Baseball: My New Favorite Sport

This is a shocker even to myself. Here it goes. Baseball is my new favorite sport. I will always be better at basketball, I will always enjoy basketball, and March is still one of the greatest times of the year; but baseball is a great sport.
There are several things that make it great.

6. It is in the spring (if you are watching college or training) so the weather in Arizona is fantastic. Nothing like a night game with a gentle breeze. I will admit that for the last 2 days the weather was not the greatest but it was worth all 9 hours of sitting in 103 degree weather.
5. The uniforms. I will openly admit that I enjoy baseball for the same reason many female fans do, this view right here. Nothing like them warming up.

4. It's slow. Previously I would have complained about how slow it was, but I now find it relaxing. I don't have to stand and cheer the whole game I can just relax, count the pitches, crunch some statistics, and enjoy nature and friends.

3. It's predictable and unpredictable all at the same time. The coaches (and myself, yes I am one of those fans) spend so much time analyzing the speed of the pitch, the weaknesses and strengths of the batter, trends during the game, what signs the other team is throwing. Do you check the guy at first, do you pitch for the ground ball hoping to make a double play, do you give it to your guys in the outfield trusting the batter won't be able to muscle it over the fence. In the end once the ball is thrown and the bat makes contact everything changes. It doesn't matter the signs because maybe he hit it of a different part of the bat, the wind caught the ball, the 2nd baseman got the yips, it flew straight to the SS glove. Anything can happen. I could continue for hours on end but I won't.

(Yes that is me on ESPN, looking at the dugout trying to predict what will be thrown, next to me is Rachael the stats girl)
2. It's crazy hard to hit a ball coming at 90 mph with a little bat. The sound of the contact echoing through stadium is true beauty. If you can get a hit 3 times out of 10 you are GREAT. I believe the greatest feeling in sports has to be a home run.
1. You have to finish the game. In football, baseball, and soccer you get a lead and play keep away. The time runs out and you win. Not in baseball, even if you have the lead you have to pitch to them. You have to get the outs.   

This blog is brought to you by my supreme happiness resulting from Arizona's weekend sweep of St. Johns and the resulting advancement to the NCAA championship series in Omaha. Let's play Ball.

Acknowledgments to Burke and Becky for introducing me to and teaching me about the game and how to love it. Also to Jett for being a great catcher and unknowingly being the victim of my lusting eyes. Rachael for her great score book keeping. The scouts that show us their radar reads and chat about the players they are looking at. Lastly to America for making it your pastime.