THE GAME’S THE THING – by Peter d’Entremont
I’m a baseball fan. As a kid I rooted for my home team to the point of tears. The Phillies were the long time doormats of baseball in the 50s and 60s. I loved playing the game, especially the challenge of tracking down a hit ball and throwing to the base for a putout. Our baseball field had no fences so you had to run to make a homerun. No trot around the bases.
Almost twenty years ago I was moved to write a letter to NPR after they aired a piece lamenting the steroid scandals and the disillusioned youth who would see their heroes exposed as frauds. I wanted to emphasize the point of the game; it’s not the superstar but the game itself that matters. It matters to the kids on the ballfield as they learn the skills and use their physical abilities, whatever they may be, to be a member of a team. Watch the Little League World Series and marvel at the skill, certainly, of the players but also their attitudes and that of the coaches to see what the game is about.
For many years it seems that the professional game is an excuse to gain eyeballs for the highlight film. Home runs and an occasional spectacular catch or throw dominate. I concede baseball at even the highest level is boring on TV. A camera doesn’t see the whole field, concentrating on pitcher, catcher, batter. It doesn’t see the other seven fielders, how they set up for each pitch anticipating what could happen and what they will do in each possibility.
The so called “small market” teams have lately been shut out by the bigs like NY, Boston, LA,, Philly, Atlanta, Houston, who can afford the superstars of the moment. There’s more to the game than hitting .250 and 30 home runs and the two teams playing this year are proof. They run, field, throw, and hit but not just over the fence. They battle the pitcher, put a bat on the ball, make something happen to get on base or move a runner. They even bunt!
Each kid watching this style of baseball can see themselves in these players. They can see that there are many ways to have a successful team, many ways to win. I hope they see these ball players as role models of a sort but not to idolize. To learn and appreciate the game, the game’s the thing.
[Editor’s Note: In response to a query from the clueless editor, the author provided some additional information. The two small market teams playing in the World Series this year are the Tampa Bay Rays (Devil Rays) and the Milwaukee Brewers. Both teams have recently come close to playing in the World Series but have fallen short each time. They are similar in the way they play the game, a bit of a throwback before homeruns took over. Milwaukee might be the sentimental favorite as they’ve been out of contention for over 40 years.]
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