Baseball has played an integral place in my life. The cards, books, movies, music, tabletop representations, and most importantly the experiences in and at the game are things I constantly revisit and it still teaches me And when I say taught, I don't really mean being taught about the game, but rather life, myself, America, and God.
I think board/computer games should be fun as well. In my early days of playing in mail leagues, I frequently traveled to meet my opponents and play our scheduled games. I found most to be playing a board game, not baseball. By that, I mean they spoke of hot dice, counted hit numbers before selecting a pinch hitter or relief pitcher, and tossed their dice or their cards when a roll or game wasn't going their way. They just didn't enjoy playing a baseball game unless the rolls were going their way and they were winning. I'm not even sure they enjoyed the moment even then.
It doesn’t feel like ancient history — but I guess it is now.
As a kid growing up in the 1980s, I followed baseball more through the radio than the TV. Despite growing up in a county just outside D.C., we didn’t get cable until late 1989. The Orioles were on TV maybe 30 times a year, if that. The rest of the season? That played out through radio broadcasts and the voice of Jon Miller calling games I could only see in my mind's eye.
Stats? You got them from box scores in the newspaper. Sunday’s sports section was gold — full of league leaders. Highlights came from This Week in Baseball, or whatever scraps the local news guy decided to show.
That was how you followed a season. It was slower, sure — but I felt more attached to a season.
Then came ESPN covering baseball. Then the internet. Then analytics. Box scores from the papers no longer mattered, baseball cards stopped featuring guys like Doug Flynn — and everything changed.
Baseball has played an integral place in my life. The cards, books, movies, music, tabletop representations, and most importantly the experiences in and at the game are things I constantly revisit and it still teaches me And when I say taught, I don't really mean being taught about the game, but rather life, myself, America, and God.
Baseball means so many different things to so many people. That's kind of what I love about it. It's meaning changes for me as well.
I think board/computer games should be fun as well. In my early days of playing in mail leagues, I frequently traveled to meet my opponents and play our scheduled games. I found most to be playing a board game, not baseball. By that, I mean they spoke of hot dice, counted hit numbers before selecting a pinch hitter or relief pitcher, and tossed their dice or their cards when a roll or game wasn't going their way. They just didn't enjoy playing a baseball game unless the rolls were going their way and they were winning. I'm not even sure they enjoyed the moment even then.
It doesn’t feel like ancient history — but I guess it is now.
As a kid growing up in the 1980s, I followed baseball more through the radio than the TV. Despite growing up in a county just outside D.C., we didn’t get cable until late 1989. The Orioles were on TV maybe 30 times a year, if that. The rest of the season? That played out through radio broadcasts and the voice of Jon Miller calling games I could only see in my mind's eye.
Stats? You got them from box scores in the newspaper. Sunday’s sports section was gold — full of league leaders. Highlights came from This Week in Baseball, or whatever scraps the local news guy decided to show.
That was how you followed a season. It was slower, sure — but I felt more attached to a season.
Then came ESPN covering baseball. Then the internet. Then analytics. Box scores from the papers no longer mattered, baseball cards stopped featuring guys like Doug Flynn — and everything changed.
Was it better or worse? Depends on who you ask.