teams have, but baseball will always be my foundational sports love.
I love it when a ball is hit perfectly. It doesn't even have to be a mammoth home run, it could land right in the fielder's glove, but when someone hits the ball with the barrel, all sorts of possibilities open up: 500-ft homers, web gems, going from first to home on a XBH. There's also the sounds it generates: the roar of the crowd, the announcers perking up, and, of course, the crack of the bat
I love that each field is unique, a fact that sets baseball apart from all other sports. Each park’s character, eccentricities, and quirks are elements home fans embrace and visitors appreciate – at least until the well in one of Wrigley Field’s corners turns what would have been a homer anywhere else into just another flyout for their team. This was true for parks of yesteryear (Polo Grounds, Forbes Field, League Park), and it remains true today (Fenway Park, Oracle Park, RingCentral Coliseum). It is also true at all levels of play, from the Majors on down through high school (as wonderfully highlighted in a recent column by David Briggs in the Toledo Blade) – even Little League! This flair (and folly!) are part of the magic that is baseball. And we could all use a healthy dose of magic these days.
Teaching my son( a natural righty) to bat left handed and be a catcher when he was about six years old. He did the former, refused the latter but loves baseball to this day(he's 36 and brings his glove and two sons) when he comes to visit.
You can’t beat good friends and baseball!
Runner trying to score from first on a ball hit to the gap.
I have lost some of my love in past couple of decades (in my now life spanning 8 + decades).I was disenchanted by the greed of both owners and players. I ask for some time to bring politics into discussion. Why couldn't both parties agree that a certain cut of proceeds/salaries being dedicate to construction of ball fields and support of programs. We know the percentage of African American athletes is on the decline. It can be changed. Baseball has a role.
Baseball should not abandon its patient play. The criticism of baseball being too slow was unrefuted by many. Now, it is an example of the current need for instant feedback and access to a keyboard.
I hope your book talks about how baseball can play a role in larger societal issues.
https://www.pitcherlist.com/baseball-and-politics-is-nothing-new/ orhttps://americacomesalive.com/baseball-and-politics-a-reminder-of-a-time-they-intersected/
Growing up in SoCal, Summer was defined by Vin Scully calling Dodgers games on TV and radio. Heck, Vin called so many National level games I thought he WAS the voice of baseball.
John Kruk. “I am not an athlete. I am a ball player.” And Andy Van Slyke describing him as a disguised beer truck driver at the All Star game.
Learning to love the game from my mom (on radio) and my dad (in person).
The dramatic buildup to the most crucial moments.
A game almost every day for 5 months. You don’t have to agonize over a loss for a whole week
Both of my grandfathers died before I was born, but both were big baseball fans. My Dad described how much his Scottish immigrant father loved Ted Williams and how passionate he was about the Brooklyn Dodgers. My Mom told me about her Dad’s predictions of Carl Yastrzemski’s future greatness and how she used to tease him about getting his black tie out for him when the Sox lost. I’ve told my son my Dad’s story of a Bobby Doerr home run he witnessed that according to my Dad was still rising as it cleared The Wall (no, I don’t believe it, either) and how he always thought Dom was better than Joe. My son has heard my stories of the horrible ends in 1978 and 1986, but also the inexpressible joy of 2004 and 2007. Through the years, my grandfathers have always been with me watching the Red Sox. My Dad is there, too (I can almost hear him saying that Kike Hernandez is due as he constantly used to say about Dwight Evans). These days they’re all sitting next to my son on the couch even though my Dad died 8 years before my son was born. More than anything else, baseball for me is a treasured family heirloom that provides a bridge across generations.
Well said Scott. Raised a Sox fan, too -- I think spouted the family mantra ("Ted Williams was the best hitter that ever was") before I understood the rules of the game.
Thanks, Kevin. Your family mantra was fundamental dogma in my childhood and my son's, too.
Teaching my daughter about the game...in like 3 minute increments.
A catcher tagging the runner out while taking a full force slide at home plate.
The odd process by which players that are not stars or even above average become your favorites. Bruce Benedict played when I became an Atlanta Braves fan and was a decent to good defender but only mediocre at the plate for the most part. But I loved him. Happens again and again.
I love how, when someone is trying to explain the rules to an adult who has never seen a game before, the explainer will invariably bring up the infield fry rule within the first five minutes.
If you don't get the infield fly rule, you're missing out on the whole experience...
The soft feel and worn leather smell of your baseball glove as you take it outside to play catch on the first warm day of spring.
1969 discovering there was something called The Baseball Encyclopedia
Animated home plate umpire pitch calls
Box scores.
The presence of baseball sounds in the house almost every night for 7 months. The windows are open, the breeze is blowing in...