Dear Baseball Season,
You may not be as glamorous as football season or as hyped as college basketball season, but I can say definitively that you are my favorite time of year. Especially at UVA, where last year, our baseball team not only had a successful regular season, but won the whole d*mn thing. So far, I haven't heard any hype whatsoever about our team hoping to repeat championships this year, nor have I heard much chatter about people excited about going to baseball games. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that most first years don't know how to find the baseball stadium here. But don't worry, baseball season, because I appreciate you.
Baseball is my favorite sport, for a multitude of reasons. Attending a baseball game is like going on a peaceful retreat for three hours where you meditate on the complexities of life surrounded by green grass, brilliant blue sky, and the occasional rowdy fan who's had too many beers. The game moves slowly enough that you can catch all of the action live with no television or radio commentary. Some may call it boring, I say it's intricate and graceful.
I'm not a huge fan of math, but baseball is also perfect for a math nerd who could analyze statistics for days. Between batting averages, earned run averages, and on-base percentages, you could fill an entire book just with different statistical measures of baseball success. This may not excite everyone, but I honestly can't wait to predict which UVA player actually has a chance of batting .400 for the season.
Baseball is also one of the only sports in which the two competing teams are not racing to beat a clock. There are nine innings in each game, but there is no timer constantly ticking away the action. Instead, the only things standing in a team's way of winning are the other team and itself.
Baseball season may last many months, for college and professional players alike, but the season length highlights all of the little idiosyncrasies of the game. These include a miraculous jumping catch that defies every law of physics known to man, a ground ball that somehow never goes foul but instead is the game-winning single, or a home run that is essentially out of the park as soon as it leaves the bat and majestically soars through the air on its way to a better place. It is truly a beautiful game that brightens my spring and summer days, and I can't wait to attend as many UVA baseball games as I can.
Baseball season, you may be the unappreciated middle child of college sports who just wants to be noticed when you do something great, like win the College World Series. You may wonder why your games don't qualify for College Gameday coverage. You may feel that the student body just doesn't get hyped enough for you. I understand what you're going through, and I'll try to remedy it.
In the meantime, just know that I am excited you're finally here. It may be only spring training right now in the MLB, but luckily, I have college baseball to get my baseball fix for the near future. With baseball season comes warmer weather, lazy afternoons, and eventually summer break, and I can't wait to spend it with you.
Sincerely,
A Devoted Hoos (and Mets) Fan.
