Baseball is known as America's favorite pastime. It's a huge part our country's history and culture, and it plays an important role in the lives of fans. If you're like me, you count down the days until pitchers and catchers report (this past week, by the way): the day that starts it all.
I've been a life-long baseball fan. I think it is just part of who I was meant to be. I grew up playing sports. I played softball for 12 years, and my favorite time of year was always February into March. I knew that I'd be getting a phone call to find out what team I was on, and that spring training would soon begin.
I'm from the Delaware Valley and spent my whole life watching Philadelphia sports. Not only was I destined to love baseball, but I was destined to be a Phillies fan. It's all I've ever really known. At one of the very first games I went to, I was on PhanaVision. In seventh grade, for the first time, I watched one of my favorite teams win a championship as Brad Lidge struck out the last batter in game five of the World Series. I cried the past two years seeing Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels in uniforms that didn't have red pinstripes on them.
The good memories I have are the ones that I often look back on, because, let's face it, the Phillies aren't very good right now. At all. They suck, and are currently in the process of rebuilding their team. But that doesn't mean I can't still enjoy the game for what it is.
For me, baseball represents the start of something new (cue "High School Musical"). Spring begins, the weather gets better and I get happier. For me it's an outlet. I watch a game when I need a distraction or something to cheer me up. I know that at 7:05 p.m. I can turn on a game and forget about anything that I want to forget about, even if it's only for a few hours. I can spend a night at the ballpark and know that, even if the game isn't going the way I hoped, I can have a good time watching the game that I love.
Baseball has also helped me realize what I want to do with my life. It introduced me to the world of sports broadcasting and sparked a career choice that I had never thought of pursuing. It's done a lot for me and has helped me in more ways than one.
If you're one of those people who doesn't consider themselves a baseball person, that's OK. I understand it's not for everyone. But for those who believe in the magic and beauty of it — don't stop.
And if your team sucks like mine does, remember that they'll eventually get better.
