The beauty of baseball

Happy Opening Day 2019 everyone! May you thoroughly enjoy this season, just if the Chicago Cubs come out on top!

The off-season moved at a glacial pace, as big-name free agents Bryce Harper & Manny Machado signed their respective megadeals late in the off-season. Yet many other free agents, such as Dallas Keuchel & Craig Kimbrel, remain unsigned. Baseball is beautiful because it never stops. When there are no games, there are conversations about the future, regarding teams, players, rules, etc.

Major League Baseball (MLB) bid farewell to other players who retired. Adrian Beltre retired, & he is destined for induction into the MLB Hall of Fame. Joe Mauer retired, & although his resume is debatable for the Hall of Fame voters, he was the face of the Minnesota Twins. Jason Hammel retired, but he will not be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He concluded a solid career, highlighted with a World Series ring from playing on the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs. Baseball is beautiful for its countless number of players, so whom played only a game in the big leagues, & others who became the greatest ballplayers in MLB.

2019 will also welcome four players into the MLB Hall of Fame. As a 27-year-old fan, I had the pleasure of watching these inductees play the game. Congratulations to Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Mike Mussina, & Edgar Martinez. All four players had tremendous careers, & they will forever be remembered in the annals of MLB. Baseball is beautiful for its history.

Like your pet which welcomes you home, there are baseball games from today, March 29, through the World Series Game 7 on October 30. There are seven months of almost daily baseball games. There is a legitimate case that the season is too long. Admittedly, I would probably agree with you about that gripe. Nonetheless, baseball is beautiful for its reliability.

The highlight reels will be filled of monstrous home runs, jaw-dropping defensive plays, crazy occurrences both on & off the field, embarrassingly funny mistakes, & moments which will define each team's season. Baseball is beautiful for its highlights, both good & bad.

For fans, baseball games are a time to gather round the TV to watch the game, listen to it as we drive to & from different locations, conversation pieces in a world where much of the news brings arguing, & hope as we imitate our favorite batter's stance or toss the ball around in a game of catch. Baseball is beautiful because it brings out our inner childhood love of the game.

Baseball holds many traditions for us. We wear our favorite player's jersey when we go to the games, we wear our team's clothing on some days such as Opening Day, we wear the ballcaps as we enjoy the nice weather from spring-fall, & we delight in the camaraderie of cheering on our favorite team. Baseball is beautiful because it has become a part of our lives in some capacity.

The games themselves boast time-honored traditions. The singing of The National Anthem, the bellow of "Play Ball," the first pitch, which I will recall as being thrown by my beloved friend Sr. Mary Jo Sobieck, the scribbling down the information on your scorecard, the cheering at the important parts of the game, & the indulging in a hot dog & beverage as you watch the game. Stadiums vary on their value of Take Me Out to the Ballgame, but we all enjoy getting up & singing. Three strikes & you're out! The traditions of baseball games make it beautiful.

Twenty-seven outs & we all head home. If we win, we're in a celebratory mood. If we lose, we move on. It's just a game we tell ourselves, but we adore it so much more. We'll get 'em tomorrow; there's 162 games in a season. At its core, baseball is a game. We all played in our lives in some capacity, even if it was a game of whiffle ball in our backyard. No matter the score, there are two guarantees at every baseball game. First, there is a winner. Second, there is a loser. Whether your team wins 19-0, 5-3, 1-0, or some other score, the game is reflected in the standings by one number. Either you add 1 to the win column, or you add 1 to the loss column. Baseball is beautiful for its simplicity.

So, go on, enjoy this season. Millions of Americans will join you. Watch the game with your family & friends, turn on the radio as you drive around, enjoy America's pastime. It is beautiful.