Baseball: Still America's Pastime
I write about sports a lot in these blogs and some people might think that I am a little obsessed. What can I say? Guilty as charged. I live and die with sports and people always say write about what you are passionate about, so that's what I'm going to do. From football, baseball and basketball, I love sports more than anything in the world. Well, I guess my family is at the top of the list too, but sports are a close second. If I had to rank which sport was my favorite, that's no easy task.
One of my favorite sports though is baseball and anyone who knows me, knows that I love the Cincinnati Reds. I have been going to Reds games for as long as I can remember and win or lose it's always a good time. I have seen some great games in my time, two in particular.
It was August 9, 2006 and as shocking as it is the Reds were still in contention. It was a Wednesday night and the St. Louis Cardinals were in town. Two of my uncles, three cousins along with my dad, brother Matt and yours truly all went together to the game that night. The only reason that we went to the game was to get the Dave Concepcion bobblehead that was being handed out, because if the Reds lose at least you walk away with a free gift. At least that's what we all figured.
I sat with Matt, my dad and my cousin Chuck in the outfield by the tallstacks in right centerfield. The rest of the group has seats in the Riverfront Club, which is the best place to watch a game, but the outfield is nice too. The Reds had been behind all night to the Cardinals cause Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter was on the mound. Notorious Reds killer and they were lucky to be behind by only one run. In the ninth inning down 7-6, catcher David Ross stepped up to the plate to pinch hit. With a runner on base and one out he hit a two-run homerun into the Reds bullpen to win the game 8-7. As soon as he hit it you could tell it was gone. I though it might have even have a chance to go on top of the batter's eye in centerfield. I have never seen Great American Ballpark so electric in my entire life. People were cheering for a good five minutes and the Reds were only two games back of the Cardinals after the win. They went on a road trip to the West Coast the next week and that's all she wrote as the Reds fell out of contention and finished with a losing record, again. Still, it was the greatest game I have ever been to.
The second greatest game I ever went to happened on May 17, 2008. The Reds in-state rival the Cleveland Indians were in town for interleague play and I believe it was another bobblehead day. See a pattern here. I figure if you are going to go to a Reds game, make sure it's a giveaway day, so if the Reds end up losing, at least you get something out of going. You don't have to work at Jiffy Lube to figure that one out. I wasn't born yesterday...it was just that day before.
Anyway in that game one of my favorite Reds players ever, Adam Dunn, came up to bat in the ninth. Down 2-1 with two runners on and one out, he hit a mammoth home run to right field. Some guy in top row caught the ball up against the fence that kept fans from falling to their death onto the street below. I have never seen a ball hit so hard and so far in my life. I was sitting on the first base side and I swear to God the ball was in the air for only a few seconds because as soon as it left the bat it was over the fence. Adam Dunn striked out a lot, but he was good for 40 home runs and 100 RBI every season. I'm still mad that he got traded, because everyone loves the guy who can hit a baseball 500 ft. The Reds have no one like that on the team today.
In both cases the drama in the ninth inning is something unique to only baseball. Sure, there is drama in the last seconds of a football game or basketball game, but it's not the same as baseball. A field goal or a buzzer beater do not have the same intensity and drama that a walk-off home run has in baseball. A game winning field goal or buzzer beater are nice to see, but hearing a walk-off home run is one of a kind. Last football season the Bengals had some last minute wins and they were very exciting, but its didn't have the feel to hearing a call of a home run for the Reds on the radio.
I bring this up because yesterday Ernie Harwell, the Detriot Tigers version of Marty Brennaman, died and he was known for being one of the best sportscasters this world has ever seen. Everyone who loved the Tigers, loved Ernie Harwell, same way for the Reds. Everyone loves Marty Brennaman. I would be watching the Reds game on TV and with one out to go before a Reds win, I would flip on the radio just to hear Marty say his signature phrase. It could have been a terrible day, but hearing him say, "And this one belongs to the Reds," made my day a little better. That's what makes baseball so great. Football and basketball are so fast pace that it is hard for announcers to paint the scene for their listeners, not the case for baseball. Baseball is sometimes criticized for being too slow, but that's what makes baseball so great. The greatest announcers this world has ever seen have been baseball announcers. Great announcers like Ernie Harwell, Marty Brennaman, Harry Carey, and Al Michaels are or were once baseball announcers. When I go back and listen to Marty's call of Ken Griffey Jr.'s 500th and 600th home runs, I still get chills. I miss seeing Griffey in a Reds uniform, he is one of the greatest players to ever play the game and he is a fellow Moeller Crusader. But how many basketball or football calls still give you chills? There are some, but not as many as baseball.
Nowadays people say that football is now America's sport and it has replaced baseball. I love football, maybe even more than baseball, but baseball is still America's sport. People may go to more football games and football probably brings in more money, but the announcing in baseball is one of a kind and that's what makes baseball an American pastime. I have thought about being a sportscaster or announcer and if I ever become one, we will have to wait and see, I would want to be involved in baseball. Yes, the baseball season is long and I feel for Marty when he calls Reds games in September when they are 15 games out of first. How boring that must be, but it's all worth it in the end. Whatever people may say, in one baseball fans opinion, baseball is still an American pastime.
I can't wait to hear Marty call another Reds World Series victory. Might go something like, "And the World Series belongs to the Reds." The question is, will it every happen again? Please God.
One of my favorite sports though is baseball and anyone who knows me, knows that I love the Cincinnati Reds. I have been going to Reds games for as long as I can remember and win or lose it's always a good time. I have seen some great games in my time, two in particular.
It was August 9, 2006 and as shocking as it is the Reds were still in contention. It was a Wednesday night and the St. Louis Cardinals were in town. Two of my uncles, three cousins along with my dad, brother Matt and yours truly all went together to the game that night. The only reason that we went to the game was to get the Dave Concepcion bobblehead that was being handed out, because if the Reds lose at least you walk away with a free gift. At least that's what we all figured.
I sat with Matt, my dad and my cousin Chuck in the outfield by the tallstacks in right centerfield. The rest of the group has seats in the Riverfront Club, which is the best place to watch a game, but the outfield is nice too. The Reds had been behind all night to the Cardinals cause Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter was on the mound. Notorious Reds killer and they were lucky to be behind by only one run. In the ninth inning down 7-6, catcher David Ross stepped up to the plate to pinch hit. With a runner on base and one out he hit a two-run homerun into the Reds bullpen to win the game 8-7. As soon as he hit it you could tell it was gone. I though it might have even have a chance to go on top of the batter's eye in centerfield. I have never seen Great American Ballpark so electric in my entire life. People were cheering for a good five minutes and the Reds were only two games back of the Cardinals after the win. They went on a road trip to the West Coast the next week and that's all she wrote as the Reds fell out of contention and finished with a losing record, again. Still, it was the greatest game I have ever been to.
The second greatest game I ever went to happened on May 17, 2008. The Reds in-state rival the Cleveland Indians were in town for interleague play and I believe it was another bobblehead day. See a pattern here. I figure if you are going to go to a Reds game, make sure it's a giveaway day, so if the Reds end up losing, at least you get something out of going. You don't have to work at Jiffy Lube to figure that one out. I wasn't born yesterday...it was just that day before.
Anyway in that game one of my favorite Reds players ever, Adam Dunn, came up to bat in the ninth. Down 2-1 with two runners on and one out, he hit a mammoth home run to right field. Some guy in top row caught the ball up against the fence that kept fans from falling to their death onto the street below. I have never seen a ball hit so hard and so far in my life. I was sitting on the first base side and I swear to God the ball was in the air for only a few seconds because as soon as it left the bat it was over the fence. Adam Dunn striked out a lot, but he was good for 40 home runs and 100 RBI every season. I'm still mad that he got traded, because everyone loves the guy who can hit a baseball 500 ft. The Reds have no one like that on the team today.
In both cases the drama in the ninth inning is something unique to only baseball. Sure, there is drama in the last seconds of a football game or basketball game, but it's not the same as baseball. A field goal or a buzzer beater do not have the same intensity and drama that a walk-off home run has in baseball. A game winning field goal or buzzer beater are nice to see, but hearing a walk-off home run is one of a kind. Last football season the Bengals had some last minute wins and they were very exciting, but its didn't have the feel to hearing a call of a home run for the Reds on the radio.
I bring this up because yesterday Ernie Harwell, the Detriot Tigers version of Marty Brennaman, died and he was known for being one of the best sportscasters this world has ever seen. Everyone who loved the Tigers, loved Ernie Harwell, same way for the Reds. Everyone loves Marty Brennaman. I would be watching the Reds game on TV and with one out to go before a Reds win, I would flip on the radio just to hear Marty say his signature phrase. It could have been a terrible day, but hearing him say, "And this one belongs to the Reds," made my day a little better. That's what makes baseball so great. Football and basketball are so fast pace that it is hard for announcers to paint the scene for their listeners, not the case for baseball. Baseball is sometimes criticized for being too slow, but that's what makes baseball so great. The greatest announcers this world has ever seen have been baseball announcers. Great announcers like Ernie Harwell, Marty Brennaman, Harry Carey, and Al Michaels are or were once baseball announcers. When I go back and listen to Marty's call of Ken Griffey Jr.'s 500th and 600th home runs, I still get chills. I miss seeing Griffey in a Reds uniform, he is one of the greatest players to ever play the game and he is a fellow Moeller Crusader. But how many basketball or football calls still give you chills? There are some, but not as many as baseball.
Nowadays people say that football is now America's sport and it has replaced baseball. I love football, maybe even more than baseball, but baseball is still America's sport. People may go to more football games and football probably brings in more money, but the announcing in baseball is one of a kind and that's what makes baseball an American pastime. I have thought about being a sportscaster or announcer and if I ever become one, we will have to wait and see, I would want to be involved in baseball. Yes, the baseball season is long and I feel for Marty when he calls Reds games in September when they are 15 games out of first. How boring that must be, but it's all worth it in the end. Whatever people may say, in one baseball fans opinion, baseball is still an American pastime.
I can't wait to hear Marty call another Reds World Series victory. Might go something like, "And the World Series belongs to the Reds." The question is, will it every happen again? Please God.
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