Opening Day (sniff)

I love lots of sports, but baseball has always had a special place in my heart.  I can't put my finger on it - I'm sure some of it is the fact that games are during the summer, that there's strategy for every person on the field, that I made some of my best sports friends charting pitches for my high school baseball team, but mostly it's 3 hours away from stress.  I always remind people that it's still America's favorite pastime, not necessarily the favorite sport.

So, now we face opening weekend, one of the most optimistic times in the sports year.  Even my Pirates are still tied for first place on opening day, though it doesn't usually last long.  I'm sad today, because I know they are playing, and I know I've given up watching or better yet, listening to games, which is still my favorite way to be a fan short of being there live.  I also think I'm the best kind of sports fan with baseball.  Yes, I do hate the Yankees (and to a lesser extent, the Red Sox), for legitimate reasons mind you, but most teams I can just appreciate, because most teams struggle to put a good product out there year to year, and unless you have a $200 million payroll, it's hard to guarantee a winning record every year.  I can enjoy talented pitchers and hitters, I can marvel at the beauty of a no-hitter or the difficulty of maintaining a .300 batting average over a long year.  I love that game, not just one team. 

There is part of me who wonders if part of it is because the Pirates have been doormats for so long.  But the Rockies have had some great runs, which included my first ever attendance at a playoff game in any professional sport, and it hasn't diminished my love of the game (in fact, I think it rekindled it some).   Plus, I still love baseball mythology - the 57 game hitting streak, the Iron Man, the perfect hitter embodied by DiMaggio and Gwynn, the amazing variety of pitchers from Randy Johnson to Tim Wakefield.  I look back at the past two months and realize that while football tends to bring out the worst in me as a fan, baseball brings out the best.

It will be a long summer without you, baseball.  Even if the Pirates lose 100 again this year.