Why Would Anyone Follow Baseball?

Hugh Atkins

Spring Training is in full swing and the exhibition games are underway. Every team is in first place and optimism abounds in Florida and Arizona. It is a great time of year to be a baseball fan. I offer here just a few of the reasons I feel baseball is the greatest sport in the world:

The Grapefruit League, the Cactus League, the Southern League, the Sally League, Bush Leaguer.

The Georgia Peach, the Flying Dutchman, Big Six, Highpockets, Shoeless Joe, the Babe, the Big Bambino, the Sultan of Swat, the Colossus of Clout, the Big Train, the Grey Eagle, Chief Yellow Horse, Old Pete, the Iron Horse, Rajah, Schoolboy, Big Poison, Little Poison, Bucketfoot Al.

The Fordham Flash, Dizzy, Double X, Lefty, the Yankee Clipper, Joltin’ Joe, the Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame, Thumper, Stan the Man, King Carl, Ducky, Hammerin’ Hank, Rapid Robert, Yogi, the Big Cat, Sal the Barber, the Chief, Cool Papa, Old Aches & Pains.

The Duke of Flatbush, the Sey Hey Kid, the Commerce Comet, the Hammer, the Little Colonel, the Scooter, Preacher, the Whip, Captain Eddie, the Great One, Killer, Big Klu, the Chairman of the Board, Mr. Cub, the Old Professor, the Baby Bull, Stretch, Little Louie, the Lip, the Cuban Comet.

The Dandy Dominican, Marvelous Marv, Maz, Yaz, Charlie Hustle, Boog, Top Cat, the Kitten, Mudcat, Catfish, the Toy Cannon, the Big Boy, Big Dog, the Little Bulldog, the Capitol Punisher, Tom Terrific, Knucksie, Blue Moon, the Ryan Express.

Dusty, Howdy Doody, the Roadrunner, Mr. October, Pudge, Pops, Captain Hook, Little Joe, the Count, the Kid, King Kong, Oil Can, Goose, the Bird, the Stork, Hawk, Cobra, the Wizard, Mad Dog, the Crime Dog, the Big Unit, the Big Hurt, Señor Smoke, the General, Doc, Dirt, El Duque, the Sandman, Big Papi, Frenchy, the Freak.

The Mudville Nine, the Miracle Braves, the Bronx Bombers, Murderer’s Row, the Gashouse Gang, the Bums, the Boys of Summer, the M&M Boys, the Miracle Mets, the Big Red Machine, the Lumber Company, Harvey’s Wallbangers, the Blake Street Bombers.

© T.C.G.

Colavito for Kuenn, Brock for Broglio, Robinson for Pappas, Cepeda for Sadecki, Mathews for Bruce, Jackson for Lemaster and Menke, Torre for Cepeda, Cuellar for Blefary, Cepeda for McLain, Carlton for Wise, Butler for Barker, McGriff for Nieves.

The House that Ruth Built, the Green Monster, Monument Park, the Harlem Horseshoe, the Friendly Confines, the Baker Bowl, Coogan’s Bluff, the Pesky Pole, the Mistake by the Lake, Chavez Ravine, the Launching Pad, the Big A, the Mausoleum, the Tomb, the Homer Dome, the Jake, the Ted, the Bob, Elysian Fields, Rickwood Field, Sulpher Dell.

Tinker to Evers to Chance, Merkle’s Boner, the Curse of the Bambino, the Called Shot, the Homer in the Gloamin’, the Streak, the Curse of the Billy Goat, Slaughter’s Mad Dash, Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain, the Shot Heard Round the World, the Miracle at Coogan’s Bluff, the Catch, 61 in ’61, Game Six (Red Sox), Game Six (Mets).

Ducks on the Pond, the Catbird Seat, Around the Horn, the 6-4-3, Twin Killing, Ace, Fireman, Bullpen, Cleanup Hitter, Hot Corner, Tools of Ignorance, Rhubarb, Texas Leaguer, Can of Corn, Basket Catch, Shoestring Catch, Bandbox, Brushback, Chin Music, Grandslam, Bleeder, Baltimore Chop, Atom Ball, Frozen Rope, Blue Darter, Heater, Uncle Charlie, the Express, Painting the Black, Gopher Ball, Southpaw, Wheelhouse, the Long Ball, Dialing Nine, Going Yard, Dinger, Tater, Tape-Measure Blast, the Mendoza Line.

Red Barber, Vin Scully, Ernie Harwell, Ernie Johnson, Russ Hodges, Curt Gowdy, Mel Allen, Joe Buck, Milo Hamilton, Harry Caray, Bob Uecker, Pete Van Wieren.

Grantland Rice, Ring Lardner, Hugh Fullerton, Furman Bisher, John Bibb, Fred Russell, Bud Burns, Frank Deford, Jon Saraceno.

“Casey at the Bat,” The Natural, The Long Season, Pennant Race, Ball Four, Cobb, The Boys of Summer, Summer of ’49, October 1964, Luckiest Man, Opening Day, Moneyball.

Meyer Wolfsheim, Santiago, Manolin, the Indians of Cleveland, the Tigers of Detroit, the White Sox of Chicago, the Reds of Cincinnati, Roy Hobbs, Max Mercy, the Whammer.

Pride of the Yankees, The Natural, Eight Men Out, Field of Dreams, Cobb, 61*, Fever Pitch, Moneyball.

The Sporting News, Strat-O-Matic Baseball, Hal Richmond, Baseball Digest, Street & Smith’s Official Baseball Yearbook.

511, 41, 60, 191, 714,  2,130, 56, .406, 61, 755, 2,632.

No clock.

I could think of at least this many more reasons why I love baseball. That is Why Time Begins on Opening Day.