Back at the ballpark
Well last night I went to my first Baseball game of the season. It's the first time in the history of the Diamondbacks I didn't go to the season opener. I guess I was feeling guilty about that and decided I better at least go to a game in the opening series.
The Diamondbacks are off to a slow-ish start. They said at the beginning of the year that they wanted to run a lot more. So far that has translated into a handful of stupid base running errors.
I was sitting right next to three huge Dodgers fans so it was quite funny the banter we got going back and forth. Some people, like my wife, complain that the game is so slow. Watching it live though you really get a chance to experience it with a bunch of people and that's so much more enjoyable than any other sport. I guess you have to have the 'bug' to really get that. It's the banter, the prodding, the intentionally obscure minutia that you throw into the mix that really makes the game fun.
This is especially fun with perfect strangers. I had season tickets for a few years and it got a little annoying always sitting next to the same folks because you always knew what they were going to say. Since Laura and I discovered it's better for our marriage that I go alone, I've really enjoyed just sitting 'wherever'. (The great thing about going alone is that you can literally sit in whatever part of the park you want, there is almost always a single seat available.)
This kind of dynamic doesn't occur in Basketball or Hockey. When was the last time you were at a hockey game and had a discussion about wether or not Curtis Joseph has had more success making blocks in the 5 hole when he was with the Maple Leafs during the game. It just doesn't happen. But in baseball, for much of the game, that is discussion is the best thing that is happening. And for the record, I remain convinced that the Dodgers infield is not going to prove to be the best infield in the majors this year, but that's another topic.
I've also decided to take the plunge and try out a fantasy baseball league this summer. I'm just going with a casual league with Yahoo! so I can learn more about how this all works.
