Welcome to the Big Show. As you know if your a sports fan the month of March is pretty dull. Well of course until the madness starts. It is probably the second dullest month of the year behind February.( Now that they moved the Superbowl to February , it is a dead heat ) .. Since there is nothing going on in sports not involving A-Rod (which I will not write about because everyone else in America is doing that for me) I was having trouble coming up with a topic that interested me enough to blog about. So I gave my buddy Saul a ring and he said ," Why don't you write about the World Baseball Classic." I was shocked.. " The what " I said. Is that a Sport ??"Is that on ESPN 8 ??? I don't care at all about that, Saul. ? " He agreed. We both had not watched an inning yet... So we began to discuss the reason why this was so unintersting ...
Why is it that a Baseball Tournament that involves the entire globe is not interesting to me ... At all.... It's very strange. I mean just a few months ago at the Olympics the sport of Basketball took the world by storm . The American players grabbed the headlines for two weeks. It had the feel of America versus the world. Why was baseball different??? If the NFL would have an Olympic style event it would be huge... John Madden would have a stroke.. ( I wonder if Brett Farve would come back again.. )That is not the case at all with the WBC. The question is WHY???
As we began to discuss it I realized that there is one major difference, at least for me, between Baseball and the other two sports. ( Yes I said 2) When I watch Basketball or Football I feel that I can watch any random game. I can watch the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Cincinnati Bengals on a random Sunday afternoon. I won't be bored watching two teams I don't root for or against..There is just something different about the game. Maybe it is the non stop action of football. Or the paralyzing hits..Or the idiot coaches ( Thanks Herm for all the memories .. 10/1 that he gets another job..Any takers?? NO?? I thought so) .. In basketball I can watch the Clippers and the Bobcats .. I don't know why !! I just enjoy the game .. The team work and athletic ability keeps me interested no matter how bad the teams record may be..As far as Baseball goes .. Maybe it is the stop and go variety.. or maybe it's to individually focused but I just do not have the ability to sit through the random , 4 hour ,12 inning game... I just simply can not see my self watching the Royals and the Indians. By the third inning I would be watching Dodge ball for the Fifteenth time on FX ( Underrated movie) ... (I can tell if a Sporting Event is really entertaining me if I am not changing the channels during commercials... Rarely ,during a really good game, I will sit there thinking to my self, Wow that Car company is about to go Bankrupt. That 5 Dollar Foot Long song is surprisingly catchy..) During Last year's World Series I watched a total of three outs and that is only because I turned it on by accident. I would never imagine not watching the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals. I just wouldn't ... The MLB just doesn't have that random draw...
Another, and probably the greater reason that I do not care about this World Baseball Classic, is that it does not involve the Yankees. In no other Sport does my interest in the game have so much to do with my team. I think a lot of baseball fans feel this way. I don't think in any other sport do fans root for Laundry as much as baseball. If the Yankees played against Venezuela I am sure I would watch... In fact I would watch every game like it was October... I don't know if fans of other teams feel this way .. but for Yankee fans.. Its all about the Yanks.I simply do not care about US versus Venezuela .. ( The proof is that as I am writing this right now as the game is going on .. My wife is watching America's next top model.. I am not even complaining... BTW for everyone who has watched any part of this horrific show I pity you.... It's truly awful.. I would rather watch the NHL) In fact, and I know this is gonna sound extreme, I think I would rather watch a Yankee Pre season game , where I could see CC pitch or see Texiera hit then watch US VS Venezuela... It is kind of like when you have a favorite actor.. He could be in a kids movie or a cartoon movie but your gonna go watch him in it because he is your guy. ( I saw 4 Christmases because I like Vince Vaughn.. BTW Don't see 4 Christameses..Brutal..)Maybe the other movie is better and will be more entertaining but you are gonna see your guy ..because...well he is your guy..
Maybe I have a lack of pride for my country...Maybe I am just a fan of the underdog..Maybe I just simply want it to be over... But for the life of me I don't understand how Tyra can pick that girl just because she is American....What ?? O sorry.. Any way March is already getting long for sports fans..Please let the NCAA Tournament start so March has at least a little madness...
Only 240 days until my New York Yankees take there revenge on their entire world...
We are all followers..
If the Mets are playing the University of Michigan, I'm watching it. If Michael Jordan is in Space Jam, I'm watching it. How true. The WBC is almost as bad as a visit to Grandma's house (with no cookies). Amel, Saul, Amen.
ReplyDeleteVery well said, except that the NHL ROCKS
ReplyDeletewell said, except i enjoy the month of march. I've been watching about 5 hours of college basketball a day, what more can you ask for?!?!
ReplyDeleteBig show, do you follow the olympics??
ReplyDeleteThe Mens basket ball ..Yes
ReplyDeletejust read this post now, and somehow the WBC is on the front page of espn. i'm with you, stan. the wbc sucks. preseason baseball sucks. after the first 2-3 weeks of the baseball season, the actual season of baseball sucks, until the playoff chase. too many meaningless games, too slow, too long, not enough disparity in the league, (and the fact that it prides itself on "history" and "tradition" and all the players are juicing).
ReplyDeletecall me in august.
Daniel spinach is a healthy part of a nutritious diet
ReplyDeleteI think the Tandem Bike that Daniel was riding around with on Purim might be getting to him. Long Live Baseball.
ReplyDeletei may have been too harsh. i follow baseball. i love the mets. i'll check the box score daily. but early and mid season baseball is only good if you're just chilling, not if youre looking for compelling, exciting sports. the excitement only comes later, in the playoffs and the playoff chase.
ReplyDeleteall this is fine when youre only looking for an hour of tv, and theres a game on. but youre not gonna be feeling anything until months later.
True. Isn't it sick how it draws you in and you have to follow every game like its a new episode of Prison Break? Kinda like a jail, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI agree, however unlike basketball and hockey which are action sports, baseball is a chiller sport. There is nothing like going to a baseball game on a cool july evening and chillin in the stadium having a couple of beers and dogs.
ReplyDelete...and watching your team win on a walk off homer. MMM, yes.
ReplyDelete