A Girl Who Digs Bats and Balls

I have been a sports nut for as long as I can remember. But, I have always had an extreme loving affection for the National Pastime. Baseball has always fascinated me. There was a time when I couldn’t get enough the sport! Box scores in the morning, Jim Rome during homework, ESPN before bedtime. If it was about baseball, I was going to find it.

How far did this obsession go? In 7th grade, we had to do a research paper. We could choose ANY topic we wanted. And what did I say I was going to write about? I chose to write about the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. That’s right…as a 13-year old I wrote about “Eight Men Out.” The prissy, princessy girls at school thought I was writing about baseball to impress the guys. But the fact was I wanted to date the game of baseball, not Matthew Mayhew who sat next to me.

I was reminded yesterday exactly how much I love this sport. Thanks to a scheduling conflict, my boss handed over two tickets to USA vs. Mexico at the World Baseball Classic to me and another co-worker. And these were really primo seats! The atmosphere was electric; there was that buzz in the air that you can only get in the presence of massive groups of people. The fans (for both sides) were so passionate and vocal, I felt like I finally had found my people. We were so close to the action, it prompted my co-worker to say, “I feel like I’m dreaming.”

She was totally right too. For those of us who love the game, there is something mesmerizing about it. To me, the perfect date would be at the ballpark. Nothing beats the sights, sounds, and the taste of a hot dog at your local ballpark on a summer’s night. And after getting the best that Chase Field had to offer yesterday, you would be hard pressed to change my mind (I mean…check out the picture I took!).

As I sat watching the game, I was reminded of a list that I wrote up a few years ago (c. 2002) regarding my love of baseball. After some concerted digging on my part and Lenny’s, I found a hard copy on my old desktop. I re-read the list and found that I still felt the same way about baseball…if not more. So, I wanted to share it with you guys. Here are the reasons why I simply LOVE baseball:

1. Because in 1984, Steve Garvey hit a home run in the NLCS that made my Dad yell so loud that I thought he was possessed.
2. Because in 1985, the KC Royals helped me win my first World Series bet (for $2) in the 2nd grade.
3. Because I watched a Jack Clark foul ball hit the railing in front of me at LODGE LEVEL seating in Jack Murphy stadium (and the rail vibrated for 3 full minutes afterwards).
4. Because I thought Ozzie Smith did better back flips than Mary Lou Retton.
5. Because I remember what a "thin" Tony Gwynn looks like.
6. Because Cal Ripken, Jr. reinforced my parent's motto of never doing a “half ass job”.
7. Because in my pre-teen/teen years the Braves were in suck mode.
8. Because in my late teens/early twenties the Braves were in dominate mode.
9. Because the only time I ever cheered for the Dodger's was when Kurt Gibson hit that miracle home run.
10. Because Bo Jackson got a single when the pitcher was trying to WALK him.
11. Because I've seen Bank One Ballpark built from the ground up (2006 addendum: And I’ve seen it change its name from BOB to Chase Field).
12. Because at ONE D-Backs game I saw Randy Johnson strike out Mark McGuire TWICE, watched Big Mac hit a home run off Randy Johnson, and the first ever triple play in D-Backs history.
13. Because I got to go to Game 2 of the 2001 World Series after spending 3 hours on the computer hitting the "refresh" button to get 5 tickets in the upper bowl.
14. Because In 2001, Luis Gonzalez hit a World Series winning single that made ME scream so loud, my husband thought I was possessed.
15. Because I remember how excited my brother was when he found a bag of baseball cards in the parking lot of a Toys R Us.
16. Because the Game is something my husband and I can enjoy TOGETHER.
17. Because when I finally got to see Curt Schilling pitch, there was a drunken lady screaming for him to “Hit is over here…” Despite the fact he was on the mound at the time.
18. Because I ENJOY heckling Barry Bonds (You Bum!), the Yankees (You Bums!), and the Dodgers ("Bum" is too good for you!).
19. Because when I have kids, they're going to have their own memory list like this.

I like hockey. I enjoy watching football. College basketball and March Madness are something to behold. But dammit…there’s nothing like baseball for me. I’m a bat and balls kind of girl. And I plan on staying that way!