Ready For Baseball

I don't know what has happened to me but all of a sudden I really want to watch baseball. Maybe it's because football is over? Maybe because I attended the Giants fanfest last Saturday and being in the ballpark fired me up for baseball? Maybe because trees are beginning to bloom. Maybe because it's suppose to be 70 degrees tomorrow in the valley? Maybe because Baseball Prospectus released their annual PECOTA projections today? For whatever reason I really want to watch baseball.

I'm reading Fangraphs, Hardball Times, Baseball Prospectus, and MSM's baseball pages more often. I'm watching the Baseball Network more. I'm counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report. I'm consuming baseball more and more in preparation for the upcoming season.

Why though am I fired up for baseball though? Is it because I'm excited for summer? Not really because I hate summer and hot weather. I realize that the baseball season is long and I'll be thirsting for a different sport to watch as soon as the NBA season ends. So why am I excited for baseball right now? Let's ask the Colonel.

"I gotta ask a question," I say to the Colonel. "Why am I fired up for baseball right now? Is it because I attended fanfest last weekend?"

"I think that has a lot to do with it," says the Colonel. "You went to the beautiful ballpark, saw players and announcers, peed right next to Javier Lopez and it fired you up. The Giants basically dangled a piece of cake in front of you but said comeback in two months if you want to eat it."

"I don't remember wanting to watch baseball as badly before a season like this?" I say.


"I have theory on this," says the Colonel. "Baseball is a sport that you appreciate more the older you get.

In a lot of ways baseball is like your drinking habits. When you're younger you just want booze. You want to either be buzzed or drunk. You don't appreciate what you are drinking. When you get older though you make more wise decisions about the alcohol you drink. Maybe you don't drink a specific kind of beer anymore. Maybe you don't drink beer at all anymore and just stick with hard alcohols and wine. Either way most people's drinking habits change in time.

I believe it's the same way with people's viewing habits with sports. The older you become the more you appreciate a sport like baseball. You're not looking for that buzz/drunk feeling with baseball. You just enjoy it like a nice glass of scotch."

"I do enjoy the slowness of baseball," I say. "It's a nice break from the constant hyperactivity that is football, basketball, and hockey."

"Exactly," says the Colonel. "Golf is another sport that a lot of people seem to enjoy more as they get older. You don't need constant movement to be entertained as you get older."

Whatever the reason is, I'm excited that baseball is almost back.