1. Anticlimax
The article below details the idea of waiting for something big to happen. As this article by Joe Posnanski from Sports Illustrated explains, Atlanta was a team that was winning the entire season. St. Louis wasn't even in the mix until the last few weeks when all of a sudden they started winning as Atlanta started falling. On the VERY LAST day of the season Atlanta lost when they needed to win and BOOM, Cardinals in the playoffs. A totally exciting ending to what was a predictable ending. Posnanski states, "I never argue with people who say that baseball is boring, because baseball is boring. And then, suddenly, it isn’t. And that’s what makes it great."
New thought, I don't blame the Rangers for their World Series loss, I now blame Atlanta!!
Baseball Anticlimax-My favorite baseball article I've read
2. Stats
To me this is what makes baseball fun. The tight pants on the men are fun to look at, watching balls hit out of the park and the fireworks after give you a sense of pride in your team, seeing a play made in the last out of the game to win is miraculous at time (unless you are Feliz in Game 6 of the World Series in 2011,) but what would baseball be without Stats? How would we know what good is? Sure baseball is about putting a team together that hopefully come October can win it all, but in order to keep track on who is best don't we have to pay attention to stats. Doesn't ERA matter because the team with the pitchers that have the lowest ERA?Statistically aren't they going to have a better chance? Same with any stat. This brings me to point 2.
3. Arguments
If there is something to argue about a baseball fan can do it. Is ______ better than ________. Were the Cardinals really better than the Rangers in 2011 (no, but they got lucky). Does ________ really deserve to be MVP. Oh and the infamous OBP,now that just about won Oakland the AL pennant in 2002,and then it didn't. This list could go on forever, and it does. Why do fans do this? I think Joe Posnanski from Sports Illustrated says it well:
I think that, in many ways, baseball arguments come down to context. I hear all the time about how baseball fans are “stat people” and “anti-stat people,” but I don’t think that dividing line exists. I’ve never met a big baseball fan who didn’t care about baseball stats. Ever. I’m not even sure how you can BE a big baseball fan without caring about stats. If someone asked, “How many hits did Pedroia have today?” what baseball fan would answer, “Oh, I don’t know, I didn’t count those”?
Baseball Fans Like to Argue
*Note this says FAN not watcher. I have taken many a friend to the ballpark that had no idea what keeping score meant, was more interested in getting a tan, and wanted to know if we could leave in the 8th inning.
No that person doesn't get to go with me anymore. I've also taken a friend that didn't understand why when
a player hit a ball up in the air, the crowd would say, "Down, down down, down." I had to explain, "We
don't want the other team to catch the ball." I would NOT call those friends FANS. They DO NOT care
how many hits Pedroia or any other player got that day, but a FAN, they will know.
I like baseball for all these reasons and more. The other day I turned on a random game from last season with a friend. It was a game against Oakland where we won in the bottom of the 9th. I turned it on and just listened. I'm so content to just relax, sit around, and watch the game. The anticipation of the pitch, and the hope of the ball being put in play makes my heart flutter just for a second. I realized in that moment baseball needs to be back on TV as soon as possible. It's time and Spring Training has begun...
The article below details the idea of waiting for something big to happen. As this article by Joe Posnanski from Sports Illustrated explains, Atlanta was a team that was winning the entire season. St. Louis wasn't even in the mix until the last few weeks when all of a sudden they started winning as Atlanta started falling. On the VERY LAST day of the season Atlanta lost when they needed to win and BOOM, Cardinals in the playoffs. A totally exciting ending to what was a predictable ending. Posnanski states, "I never argue with people who say that baseball is boring, because baseball is boring. And then, suddenly, it isn’t. And that’s what makes it great."
New thought, I don't blame the Rangers for their World Series loss, I now blame Atlanta!!
Baseball Anticlimax-My favorite baseball article I've read
2. Stats
To me this is what makes baseball fun. The tight pants on the men are fun to look at, watching balls hit out of the park and the fireworks after give you a sense of pride in your team, seeing a play made in the last out of the game to win is miraculous at time (unless you are Feliz in Game 6 of the World Series in 2011,) but what would baseball be without Stats? How would we know what good is? Sure baseball is about putting a team together that hopefully come October can win it all, but in order to keep track on who is best don't we have to pay attention to stats. Doesn't ERA matter because the team with the pitchers that have the lowest ERA?Statistically aren't they going to have a better chance? Same with any stat. This brings me to point 2.
3. Arguments
If there is something to argue about a baseball fan can do it. Is ______ better than ________. Were the Cardinals really better than the Rangers in 2011 (no, but they got lucky). Does ________ really deserve to be MVP. Oh and the infamous OBP,now that just about won Oakland the AL pennant in 2002,and then it didn't. This list could go on forever, and it does. Why do fans do this? I think Joe Posnanski from Sports Illustrated says it well:
I think that, in many ways, baseball arguments come down to context. I hear all the time about how baseball fans are “stat people” and “anti-stat people,” but I don’t think that dividing line exists. I’ve never met a big baseball fan who didn’t care about baseball stats. Ever. I’m not even sure how you can BE a big baseball fan without caring about stats. If someone asked, “How many hits did Pedroia have today?” what baseball fan would answer, “Oh, I don’t know, I didn’t count those”?
Baseball Fans Like to Argue
*Note this says FAN not watcher. I have taken many a friend to the ballpark that had no idea what keeping score meant, was more interested in getting a tan, and wanted to know if we could leave in the 8th inning.
No that person doesn't get to go with me anymore. I've also taken a friend that didn't understand why when
a player hit a ball up in the air, the crowd would say, "Down, down down, down." I had to explain, "We
don't want the other team to catch the ball." I would NOT call those friends FANS. They DO NOT care
how many hits Pedroia or any other player got that day, but a FAN, they will know.
I like baseball for all these reasons and more. The other day I turned on a random game from last season with a friend. It was a game against Oakland where we won in the bottom of the 9th. I turned it on and just listened. I'm so content to just relax, sit around, and watch the game. The anticipation of the pitch, and the hope of the ball being put in play makes my heart flutter just for a second. I realized in that moment baseball needs to be back on TV as soon as possible. It's time and Spring Training has begun...
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