Baseball, Life, and Other Stuff

What's Wrong with the Game of Baseball? Part II

The real problem with the game of baseball has nothing to do with what takes place on the field.  It has everything to do, however, with what takes place in baseball's corporate boardrooms or perhaps, more specifically, what takes place between the ears of those who inhabit baseball's corporate boardrooms.  The problem is simple:  Baseball management has no appreciation for what a special game baseball is.  To them, it is a mere form of entertainment and by regarding it as such, they have taught many fans to regard baseball in the same way.  More than any other sport, baseball is art on an athletic field.  It is subtle, nuanced, non-violent.  The most important pitch may be the first one or it may be the last.  You won't know until that last pitch has been thrown.  If folks, especially children are not taught to appreciate baseball's nuances, then baseball will simply become--is already becoming for too many--just one more diversion and not the special game that we know it to be.  The Lords of Baseball are ensuring themselves of a smaller and smaller audience, because they don't market the very elements of the game that make it unique.

The Hagerstown Suns have a playground for kids and a beer garden for adults.  The Frederick Keys have a carousel for kids.  Parks all over the country have moon bounces, mascots, clowns, between innings idiocy, scoreboards so big that they must be measured in acres, and signs that tell fans when to applaud.  A former general manager of the Hagerstown Suns was quoted in the paper here a few years ago as saying that it didn't matter if fans knew the score when they left the ballpark, as long as they had a good time.  It doesn't matter if the fans don't know the most fundamental thing about the game they just watched?  Then why not skip buying a ticket and simply go to the playground or a bar?  The next generation is not being taught to sit still, much less how to watch the game. 

Several years ago, my family and I went to an Orioles' game on Mother's Day.  Kansas City and the Birds were tied 7-7 with one out and runners on 2nd and 3rd in the top of the 8th.  It was the key moment of the game.  Steve Kline was on the mound for the Orioles.  He came set, checked the runners, and then . . . two young men ran down in front of our section and urged everyone to do the wave.  I did not do the wave.  They were hollered down (guess who led that chorus) and they skulked away, but clearly they had no more appreciation for what was happening on the field than the pigeons flying above Camden Yards.

It is worth noting again--some of you have heard this before--that the first time I took Al Smith to a game at Rebels Park, he was astonished by the fact that everyone in the crowd was actually watching the game, the kids included.  That is a far cry from what happens at most professional parks today and is yet another reason to consume your baseball in New Market or any of the other summer league parks.

Baseball is the greatest game in the world.  Too bad that the people who run the professional game don't realize it; and that's what is really wrong with baseball.

What's Wrong with the Game of Baseball? Part I

The answer to this question as far as the game on the field is not much.  Yes, studies indicate that a four-man rotation is more economical and causes no more injuries than a five-man rotation and the position of "closer" is totally bogus, but I can live with those deficiencies of the modern game.  What is becoming unbearable, however, is the length of the games, a problem that is traceable to a strike zone that has shrunk considerably in the past 40 years.

As my good friend Al Smith has pointed out, a two hour game is a beautiful poem, but add an extra hour (or two if Daniel Cabrera is pitching) and you've got a Russian novel on your hands.  Certainly, commercial breaks between innings have become longer , but more than anything else, the smaller strike zone has resulted in more pitches thrown which has resulted in more pitchers used which has resulted in longer games.

In today's game, there is no reason for the batter to assume that the pitcher can throw the ball into the narrow strike zone with any consistency and so he goes to the plate looking for the perfect pitch to hit.  He's got a good chance of getting it, too, because it just about has to be perfect to be called a strike.  Deeper counts produce longer games.

The game of baseball has a delicate rhythm to it.  Tension builds slowly throughout an at-bat, throughout an inning, and throughout the entire game.  That tension depends on the players, the situation, and the score.  Destroy that rhythm with an endless stream of full-counts, mound visits, and pitching changes and the game is reduced from athletic work of art to just another form of entertainment.

No one, however, has done more to reduce baseball to just another form of entertainment than today's baseball hierarchy, both at the major and minor league level, and that is our discussion for Part II of What's Wrong with the Game of Baseball?

Gardening Tips

As someone who ran a landscape business for 8 years, I thought many of you out there in Blogland would appreciate a couple of tips, especially since Spring is only a week old and already I see people putting down mulch.  Here's tip #1:  It's WAY too early to put down mulch!  Mulch works as an insulator and to put it down now is to seal in the cold and keep the sun out.  This will delay germination of some of your bulbs and perennials by two to three weeks.  From Roanoke to Williamsport and points east and west, you should wait until the average date of the last frost--about May 15-- to put down mulch.  And whatever you do, don't surround your poor trees with mulch piled so high that it looks like a little mulch volcano spewing out lava-trees.

Here's tip #2:  Don't use mulch in the first place.  It's expensive, it breaks down, and critters such as field mice and meadow voles love it.  For them, it's easy to burrow into and it's a good place to hide from predators.  Snakes tend to love mulch as well because it's warm, it's a good place for them to hide from predators, and it's also a good place for them to pick up a quick meal such as a field mouse or a meadow vole. 

Tip #3 is avoid using that weed fabric. It is expensive and worse than useless.  It will prevent your bulbs and perennials from spreading, it will cause your shrubs to root themselves too close to the soil's surface because the fabric does not allow water to penetrate as deeply, and weeds will root themselves in the mulch that you place on top.  The weed roots will then penetrate the fabric and become twice as difficult to pull.

Tip #4:  Plant ground cover such as vinca, stonecrop sedum, or any other spreading plant that suits your fancy.  They look nicer and are less expensive in the long run than mulch.  Ground cover will allow the soil to heat up naturally in the Spring, yet shade the roots of shrubs and perennials in the Summer, keeping them cooler and helping to retain moisture.

Remember, there is no such thing as "weed-proof."  If you don't believe me, look at the photograph below which shows sedum growing out of the side of a rock cliff along the C & O Canal.

Of course, you want to get out there on those first warm weekends in March and April and work those dormant muscles underneath a warming sun, but that's no excuse for mulching too early.  If you must do something, come over to my house and I'll get you to paint the outside trim.  That way, all three of us will be happy--you, your spring flowers, and me.

$2,625.00?? Are you Kidding Me?

A front row seat at the new Yankee Stadium will cost $2,625.00 per game.  Look at that number again:  It's not $26.25, but $2,625.00.

By my calculation, $2,625.00 will buy you 525 tickets to a New Market Rebels game, which at current prices is over 23 seasons worth.  Or, put another way, Sarah, Becky, Martha, and I could go to almost every game for the next 6 years.  Or--and it's right before lunch as I write this--I could go to every game this season and still have $2,515.00 to buy hamburgers and nachos, which I calculate to be almost 23 servings of each per game.  (Hey, math might not be so dumb after all, but you have to have read a previous entry to know what I'm talking about.)

I ask myself, who in the world would pay this kind of money to see a baseball game, but it occurs to me that whoever he may be, he is less interested in seeing and more interested in being seen.  Such a person could probably make that kind of money and achieve the same result by renting himself out as store-window mannequin.  Certainly the difference in intellect and character between such a person and a store-window mannequin is not spacious.  In fact, I'd rather go to a ballgame with the mannequin.

In any case, we may draw several conclusions from the facts above:  1) People have way too much money to spend even in this economy; 2)  The Yankees are antithetical to all that is good and right;  3)  You should take the $2,625.00 and take me, Sarah, Becky, Martha, and the mannequin to every Rebels' game this season and buy us all hamburgers and nachos.  Oh, and a pennant, too, as you'll still have money to spare.

Patriots by A. J. Langguth

As today marks the 234th anniversary of Patrick Henry's speech to Virginia's Revolutionary Convention in which he famously said "Give me liberty or give me death!" it is appropriate to review the book, Patriots (1989) by A. J. Langguth, the best book that I have ever read--period.  A history that reads like a novel, Patriots relates the improbable story of the birth of the United States.  Subtitled The Men Who Started the American Revolution, this work tracks the myriad figures who contributed to our nation's founding, some of whom, such as George Washington, are internationally famous, while others, such as James Otis, have faded into obscurity.

The book begins in 1761 with Otis challenging British authority and ends with Washington's resignation as commander-in-chief in 1783.  In between lies a host of fascinating details about these men and the events that they set in motion:  John Hancock, at age 13, practicing his penmanship for an hour a day; Sam Adams tracking public opinion with an instinct more accurate than modern polling; a nervous George Washington whose hands shook and whose voice broke during his brief speech to Congress when he resigned his commission.

Langguth also provides fascinating details about the minor figures in this story.  One such example is that of Baron von Steuben, a Prussian soldier who taught a manual of arms to Washington's untrained troops at Valley Forge, but who spoke no English.  Exasperated at one point at his American charges, he exclaimed to a translator, "These fellows won't do what I tell them!  Come swear for me!"

Langguth's greatest skill is perhaps his ability to use exactly the right detail without overwhelming the reader with too much detail.  The chapters dealing with the various battles are essentially summaries of the engagements, but are so skillfully told that it will pique your desire to read more detailed works if you are unfamiliar with the subject.  With relatively little in the way of military details, Langguth's description of the fight at Lexington will leave you listening for echoes of musket fire, even 234 years after the fact.  The first 223 of 564 pages, however, examine the battles that were fought in courtrooms, in legislatures, and in the streets by men such as Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry as they worked to mold the American mindset that at first desired only redress for British wrongs into a full-blown drive for independence.

A journalist and professor at the University of Southern California, Langguth has provided perhaps the best summary of his work when he wrote in the "Acknowledgments" to Patriots that "there seemed to be a place for a book that approached the Revolution as a story, focusing on the principal actors," adding that he intended the book "for readers who knew that Washington had crossed the Delaware, but didn't know why; that Benedict Arnold had betrayed his country, but didn't know how."  Professor Langguth has succeeded brilliantly in executing his intentions, and I highly recommend Patriots:  The Men Who Started the American Revolution to lovers of good books, lovers of history, and lovers of America.

NOTE:  Professor Langguth was kind enough to comment on this blog when I posted an essay on George Washington back on February 22, and he informed me that Simon & Schuster has just completed its 27th printing of Patriots.  Obviously, I'm not alone in my admiration for this book!

Spell-check, Schmell-check

The spell-check feature in any word processing software is a wonderful and accurate thing.  In fact, it is 100% accurate when it comes to finding a misspelled word.  It cannot, however, ensure that you have used the correct word.

The Carroll County Public Schools of Maryland once produced a brochure on employee benefits with "Carroll County Pubic Schools" emblazoned across the front.  Pubic was spelled correctly, demonstrating that spell-check did its job even if the proofreader did not.  But for one letter a hole world--I'm sorry, I mean a whole word can radically change in meaning.

In the case of homophones (words that sound the same, but are spelled differently) we may intend to write one word, only to have our fingertips type its homophonic match.  After all, a prophet knows no honor in his own country, but a profit is welcome everywhere.

Once in a while, the very space or lack thereof between words may radically alter the meaning of our thought.  There is certainly a difference between "Look up in the road ahead," and "Look, up in the road, a head!"  The former suggests that we gaze forward, however nonchalantly to chart our progress on a journey, while the latter indicates with some urgency, that we might be in for a big surprise.

Yes, indeed, spell-check is a handy tool.  It will read every word you write, but it can't read your mind.

Everybody Get on Board!

On this date 36 years ago, one of the great songs of all-time became #1 on the Billboard charts:  "Love Train" by the O'Jays.  (Wait a minute . . . 36 years ago?  Really?)  It's a testament to the song's staying power that Coors beer uses it in its television commercials even today.

Now, here's the real point of this post:  I got this information from this really great website that lists the #1 song for every day of the year all the way back to the 1890s!  Most songs from the 1960s on up may be sampled and purchased through iTunes or Rhapsody.  In any case, you would be hard-pressed to find a better site on which to waste time while at work than this one.

Enjoy the website right after you board the Love Train!

What's in a Name, Pt. 2

Last Wednesday, professional team nicknames was the subject of that day's post.  There is one nickname that needs to be addressed for its unusualness and that is "Spiders."  Most Virginians know that the University of Richmond is known as the "Spiders," and according to their website, the nickname goes back to 1893 when a team of University and local players formed a baseball team.  Star pitcher Puss Ellyson ("Puss"?  I hope that was his nickname and not his given name.) had what we would today refer to as a herky-jerky delivery, i. e. all arms and legs, or so it appeared to opposing hitters.  A Richmond reporter named Ragland Chesterman ("Ragland"?) dubbed the team the "Spiders" and the name has been used ever since.

Many people do not know that Cleveland had a professional baseball team in the American Association that was also nicknamed the Spiders during that same time period.  According to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, the team was so named because of the large number of "skinny players."  This makes no sense to me as the adjectives "big" and "fat" seem most often applied to spiders as in "Come kill this big fat spider!"  Rarely do you hear someone say "Aww, look at that poor skinny spider.  Let's find him something to eat."  By the way, the Cleveland Spiders set a truly scary record by going 20-134 in 1899, in what turned out not surprisingly, to be their last year of existence.  If that isn't enough to give you arachnophobia, nothing is.

Rainy Day Fun at Rebel Park (but not for JMU!)

Rain reduced yesterday's scheduled doubleheader to one soggy--and lopsided--contest at Rebel Park as Bryant University from Rhode Island defeated James Madison University 22-8.  The score might have been worse, but Bryant manager Jamie Pinzino bunted in the first inning with two on and no out.  Somewhere in this fabled land Earl Weaver is crying . . . or cussing . . . or both.

Katie Getz had the park looking festive with purple and gold balloons tied to the bleachers, and everyone enjoyed the pregame ceremonies in which JMU head coach Spanky McFarland received the key to New Market.  McFarland, in turn, presented Mayor Larry Smith with a baseball autographed by the entire JMU squad.  Mayor Smith then threw out the first ball.  It wasn't close to being a strike; on the other hand, he was one of the few hometown pitchers not to give up a run.

Lynne Alger and her crew had the concession stand open, and they were in midseason form, as my cheeseburgers with those famous grilled onions tasted like summer to me.

Charlie and Melissa Dodge were there, of course, and Melissa shared her favorite children's book How George Radbourn Saved the Game of Baseball.  I had plenty of time to read it during the frequent pitching changes.  We enjoyed a wonderful conversation on baseball, hockey, and the good old days before aluminum bats.  Several other Rebel faithful were there, including Jim Weissenborn, Fred Miller, Larry and Sharon Smith, Jerry Carter who manned the PA booth, and, of course, all 4 Algers.  It was great seeing each of them.  I also had the chance to meet Buddy and Betty Weiner, the parents of current JMU pitcher and future Rebel James Weiner.

In spite of the weather and the score, it was a fun day at Rebel Park.  I've never had otherwise.

Just a bit low and away.

A visual summary of yesterday's weather!

A visual summary of yesterday's game!  JMU catcher Chris Johnson, who hit a homer of his own, had a great deal of company at home plate.

Thoughts on #13

Today is the second Friday the 13th in as many months and it got me to thinking about baseball players who have worn #13.  Baseball players are a superstitious bunch and it is not a popular number.  In fact, when Bruce Alger orders uniforms for the New Market Rebels, he routinely omits #13.

Perhaps the most prominent #13 in baseball today is Alex Rodriguez, who may want to consider changing his number, because if ever there was a guy who needed to change his luck, it is Alex.  Of course, I'm not sure it's the number's fault that he partied with strippers after he was married, that he took steroids, or that he has managed to alienate so many people, but it would be a novel defense:  "I'm sorry.  It was because I wore #13.  Now that I've changed to #25, it will never happen again."  That number, 25, would be appropriate since that's how much, in millions of dollars, Alex makes every year.  We should all be so unlucky.

One of the most notable #13s was the Brooklyn Dodgers' Ralph Branca.  It was Branca who gave up Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World" in the 9th inning of the final game of the 1951 playoffs.  The Dodgers had held, appropriately enough, a 13 game lead over Thomson's Giants as late as August, but in the end, the Dodgers lost their lead and ultimately the playoff.

The #13 forever etched in my memory is the Orioles' Steve Barber.  A hard-throwing lefty who was the Birds' first 20 game winner in 1963, Barber became an instant favorite of mine when I found out that he and I were born in the same hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland.  Such little details are really cool to little baseball fans! . . .  Okay, I admit that I still think it's cool.

In any case, here's wishing all my readers good luck today!