W hy comparing baseball and rounders is wrong and tedious
It’s May, the baseball is in full swing and the minor leagues officially start today, as the farm systems for the big league teams continue developing their players.
The minor leagues are where players hone their skills in small regional ballparks and where fans can pay under $10 to see tomorrow’s all-stars. Theminorsiswhereplayersclimbthe ladder, build character as they spend weeks “riding the bus” between small towns.
Inthemajors,defendingchampions theladodgershavehitaroughpatch, losingsevenoftheirlasttengamesbut stillmaintainaleague-leadingrecord.
Oakland Athletics’ hot start has slowedalittleaftertheir13-gamewinning streak was ended last week, but they remain one of the leading teams in the American League. The "A”s are tied for the best record with the Boston Red Sox, although the improved
Yankees seem set on reeling in their bitter rivals.
As a baseball fan here in the UK, it isn’teasytotalkaboutthesportinyour everyday life, although social media makes that easier with fan groups such as MLB UK. But still, when you are sitting at your virtual desk chattingwithcolleaguesonteamsyouare mostly greeted with blank stares and “Isn’t it just rounders?”
I think a large majority of people in the UK played rounders in school at least once, and those less athletically inclined children enjoyed the anonymity of standing far away from the ball,sotheydidn’thavetodoanything.
But the modern game of baseball is a far cry from the game forced on us by PE teachers who wanted an easy day. I certainly never faced a pitcher whocouldplaceaballinatinywindow at 100mph or a pitch with movement that sees the ball drop five feet just as it reaches you.
That, of course, is only one tiny aspect of the game. The intricacies would take a book, or two, to discuss.
Baseball is more than the game that we played in school because it carries so much more meaning in the US as wellascentralamericaandeastasia.
By its own definition, baseball is a pastime; it is America’s pastime. It doesn’t have the intensity of football; the game is played with a series of peaks and troughs; much like great TV, it often comes down to the final few episodes, or innings.
Heading to the ballpark offers a different experience to the highlycharged atmosphere of European sports or even the NFL. It is about arrivingearlyandcatchingballshitby superstarsduringbattingpracticeand then approaching them to sign it. Can you imagine footballers doing that?
Asmuchastheon-fieldactionisvital to baseball, so is the off-field experience. Teams go to great lengths to make the day about family, to entertain between innings, and make the experience so much more than just ball, strikes, and home runs.
The thing that baseball offers more than any other sport is the shared experience. It’s a chance to get together with friends you’ve not seen in monthsandshareabeerandahotdog. It’s about watching the game under the lights and correcting the umpire fromyourseat150ftaway.it’saboutthe crackofthebatandthesparkofexcitement as the ball flies through the air; it’s about those small moments that remain in your memory forever.
So when I’m asked, “isn't it just rounders?” I smile and nod while thinking about my friends, the home runs and the races to get connections after extra innings and most importantly, the hotdogs, then I say, “Yeah, but a lot more expensive.”