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The Game

Wednesday, March 8, 2000

The Game spans about six generations, maybe more. In some family lineages, like my very own, The Game has been passed down through every single one. This Game pre-dates both World Wars, the entire 20th century for that matter. It has existed for better than half of our country's history. Civil War soldiers played The Game as a diversion from their battles at Gettysburg, Shiloh, and both Bull Runs. President Ulysses S. Grant witnessed its birth as a professional sport in 1876, nearly 125 years ago. 

Ryan Schuiling\The Game has always garnered attention. More music, films, magazine and newspaper articles, radio and television broadcasts, political and public commentary have been devoted to it than in any other entertainment event. The Game has permeated every part of the American cultural experience. In many ways, it IS the American cultural experience. In fact, no thorough definition of the history of the United States would be complete without its mention.

Socially, everyone can relate to The Game. It serves as a parallel, a microcosm of each one of our lives. It appeals to every ethnicity, every religion, every race and creed. It crosses genders and language barriers and unites minimum-wagers to millionaires. 

On its own stage, The Game provides drama without the constraints of time. No clock governs its parameters, something all too often the case in our hectic lives. It provides an escape for those who want to supplant their day-to-day worries. The Game is a science as well as an art, appealing to the intellect as well as the soul. It is a game of the mind as much as it is a game of the body.

The Game is a part of our history. Personal and political, cultural and social. It is a part of our present environment and previews our future possibilities. The Game represents much of our identity as Americans and as individuals. From being "just a game" to "The Game", baseball is the essence of sport.

There are detractors and nay-sayers who attack baseball. The games take too long, the players make too much money. There are too many teams, too many games, too many players with too many names. 

I feel sorry for these people, because I believe they have been swallowed by the hype machine perpetuated by today's fast-paced media. Our ticker has been vaulted up to a machine gun pace, while our attention spans have dwindled miserably. My girlfriend, like many, works in a fast-paced environment all week. She can't sit through a television show without fidgeting, let alone an entire movie or baseball game. 

Everything in our society now revolves around instant gratification. Results-On-Demand. "I want it all, and I want it NOW!" Something for nothing, shortcuts, and the easy way out. People want their expectations met without having to work for them. This trend is what plagues our nation - its mental and physical health, as well as work ethic and goal-definition. Patience not only isn't a virtue anymore - it doesn't exist!

I have one bit of advice for those who are bored to tears by baseball: Relax.

Pace yourself. Be patient. Let it happen naturally, don't force it. Take a step back and escape from yourself. Let go of reality. Embrace the fantasy world of baseball. 

As I mentioned earlier, most of our entire lives are governed by a clock. As is football, basketball, hockey, and just about every other major team sport. There are those who want to impose a time limit on baseball games. Reduce time between pitches or innings or throws by the pitcher to first base. WHY?! What's the rush? What's your major hurry? With the rest of our lives dictated by the clock, why in the world would we want to extend that to baseball?

Have you ever gone hunting or fishing? I bet more and more people these days aren't patient enough to excel at, or even enjoy, both. They are games of patience and concentration. You can't make the fish bite if they don't want to, and you can't shoot any game animals if they don't come into range. The forces of nature are far greater than our desire to conquer them. So rather than fight them, you recognize them, learn from them, respect them, and most of all - WAIT for them.

Why are we so eager to have things come to an end? Why not enjoy the voyage?

Can we let go of time for just a few moments of our lives, take things a little less seriously? There is this great rush to get things over with, to come to the point, to reach the finish. Can we truly enjoy our lives under such duress?

Baseball is akin to the forces of nature. It has been here long before us, it is here now, and it will be here long after we are gone. As much as it is a part of us, we are merely a part of it - and it will go on without us. So it's up to us to savor this time, to enjoy the privilege of having such a great game of historical significance. 

We must subscribe to the belief that there are forces and things greater than ourselves as individuals that we should have reverence for. Your God being first among those for the religious, Nature and Baseball being chief among other things we should choose to behold rather than dictate.

So kick back, take a load off. Turn on a ballgame. Unplug the phone and turn off the clock. Watch the whole game, innings one through nine. And if it goes to extras, be thankful for more baseball - not resentful. Drop out of your everyday restrictions, duties, and obligations. Make baseball your entire world for three hours. Just try it, you might enjoy it. Only then will you know the true meaning of baseball. 

It is a glorious game, perfect in its imperfections. Inherently balanced and fair. Each team gets their half of the inning at the plate. Every player gets their turn at bat in the line-up. No ball-hogging or sitting on a lead in this sport. The pitcher MUST get three batters out to escape an inning, the batter MUST beat the pitcher to score a run. A classic duel every at-bat. 

Suspend disbelief and cynicism for that brief moment, and you'll find yourself refreshed and alive. There is no other team sport like it.

In a simpler time, baseball was fast enough. It was exciting enough. It was more than dramatic enough. It still is all of these things. Times may have changed, but the basis of the game itself has not. It is the same game, pretty much in its same form, that existed one and a quarter century ago. Times will change again. We will come full circle as a society. We will get sick and tired of the everyday grind of the fast-paced business world, and we will return home. Home to "The Game" that will never leave us. Home
to baseball.

Ryan Schuiling co-hosts "The Ball Team Show" weekday afternoons from 4-6 on WBBL.

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