Atlanta Braves: An argument that baseball is not the ”national wastetime”

The conversation below has nothing specifically to do with the Braves, but more about our sport in general

The morning following a terrific game three of the 2017 World Series, I wake up to the following email from a buddy of mine.  Like I said above, this email doesn’t specifically have anything to do with the Atlanta Braves, but more about the game we all love and cherish so much.

Baseball is the American Pastime (and even national pastime) sport and will always be in my eyes.  It’s the sport I grew up watching with my grandfather and father, it’s the sport I played in college and still continue to play — well adult slow pitch softball, but it’s kinda the same! — and it’s the sport I’ll teach my kids to love and enjoy.

So when I woke up to an email this morning like the one below, a response was definitely needed.  Gotta defend what you love, right?

Now I will say, no hard feelings towards this buddy of mine, but he just chooses to not admire the game of baseball and he enjoys other hobbies…and that’s completely fine.  This was to a group of 10 and not directed just towards me.

Okay, so here we go…I felt this conversation was worth posting because it shows the diversity of us as human beings and how it’s so interesting to me how we’re all so different.

The Email

"I’m sorry but baseball is the national wastetime. I can hardly imagine a less entertaining sport to watch. If your 9 fat, middle-aged, juiced guys can stand around a diamond for 2 hours better than my 9 fat, middle-aged, juiced guys, who gives a s***?Even soccer has more action. And soccer players are the biggest crybabies in sports. But at least a couple players have been known to jog at the same time… I just don’t understand how so many people get enjoyment from watching baseball players spend 90% of the game standing around.If I want to fall asleep fast, I either put on baseball or golf (which is about as entertaining as fishing.) I’m sorry, but baseball is barely a sport. I’ll never understand."

The Response

I can’t think of a sport I hate.  If you hate a sport, you’re probably ignorant to it and hating it is your only course of action.  For example, I’ve started to like soccer because I grew knowledge of the game.  Players, teams, leagues, tactics.  A greater understanding of what was happening made the game far more exciting and I found a great appreciation in it.

Same goes for baseball.  Even in a lengthy 2-1 ballgame, I get excited by the pitching selection and placement.  I understand why a pitcher may throw a cutter versus a changeup inside to a guy who likes to pull the ball, and can appreciate when the ball movement is absolutely dirty and you can tell he’s got just f**** mojo on the mound.

Baseball is man vs. man at a very basic level.  “Give me your best f**** pitch, and beat me”.  Which, during dramatic moments, is amplified immensely and you can feel that intensity.

Baseball is the best sport though.  I really love all sports, but baseball is the best of them.

No pro league celebrates its tradition more or is more heavily engrained into American culture.  And the 9 fat middle-aged guys is a very tired and lazy trope.  Baseball is by and large one of the most diverse sports.  With a good mix of Latino, African-American and caucasian players.  And you need only look to Giancarlo Stanton or Aaron Judge to see what the prototypical physique of a top baseball player looks like.

Baseball is blood and guts and dirt and pine tar.  It tastes like Copenhagen straight cut and smells like caked on sweat on the inside of your ball cap.  And there isn’t a better sound on earth than the “knock” of a ball to the cherry of a wood bat.

Next: Braves Nightmare Continues; Are Braves Toxic?

–I apologize about the language in there–