Who would have known that I would be hooked on baseball? For the longest time, I thought it was the most boring sports ever. I have been to a minor league game and a major league game a few years ago. Both times I was invited to the game. I found the sideline activities more interesting than the game itself.
I watched World Series 2012 when Giants won the championship. I tuned in because people around me are doing so. Since San Francisco is the home of the Giants, I cheered for the team too in the comfort of my living room. Shortly after Giants won the World Series, the trophy went around town and made a short stop at my work place. It was a lively event where my fellow co-workers donned their Giants jerseys and queued to take picture with the trophy. I did not join the club then.
A couple of weeks back, I watched a live Giants game on television and took the time to understand the MLB rules. I got some of the basics down— 9 innings in one game, 3 outs ends 1/2 inning and as I understand more rules, I started to appreciate the game more and I started to watch more games. It was not until recently that I came to realize that there are a lot of baseball fans around me. I turned to my fellow co-workers to deepen my understanding of this sport — RBI, foul ball, fair ball and balk. I am fortunate to have many living wikipedia about baseball around me. It sure makes it a very conducive environment to learn about the game. I am hooked.
Since I have acquired sufficient knowledge to appreciate the games, I started to google or wikipedia the baseball players. I find it very special that each player has a moniker e.g. Tim Lincecum is "The freak", Pablo Sandoval is "panda", Marco Scutaro is "Blockbuster" and Hunter Pence is "The Reverend". As I read through the players stats, it reminded me that age is catching up on me. Age may be just a number, it is still sad that these players are younger than me. That is not going to change anytime soon so I will get over it.
Perhaps I like baseball because it is a low contact sports. I find baseball a very gentleman game. There is hardly any shouting match between the umpires and players. There is literally no tackling in baseball. Everyone behaves. The players do not show much emotion during the game. The pitchers are probably the most even keel people in the game and they demonstrated strength and resilience in the way they conduct themselves. One thing, I cannot comprehend is the spitting. Why are players spitting all the time? It seems to be deeply rooted in the baseball culture. This does not make sense but it is happening in every game.
I watched a live Giants game at AT&T ballpark with my boyfriend to celebrate my anniversary. I cheered and joined in the fun. It's a family event and a sport for everyone. I enjoyed myself immensely. This time, I focused on the game more than activities happening on the sideline. It is as though the light bulb just turned on after so many years before I learn how to appreciate the game. But I am glad I did and I am hooked.
