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.
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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