“A critic once characterized baseball as six minutes of action crammed into two-and-one-half hours. “
The morning is downright cold. I’m thinking winter is trying to hold on, trying to keep spring away, but it’s too late. The temperature no longer matters. I have dismissed winter. I haven’t quite welcomed spring, but I figure we’re in the shoulder season betwixt and between and winter is losing ground, literally and figuratively. A snow storm isn’t an impossibility as we sometimes have one in March and even in April but they are the swan songs. This morning, after getting the papers, I saw a green shoot in my front garden. It survived the snow. I figure I have too.
The Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox are trying to entice young kids to the ballpark. It seems kids think the game is boring to watch, and they’d prefer their baseball as a video game. I get that. The games are long, especially Sox games. Other sports seem to have constant, or almost constant, action. The best played baseball games have low scores with nothing much going on. The fun games are usually when balls are hit out of the park and the score is high. When I watch at home, there is always plenty of time for bathroom breaks or a trip to the kitchen for snacks. I seldom miss any action. I wouldn’t dare do that during a Pats’ game. Nope, I wait for the commercial. There are new rules this year to speed up the game. My favorite new rule is pitchers no longer have to throw those silly way outside the strike zone balls on intentional walks. The manager can simply signal the umpire. The one I expect to cause the most problems is hitters must keep at least one foot inside the batter’s box at all times. David Ortiz comes to mind. He steps out of the box, leans his bat between his legs, spits on his gloves and then pounds his hands together after just about every pitch. I always think it’s a bit gross, but baseball players have rituals and superstitions which must, in their minds, be honored. Stepping out of the batter’s box to spit on gloves to David is essential.
I’m thinking a cattle prod might be more helpful. Give the players a couple of warnings then the next time they run afoul of the rules bring out the cattle prod. A zap or two should work.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: Baseball, baseball rituals, cold morning, good-bye winter, green shoots, hello spring, long baseball games, no more intentional walk ptiches, Red Sox, spring, superstitions, voodoo, winter
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March 12, 2015 at 10:48 am
I have Thursday April 9th circled as my first trip to watch the Detroit Tigers this year as family arrives from foreign lands and have never experienced an afternoon at the ballpark. Will it be snowing ? Will it be raining ? Do I have enough wooly hats ? or will it be one of those wonderful early spring days ?
The game is too friggin long, I don’t want to be there for over 3 hours. I haven’t focused on all the batter in the box batter out of the box stuff but I know they are trying to speed it up.
I guess Mr Brady will be getting a jolly good look at Mr Suh twice a year. Probably a bunch of “don’t let him hurt me” discussions going on down the Kraft Arena
March 12, 2015 at 1:32 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I hope it will be warm, but April is a difficult month to produce. I once froze at a middle April came in Cleveland. I spend more than a couple of innings sitting by h heater in the ladies’ room.
The game is definitely too long, and the Sox games are always the longest especially when they play the Yankees.
I hope he likes Miami!
March 12, 2015 at 11:29 am
I believe you’re trying to say it’s Mud Season. 🙂
s
March 12, 2015 at 1:29 pm
s,
It is mud season during the day and ice at night. It goes below freezing every night still.
March 12, 2015 at 12:52 pm
Hi Kat,
The very first Red Sox game I ever attended went 16 innings. It was a long night. But we did have seats sort of behind the catcher so that was good.
I believe baseball might be how we Americans picked up the pace on Cricket. 🙂
One way to get kids into the park would be to let them in for free or for some piddling amount of money that is within reach of a kid. I can’t afford to go to a game by myself nowadays. If someone wanted to bring the whole family, they’d have to remortgage the house.
There is a green shoot of something peeking out from under the snow by my front door. The other plant that was also there is looking decidedly poorly. In fact, it looks like a plant that has been frozen. It’s supposed to be an evergreen. We shall see.
It’s wind chill freezing here today. The sun is shining brightly but the trees are rocking and the windows are rattling.
Enjoy the day.
March 12, 2015 at 1:38 pm
Hi Caryn,
Every year I pay $30.00 for membership in Red Sox Kids’ Nation for my grand-nephews. This year it will be free, and the first, I forget how many kids, will get a free game ticket. I figure that’s a great way to lure kid into the park.
I think my green shoot is a hyacinth. It still looks healthy.
It is the same here. I was surprised how strong the wind is-I could hear it.
Stay warm!
March 12, 2015 at 12:54 pm
Forgot to add that Sir Terry Pratchett died today. The light is definitely slower and sadder.
March 12, 2015 at 1:39 pm
It is a sadder, darker world!
March 12, 2015 at 2:26 pm
AT LAST SIR TERRY WE MUST WALK TOGETHER
Terry took Death’s arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night
The End.
March 12, 2015 at 5:10 pm
The end sadly!
March 12, 2015 at 2:51 pm
It seems kids today have no patience, everything must happen now and they need results fast so I guess baseball is just too slow for them. Too bad that is one thing I do like with it. I guess that’s why I like the old cameras when one must think ahead and then wait for the result a week or so to know if it was any good or not 🙂
I always fear the setback, it can come way in to late April or even May here but I do enjoy this early spring and tries to forget that this really is winter still 🙂 Still only snow drops inmy garden but neighbors have crocus flowering now.
Nova Just screamed when I touched her neck. It looks like she has an injury or something but it was hard to see since the fur was clogged. I poured out a lot of hydrogen peroxide over the fur and tried to clean it up as good as I could, I’ll check it better later when the mess is unclogged.
Have a great day!
Christer.
March 12, 2015 at 5:06 pm
Christer,
It’s true that kids need immediate satisfaction. They are into quick and easy. Many prefer electronic games to real games, to being participants.
We have too much snow and too many cold nights for flowers yet. My shoots are a long way from blooming and most are still buried.
Poor baby Nova. Who knows what it is and how long it’s has been there. It is the same with Gracie. Sometimes I do wish she could talk to tell me what’s wrong but a talking Gracie would drive me crazy.
March 12, 2015 at 4:18 pm
Sunny spring was here today. It won’t stay but I planted some more lilies and 2 bush roses nevertheless.
Playing baseball with snow balls would probably look funny.
March 12, 2015 at 5:07 pm
Birgit,
Fenway still has snow, but they use some sort of a tarp over the snow to attract the sun for quicker thawing. The first game there is a month away so there should be time, but I’m thinking it will be darn cold watching a game.
Snowballs would be fun!
March 13, 2015 at 8:28 am
The owners love to tinker with the game. The designated hitter rule is one of those attempts to get more action going and it has basically provided a place for old ball players to end their careers. The intentional walk is part of the strategy of the game. If one of those pitches gets away from the catcher then a runner could advance and change the game. The way to get more young people into the ballpark is to reduce the prices on the snacks. Baseball vs. Football is like the difference between boxing and extream fighting. Boxing is a gentlemanly affair according to rules set out by the Marque de Queensberry. Extreme fighting is a street brawl brought into a cage. The fans don’t want to see a sporting event they want to see a man beaten to death.
Yesterday Tony Romo, the Cowboy’s quarterback, was visiting the Rangers’s spring training camp. He remarked to the media that baseball players make far more money than NFL players because baseball doesn’t have a salary cap. I don’t feel sorry for Tony Romo his great, great grand children won’t have to work but just enjoy their lives on his money.
Yesterday the afternoon temperature was in the low 70s. For the moment Spring has sprung here in North Texas. Besides the balmy temperatures more light rain is in the forecast for today.
March 13, 2015 at 9:43 am
Bob,
It is MLB which is changing the rules. Other new rules limit the time for pitchers and the number of visits to the mound by the coach. It is all logical and sensible. I agree that an intentional walk can sometimes go awry, but it is too infrequent to matter I think.
Boxing, other than amateur boxing, has become a bloody affair where beating the opponent until he can no longer stand or respond is the usual outcome.
Baseball does have that luxury tax. The limit for 2014-2016 is 189 million. If teams go over that, they are taxed for the amount they are over.
They are forecasting cold weather coming in then warm again.