It's officially over. 162 games. The long, hot, dusty baseball regular season has come to a close. My Reds started well and ended even better. It's no secret that I love baseball and that I love, love, love Reds baseball. It's sad for me each October because Baseball is a mainstay on my TV. Thank God for DVR or I'd rarely watch anything but ballgames. You know, some people collect stamps, some play fantasy sports, some people are avid readers or have kids that play sports in every season. But for me, baseball is a hobby. I don't have to collect anything and I don't have to buy much. Hobby is defined as: An activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure. That's according to Answers.com. It's for pleasure. Baseball pleases me. There's nothing like the feeling of being home during the day and finding a day game being televised from some out of market ballpark. ESPN always would have one or two on during the week. TBS would play the Atlanta games and WGN would air Cubs or White Sox day tilts. So if you work from home like me, you can find a game on in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday on a regular basis. And I love that. I love checking the box scores and reading about the games of the night online. It's a huge interest for me, and it pleases me.
There are 3 times per baseball season that I get sad. Mother's Day in May, Father's Day in June, and the last Reds game in October. Mother's Day on the radio with Marty Brennamen is special because Marty always writes and reads on-air, a poem that he wrote for his mother. It's special because Marty is so genuine, and so brilliant as a broadcaster of sports, that when you hear another side of him come through the radio, well, you just know it's completely heartfelt. You can hear how a grown man feels about the most special person in his life. It's touching. So is it sad? Not really, but it does make me go all sentimental. Then Fathers' Day in June...for me personally is just sad because it's been 5 years since my Pop died, and baseball always reminds me of him. I remember a few years ago Ken Griffey Jr. hit a homerun on Father's Day, and Ken Senior was in the front row. Junior hit that bomb, rounded the bases on those worn out legs of his and went directly from homeplate to the stands and gave his dad a huge hug, still wearing his batting helmet. The Cincinnati Kid. That one made my knees go weak. And then the final game of the year. All the broadcasters do the round of thanks to all the behind the scenes people in production, and they tell us about how hope springs eternal, and then they dissect the season, discussing what worked, what didn't, and what the team will need to overcome in the off season. They leave us with hope and sadness.
I guess the end of the season also means that summer is over, winter is near. Short pants are gradually replaced by jeans and sweaters and jackets. Kids are back in school and and nights seem to begin sometime during dinner each night. And the suntans fade and the leaves begin to change and I'm reminded that life goes on. But the best thing about baseball is that there's always another game, always another season. Hope does spring eternal in baseball. I can't wait for the playoffs to start, and I can't wait for the World Series. I can't wait to hear the hot stove reports on the radio and I can't wait to start reading and hearing about the big off season trades and signings to be announced. Most of all though, I can't wait for spring training to begin. Baseball pleases me and I ain't afraid to admit that. Now it's time for this Reds fan to put away his Reds cap and get out his Yankees cap. Hope spring eternal in Reds-land this year for sure. But it's always nice to have a backup plan. GO YANKS!!
There are 3 times per baseball season that I get sad. Mother's Day in May, Father's Day in June, and the last Reds game in October. Mother's Day on the radio with Marty Brennamen is special because Marty always writes and reads on-air, a poem that he wrote for his mother. It's special because Marty is so genuine, and so brilliant as a broadcaster of sports, that when you hear another side of him come through the radio, well, you just know it's completely heartfelt. You can hear how a grown man feels about the most special person in his life. It's touching. So is it sad? Not really, but it does make me go all sentimental. Then Fathers' Day in June...for me personally is just sad because it's been 5 years since my Pop died, and baseball always reminds me of him. I remember a few years ago Ken Griffey Jr. hit a homerun on Father's Day, and Ken Senior was in the front row. Junior hit that bomb, rounded the bases on those worn out legs of his and went directly from homeplate to the stands and gave his dad a huge hug, still wearing his batting helmet. The Cincinnati Kid. That one made my knees go weak. And then the final game of the year. All the broadcasters do the round of thanks to all the behind the scenes people in production, and they tell us about how hope springs eternal, and then they dissect the season, discussing what worked, what didn't, and what the team will need to overcome in the off season. They leave us with hope and sadness.
I guess the end of the season also means that summer is over, winter is near. Short pants are gradually replaced by jeans and sweaters and jackets. Kids are back in school and and nights seem to begin sometime during dinner each night. And the suntans fade and the leaves begin to change and I'm reminded that life goes on. But the best thing about baseball is that there's always another game, always another season. Hope does spring eternal in baseball. I can't wait for the playoffs to start, and I can't wait for the World Series. I can't wait to hear the hot stove reports on the radio and I can't wait to start reading and hearing about the big off season trades and signings to be announced. Most of all though, I can't wait for spring training to begin. Baseball pleases me and I ain't afraid to admit that. Now it's time for this Reds fan to put away his Reds cap and get out his Yankees cap. Hope spring eternal in Reds-land this year for sure. But it's always nice to have a backup plan. GO YANKS!!
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