To me there is only one sport, baseball. I know that’s arrogant, and perhaps a bit opinionated but frankly I don’t care. Look, I like football, it’s a good sport but from a very young age, baseball is the sport that I have always loved. No sport has the history, color, and characters like baseball. Tonight of course is the opening of the NFL season as the Miami Dolphins take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lots and lots of people will be watching but not me. I for one will be watching the Mets take on the Dodgers at Shea Stadium.
I don’t buy the argument that football is a better game than baseball, I never have nor will I ever. For me football is a way to keep occupied, sports wise, till spring training starts. And that month between the Super Bowl and spring training can be miserable. Here are some of the arguments I have heard over the years when comparing the two sports.
Fans of football say baseball is too boring. Oh really, did you ever stop and count the minutes where absolutely nothing goes on in a football game. I read once that someone in the media actually cut out all the commercials, time outs, huddles, replay reviews, and what have you and discovered that the action was about eleven minutes worth. Eleven minutes of action for a game timed to an hour that generally takes three hours to play. Sure on the surface to the non initiated, baseball can seem slow. But really the action never stops. With every pitch there is the potential of something new happening. Now granted baseball does not have the action that basketball and hockey does but on the other hand, the potential for something different to happen is like no other sport.
Another comment I have taken issue with is that baseball players are not in shape and really are not athletes. I would like to see athletes in other sports handle the day to day grind that professional baseball players deal with. In baseball, you play every day. The Mets 2006 regular season schedule includes 18 days off and that includes the All Star break. That’s three days a month. By contrast, football players play once a week and they also get a buy week. I always laugh when I hear a football coach or player saying the team just wasn’t prepared for the game. How is that possible when they play once a week? Basketball and Hockey players play about three times a week. The grueling schedule baseball players deal with requires them to be in tip top athletic form.
Here’s another: baseball players aren’t tough. I guess getting hit in the wrist, side, or back by a 96 mile an hour fastball doesn’t count as being tough. I guess it’s not tough when a catcher blocks the plate and gets steam rolled over by a runner trying to score, and with no padding. I guess it’s not tough when an outfielder crashes into the wall making or attempting to make a great catch. Ask Carlos Beltran or Aaron Rowand if they’re not tough. I guess it’s not tough when a runner takes out the shortstop breaking up a double play.
What about athletic skill? Unlike football, everyone that plays the game of baseball must throw, run, catch, and hit (accept for those sissy pitchers in the American League). The skill set (with my apologies to Fred Wilpon) required to play the game of baseball far accedes the requirements of football. In football, the linemen have to be big, that requires a lot of eating.
Some will site that football is more popular based on things like ratings and attendance. After all most if not all football games are sold out. Well with a sixteen game schedule I would hope that football sells out each game. And as far as ratings go, true I admit that football for years has had great ratings when compared to baseball. But that trend is changing. Why do you thing ABC dropped Monday Night Football? If football was such a TV money maker, there is no way ABC terminates their broadcasts.
Yet another; football has become the national past time. This one is totally false. The national past time suggests an activity that is shared by a huge majority of people. Baseball is still the only sport that is still somewhat affordable. The average American family can still muster enough cash together to go to at least one Major League Game. And many families now attend minor league baseball. I do this all the time. Minor league attendance has exploded over the last ten years. It’s a great and affordable way to bring the family to enjoy professional baseball.
And finally there simply is no sport in this country that has the history and glory of baseball. There is now evidence that a form of baseball was being played in
Extra Innings: Was the Mets sweep of the Braves yesterday sweet or what? And I’m telling you, this kid Perez could be a real keeper. He’s only 25 years old and generally lefties for some reason mature later. You have got to love Dave Williams too. He has been absolutely wonderful for the Mets. Do you thing the Reds would like to have him back now?
The Mets magic number for clinching the NL East is down to 8. Yesterdays double dip sweep combined with
The Dodgers are in town for four games. They will face Brad Penny tonight and Greg Maddux on Saturday. Tom Glavine goes tonight for the Mets.
How is it that the Marlins now have four no-hitters in their short history and in 45 seasons the Mets have none? Considering how many great pitchers have come through the Mets system, that fact is a bit startling.
