On Baseball

Baseball is my favorite sport. At first it does not seem to be that profound of a statement except... well let me explain. I love Sundays during football season. I can watch any hockey team play and enjoy the game, which cannot be said of baseball, and nothing can equal the visceral thrill of a good boxing match. Yet in spite of these facts, baseball is my favorite sport.

The reasons are as corny as it gets, but still worth noting. My love of baseball starts with the stereotype of the young boy going to the games with his father. A lot of my earliest memories are of going to games with my parents at my grandfather's seats down the first base line of the second Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Not even seeing Pavlik/Taylor II could equal the fun and excitement I used to have as a kid during opening day. I remember it seeming so special that I was at the first game of the season. It was as if no one else had ever done it before, and this was the most amazing thing in the world. I was at Ozzie Smith's last game in uniform. These are just a couple of examples of the memories of baseball from childhood and how much I enjoyed it. If I wanted, I could probably list a dozen more examples of it.

I guess my point is that even if I will never enjoy a baseball game as much as I enjoy matches in other sports, baseball will always be my favorite sport. It is what I grew up on, and what I shared most with my family. I can never love a sport like I LOVE baseball, and that is a simple truth.