MLB Opening Day…Kinda

I know what you’re thinking. “Ah Jesus, I hate baseball!” Shut up! You think I haven’t noticed the large population that doesn’t like baseball? My poor wife has been forced to put up a pretty convincing façade for the last couple of seasons, which basically involved me sneaking up on her and putting her in an arm lock until she could tell me who was pitching today’s game. We’re both hoping I find a local baseball friend.

There are different levels of not liking baseball, most of which involve some level of blaming a “slowness” of the game. What irritates me to no end is in the same breath I’ll get told the intricacies’ of baseball are too boring to hold enough appeal to maintain any level of interest—but hey did you see the big golf tournament this weekend? Or the NASCAR race?

There’s the situational dislike where one can enjoy the sport if one is part of the crowd at the live event, but it is boring. But you have to be dead in that certain spot inside to be the guy who doesn’t like going out to a live sporting event and watching the teams compete.

Some people can enjoy the sport on TV, but only in the presence of a crowd—typically you need at leas three real fan’s to bolster this person’s willingness to get into the televised game. And booze—never underestimate the fist pumping effect of booze.

And of course, there are those who claim to understand baseball they just don’t get it. Which, I’m afraid is a whole other rant—because this is more or less a way of them saying “Ok, I’m smart enough I could understand baseball, I’m just not interested enough to learn the rules.”

So yes, there are boring qualities to baseball—but all sports have that. Football has rapid fire commercial after commercial, basketball takes three quarters to set up, and hockey isn’t 100% brawling on ice skates.

One thing that has me scratching my head this year is the whole “Opening Day” thing. On the one hand, the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics played two of their regular season games, but on the other hand it was untelevised and in Japan. I’m getting worried as what seems to be underlying greed is dictating the flow of baseball.

Last night, the Braves played Nationals in D.C.’s brand new baseball stadium, which means every time something happened, I got to hear to the phrase, “And that was the first _____ ever here in D.C.” First hit, first strike out, first walk…the list goes on and on. It was the only game on, which is typical for baseball’s opening day.

Soiling the event for me though was president Bush. Not only did he throw out the first pitch to the a mixed roar or chears and definite boos, but he sat up in the booth for a few innings, mentioning how he was the president of the Texas Rangers at some point in his past. The less the Bush family’s involvement with baseball can be pointed out for me the better. Now I have to hate the Ranger’s on principle.

It was a good game though, the Nats won in the 10th inning on a solo homerun from their third basemen, Zimmerman—for first time ever in the new ballpark! Really, the Nationals are a shitty team, so them winning in extra innings is usually reason enough to get a little crazy.

Today, all the other teams are playing their first games. My Dbacks are playing the Cincinnati Reds for their first game of the year. I’ll be at work, listening to the game via internet radio and a paid subscription. I’d pay more to watch the games, but for some reason I am blacked out. I’ll be at the office while the game is on though; which means I get to subject myself to the reaction of people as they find out not only do I like baseball; I listen to games on the radio.

So, to all the fans and non fans alike, celebrating the love or turning the cold shoulder of indifference—one thing is for sure, after today, it’s about 160 games to go! And since half the teams are on the road, there are still fan’s waiting for the home opener!

Maybe that’s what I like about baseball. It never ends.