It’s Almost Here…

Published March 30th, 2007

Yep, Opening Day is just around the corner. It is the true first day of spring. And once again my veins are filled with the promise of baseball. I bleed blue, not the pale, washed out Dodger Blue of this town, but the deep, rich and vibrant Cubbie Blue. And I see the world through rose-colored glasses, or at least, Angel Red.

For me there is nothing like a baseball game. Basketball is alright, but the play is so flawed lately. Teams are full of ballhogs and guys with little actual skill, just lots of athleticism. Football is OK, but only 16 games? Please. That doesn’t really separate the men from the boys. You go 10-6, you’re playoff bound - you go 8-8, you go home. God forbid you lose a game or two on a fluke. Hockey is…well, hockey.

Baseball is the ultimate game. There’s no clock. There is a high-stakes one-on-one showdown at every at-bat, on every pitch. Every play is like a dormant volcano - the tension builds and builds, and then suddenly there is an explosion of movement - and sometimes - greatness. But until that happens, you can sit, enjoying the day, the smell of fresh grass and the sounds of the game. Every pitch is a mind game that you can play along with. Every pitch is a chance for glory and disaster. There is always a hero, always a goat. It is the true sport of ecstasy and agony.

It is also a sport of numbers and statistics, of equations and comparisons. Numbers are sacred to baseball - often too sacred. But every true fan knows the immortal numbers. 714. 755. 60, 61 and 73. 500. .400, .406. 56. 40/40. 20 and 300, 200 and 3000. 4256. 56. 154 and 162. 2130 and who did better, and why no one ever will again. Any fan can tell you what those mean. Quick, how many yards did Dan Marino pass for? What is the single season rushing record? How many points did Kareem score? No one knows these numbers. They’re not holy. Even baseball suffers from this adherence to holy numbers. Batting average, Runs and RBIs - all classic statistics. They’re also only half of any given story. Baseball has been slow to realize and adopt the New Statistics, but it’s slowly happening. In another 20 years there will be a whole new generation of numbers and records. OPS, VORP, WARP and RC. And research continues. The teams that recognize the value will succeed, those that don’t will fail.

There are so many levels on which to enjoy baseball. It is a summer of stories, a summer of statistics, a summer of wins and losses, triumph and heartbreak. A summer of new stars and endings.

And I will enjoy every day of it.

Play ball!

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