Oct 27, 2001 12:02 PM
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Ty Cobb was one of the finest players in the game and I'd argue that he was the best player in baseball during the first half of the 20th century and, indeed, the most skilled player to ever put on a Detroit Tigers uniform. There are two quotes from Cobb, made famous through both a biography about him and a couple of ESPN commercials a few years ago:
The world is lousey. No good. But, baseball is not lousey.
A lot of people don't like me, but I don't care about that one whit. No, sir! All I care about is baseball.
What is it about the game of baseball that would inspire such single-minded devotion in a player? Truly, there must be something appealing about the game or it wouldn't have lasted here in the U.S. for so many years.
Now, I know all the arguments against the great game of baseball. People have claimed that it's boring and slow. Others have said the players get paid too much money. There are many other arguments, of course, but I'll say a couple of things in defense of the game.
First, baseball is best watched live. If there's anything better than sitting out in a pro ball park on a summer afternoon while holding a hot dog in one hand, a beer in the other and yelling, ''Hit the damn ball!'' I don't know what it is. Baseball moves along slowly, sure, but that can be a blessing -- I spend most of my days pressed for time and meeting deadlines as a news reporter. I like to take it slow and easy every now and again, and watching a complete baseball game will let me do that. While there are no major league teams in my home state of Arkansas, I can always head across town and watch the University of Arkansas Razorbacks play ball, and I've done that quite often.
Some have argued that watching baseball live is great, but it's dull on television. That may be true, but I've enjoyed many a weekend afternoon napping on the couch in my living room and opening up one eye every now and again to catch the score in the baseball game on television. Believe me, that's an enjoyable way to kill a few hours on a Saturday.
Two things that baseball has that you won't find anywhere else is an absolute reliance on solid strategy. Deciding when to send in a pinch hitter, steal a base, bring out a relief pitcher and such can make the difference between winning and losing a game. Also, there are few things harder to do in the world of sports than hit a baseball. Batting is a skill that takes years to master, and hitters who have mastered the art of hitting a baseball have achieved something extraordinary.
The rules of baseball are quite simple. The defensive team has nine men on the field, including a pitcher and cather. The offense sends one batter to home plate at a time and the goal of that hitter is to smack the ball when it's thrown by the pitcher so it can't be caught and he can reach a base before he's tagged out. The goal, naturally, is for batters to get on base and then make it past first, second and third bases to home plate where they'll score runs.
The big, crowd-grabbing play in baseball is the homerun. That's when the ball is hit out of the park and the batter, along with any runners that managed to get on base, score. Exciting stuff, for sure.
The game revolves entirely around the movement of the ball. Base runners try to avoid getting tagged out by it while batters try to put in an area of the field where the defense can't get to it. That's all quite simple.
Now, the largest problem I have is that I root for the Pittsburgh Pirates. That team has been horrible for 10 years, thus limiting my enjoyment of baseball. In fact, I'm reminded of a joke:
A man walks into a bar and has a small dog with him. The bartender say, ''Hey, you can't have that dog in here. You're going to have to leave him outside.''
''Oh, please let him stay,'' the man replied. ''He's a big Pittsburgh Pirates fan and just wants to watch the game. If you let him stay, he won't bother anyone.''
''Well, okay,'' the bartender said. ''But, if he bothers any of my patrons, I'll have to throw you both out of here!''
The man agreed and took a stool at the bar. The dog, sure enough, sat down by his owner and watched the Pirates game on television. One of the Pirates hit a single, and the dog ran along the top of the bar while barking, yipping, wagging his tail and high-fiving the customers.
''Wow, he really does like the Pirates,'' the bartender observed. ''But, what does he do when one of them gets a homerun?''
''I don't know,'' the man replied. ''I've only had him for five years.''
Heh, heh. Now that's comedy!
Having said that, the world series starts in a few hours, and that's always an event. That event is of particular interest this year as the New York Yankees play for the title against the Arizona, and who could root against New York this year? I mean, that city went through the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil just over a month ago, so many fans are pulling for the Yankees right now.
