baseball

My grandfather got me into baseball as soon as I was old enough to swing the big red plastic bat. He had tried with my older brother, but no one could get my brother to play any sports. Not only is the guy a little tall and therefore considered perfect for some sports, but he has long fingers that made people think he’d be great at playing the piano too. He wanted none of any of it! And I’m glad that he resisted it all.

I didn’t resist playing baseball and I enjoyed it. I was never that great at it, but I wasn’t too horrible either. Someone has to be average. My grandfather is also a Red Sox fan, so, after being unfanatic for a while, I chose the Red Sox too. While I respected the Yankess for their accomplishments, I never liked those in the spotlight. I became a fan just after they had lost the `86 World Series, so it wasn’t the most popular choice.

It wasn’t that long-lived, however. My fanaticism only lasted for about four years. After they lost the AL championship in `91 I decided I was done with all fanaticism for any team. It was beginning to seem pretty pointless anyway. I never enjoyed watching the games on TV as much as I enjoyed watching games in person or playing them myself. And I realized that it didn’t matter who was playing because I enjoyed watching anyone play. So I grew out of that, but I think my grandfather misses having someone to share it with. As much as I want the guy to enjoy the rest of his life, I can’t be what I’m not.

I should have been ecstatic that the Red Sox finally won the series last year. I admit I was pretty proud to see them win, but that was immediately tempered by their immediate popularity. I have kept my mouth shut about for the whole year. Now that they’ve lost, I am glad. I’m glad they won last year, but I’m equally glad they lost this year. I hate seeing people get all fanatic about the latest winners, and it was especially stinging to see it happen to the team I liked that much once. I detested every new piece of merchandise I saw spit out – especially all of the caps made in every color except the traditional Red Sox colors. I know, it’s petty, but it’s still sickening.

I mostly appreciate the history of the sport now. I like the old ball clubs the best. I’m not resisting the change, but I’m just not interested in keeping up with all the new teams and all the stats. My memory has always sucked too much to memorize all that crap. I care more about the people than the stats. Movies like “A League of Their Own” make me cry.