I can remember back to my earliest days of life hearing my dad’s AM transistor radio broadcasting out the sounds of the Cleveland Indians announcer. That radio played the games almost every summer day or night for my whole childhood. Whether we were at the lake in my dad’s blow-up raft, or sitting in our kitchen, I could always count on the Indians games being on and the crackling sound of that little radio.
One would think being from a town with such crappy sports teams for so many years that I would hate all sports. But there was just something about those darn frustrating Cleveland teams that just made you think, “Next year’s the year.” Well, we all know that no Cleveland team ever won it all until this year with the Cavalier’s championship, but those Cleveland fans just love their sports teams.
That feeling when I hear or see a baseball game still resonates. It takes me back to a simpler time, when I had nothing to worry about except sleeping over at a friend’s house or what jeans to wear to school. I have to admit it still makes me all warm and fuzzy. Plus, baseball is a summer sport and I love summer.
But, it’s not just the feeling I get that makes me love baseball, there’s more to it. I do love other sports that I watched as a kid, but baseball just fascinates me. I love the statistics and numbers. I also love the difficulty of the game and I’m always amazed that some of those guys can hit that ball so often and so hard. Having two kids playing the game has shown me that it’s a very hard sport, but those guys make it look easy. The complexity makes it so interesting.
To me, baseball is relaxing. What could be better than hanging out on a beautiful summer day sitting in the bleachers at my kids’ games, going to the stadium for an afternoon, or just lying on the couch watching whatever game is on TV? Sounds like Heaven.
My kids’ baseball lifestyle has given me a whole community of people, too. Some of them are just as in love with baseball as I am. We could literally talk about it for hours. Planning tournaments, ordering uniforms, discussing strategy, and so many other topics keep us extremely entertained, and we love it. If you talk to any die hard baseball fan, he or she will tell you that it’s just addicting.
Football, basketball, soccer, and many other sports are all great too, but for me baseball is my number one. I don’t live near Cleveland anymore, but baseball has followed me across the country. The wonderful, enduring tradition of baseball is the reason they still call it America’s Pastime.
Share This:
