Baseball's Brewin'

“Don’t take your eye off the ball!” “Choke up on the bat!” “Keep your butt down!” “Don’t lock your elbows!”
Let the sanctimonious, smug screeches and screams begin. The fundamentals of baseball never change. The cadence and tempo of nine innings is enticing, fascinating and captivating. The game is played throughout the world by people of all races, colors, ethnicities and nationalities. Girls, boys, men and women all participate in America’s pastime yet the game and rules remain the same.
Baseball is one of the few things I cherish most in life. The thought of a ballgame gets me up in the morning. It has since I first discovered the game and owned my first Yankees shirt. The shirt was white with blue pinstripes and a Yankee symbol on the left breast side. I even had matching navy blue shorts. I still have my first baseball bat and I still remember the joy of swinging it for the very first time. My favorite toys growing up were Legos and jacks. I loved bouncing the rubber ball then quickly scraping up the metal pointed stars called jacks. Legos were endless fun because of the endless possible figures I could construct. These games have lasting memories too but they lost their novelty over time. I still consider them creative and inventive ways to utilize time. But baseball is a timeless game. Baseball is that toy that never wears out, gets old or stops electrifying and stimulating. Every year, the game brings out the kid in me like no manufactured product can. Baseball is best described as something that is indescribable. It sets off emotions that cannot be duplicated by constructing a Lego house or winning at jacks. It is the best game because it has tangible and intangible qualities.
These days, the first thing I do when I wake up is scan the box scores in the newspaper. I keep score during games on a piece of notebook paper just for fun. I attend any game on any sandlot in any town just for the game’s sake.
Baseball on the major league level is still my passion. Steroids hasn’t ruined the game itself for me and I doubt it ever will. Where else can you see Pirates and Indians smacking the ball around and clashing on the same turf? Outside the ballpark, who gets away with mismatching Red and White Sox? How often do Marlins chase after Tigers or Bluejays and Orioles fly to meet each other in the summer? When do Cardinals really ever look forward to facing Cubs? How do sea-faring Mariners learn to play with forest-protecting Rangers? Why would a Diamondback be threatened by an Angel in the desert? Royals and Padres compete for supremacy, Yankees and Nationals make their pitches for pride, and Braves battle it out with Reds without the use of bow and arrow? Mets, Astros, Dodgers and Phillies? They all try to challenge each other every year Whether there are Twins or Giants seldom matters to me. Rockies build up and Brewers distill on my precious field. Where there’s an Athletic, there’s a Ray. The sun always shines brighter when baseball is on its way.

Parting points: Keeping with the birthday theme, I hope two of my favorites celebrate in style. Happy birthday to #21 Paul O’Neill and 98 degrees crooner, Justin Jeffre today.