By David Thompson
There was a time when baseball was king. It was definitely before my time. In fact, since I've been born, the MLB has not done a thing to reclaim its place atop the hearts of Americans. Since 1987, there have been gambling scandals, strikes, and steroid allegations in the MLB. But this year, Major League Baseball is making a move in the right direction.
While watching my beloved Cleveland Indians get ripped apart during a 9-1 beating on opening day, a commercial came on.
The commercial starred one of the MLB young and rising stars Tim Lincecum. The commercial told the story of Lincecum, a Cy-Young pitcher from the San Francisco Giants, and his almost perfect pitching form he learned and perfected after years of time spent with his father. The commercial ended with the line "This is beyond dedication. This is beyond baseball."
Many people don't care about baseball in the least. Sure baseball is slow. Yes there is more time spent in a baseball game waiting than anything else. Okay, the season seems to go on forever. But the truth is you should care about baseball, and here are a few reasons why you should care this season:
There is a history associated with baseball that no other sport has.
There is nothing like the "green giant" in basketball. Football doesn't have a Wrigley Field. There is no rivalry like Yankees-Red Sox anywhere else in the sports world. There have been over 100 years of Major League Baseball.
It has been an integral part of American History. It was there during segregation. It survived World War I and World War II. It has seen America at its best, and at its worst.
There is an aura associated with baseball unlike any other sport.
Baseball more than any other sport has a feeling. There is an emotion attached to baseball. When someone says the word baseball I automatically think summertime. Baseball is universally associated with so many things like warm weather and hot dogs among other things. Baseball brings families together
My fondest memories of my grandfather involve baseball. Every time the Minnesota Twins would play when I visited we would make root beer floats and sit and watch the entire game. Baseball is playing catch with your dad, or sitting in the stands with a mitt on your hand hoping to shag that foul ball, or eating that root beer float. That is baseball.The Cubs might win this year.
Okay, laugh if you will but seriously they might. Families have been die-hard fans for generations. It has been at least three generations since Cubs fans celebrated a world title. Last time they won, Theodore Roosevelt was president. The last time they were in the World Series was 1945; that's over 60 years ago. But despite over 100 years of disappointment, every Cub fan believes this is their year every year.
Baseball is changing for the better. Baseball is fun to watch. If you saw the Tampa Bay Rays last season you know.
The league is shifting from an offensive, power league, like it was in the '90s, into a defensive, speed league. Guys like Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Jose Reyes are issuing a new league, where small ball and steals rule. And who doesn't like to see Web Gems every night.
Nothing beats watching a game live.
I know that Seattle is the closest major league team, but why not watch the Beavers, or dare I say it, our own Portland Pilots baseball team. They're good. And on a sunny afternoon, what is better than watching good baseball.
Because it's more than baseball.
Baseball is more than bat and ball. Baseball is more than steroids. Baseball is more than outrageous contracts. Baseball is more than winning. Baseball is friends, family, loyalty, hope, dedication, belief, change, memories, relationships, and fun.
David Thompson is a sports reporter for The Beacon. ?He can be contacted at? thompson10@up.edu
