Twenty or so years ago, Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post did a column entitled “99 Reasons Why baseball is Better than Football.” Now, I’m not going to get into an argument of why baseball is better than football, but I have come up with a few of the reasons why I like baseball, as well as a just a couple of things I dislike.
Ready? Here we go.
Baseball likes.
Freshly manicured green grass, spring training, manually operated scoreboards, afternoon games during the week, white uniforms at home, listening to far away radio stations while driving on a summer night, 80-year-old-managers, grilled hot dogs and bratwurst, peanuts, nachos with extra jalapenos, pretzels, popcorn, cracker jack, the seventh-inning stretch, high fives, the squeeze play, triples, third base coaches, first base coaches, the slider, circle change, knuckleball, the World Series, the All-Star game, Home Run Derby, overweight players, doubleheaders, catching a foul ball, pepper games, passing cold, frosty beverages to the person down the row, sitting in the bleachers, abbreviations on the scoreboard (i.e. PHL, NYM, CHI, PIT, etc), Cooperstown, scorecards, batting practice, walk-off homeruns, and summer nights.
Scoreboard watching, yelling at the ump, making new friends, retired numbers on display, double plays, stolen bases, pitching changes, Baseball Tonight, This Week in Baseball, NBC Game of the Week.
Jack Buck, Harry Caray, Vin Scully, Mike Shannon, Ernie Harwell, Joe Garagiola, Tony Kubek, Curt Gowdy, Mel Allen, and Red Barber.
Making life miserable for Cubs fans, kids run around the bases days, bobblehead days, fireworks, being stuck in traffic with horns blaring following a win, selling extra tickets to scalpers, Charlie Finley, Walter O’Malley, and Gussie Busch.
Stan Musial, Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Willie McGee, Albert Pujols, So Taguchi, Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn, Tim McCarver, Nolan Ryan, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, Lou Gehrig, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Curt Flood, Ted Simmons, Edgar Renteria and Jon Jay.
Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Sportsman’s Park, Ebbets Field, Polo Grounds, Tiger Stadium, old Yankee Stadium, and Chavez Ravine.
Opening Day, Bat Night, batboys, on-deck circle, bullpens, pennant races, cheap seats, booing the umpires, bean balls, sunflower seeds, knot hole gang, standing room only, Lou Gehrig, St. Louis Browns, Montreal Expos, Washington Senators, streetcars, creative parking, fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, standing and cheering for the last out, “That’s A Winner”, and World Championships.
The Gashouse Gang, Murder’s Row, Boys of Summer, ‘Dem Bums, Miracle Mets, Whiz Kids, and trains.
Dizzy, Daffy, Babe, The Kid, Catfish, Goose, The Wizard, Georgia Peach, Iron Man, Ducky, Secret Weapon, Slats, Yankee Clipper, Country, Pepper, The Lip, Muscles, King Kong, Yogi, Pudge, Lefty, Pee Wee, Rapid, Smokey, Three-Finger, Say Hey, Scooter, Mudcat, Blue Moon, Vinegar Bend, The Professor, Whitey, Red, The Man, Cha Cha, Stretch, Baby Bull, Boomer, and Big Papi.
“Bull Durham”, “A League of Their Own”, “The Natural”, “Major League”, “Pride of the Yankees”, “Field of Dreams”, “Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings”, “Fear Strikes Out”, “The Rookie”, and “The Stratton Story”.
Minor league nicknames, minor league ballparks, American Association, Southern League, Texas League, Pioneer League, giveaways, kissing cam, sitting on the hill, Rookie Leagues, Frank Pulli, Doug Harvey, and Eric Gregg.
Well, I think you get the idea.
Baseball dislikes?
Simple, we can put them in one or two sentences.
Astroturf, the designated hitter, mascots, instant replays, most umpires, the Cubs and Reds, rain, cold days in April, labor strife, interleague play, and cookie cutter stadiums.
