Like many of you are, I'm a big fan of both baseball and football. In fact, I played a lot more football growing up and in school than I did baseball. There are things about both sports I love and appreciate.
When I watch a baseball game, I don't typically get the same kind of adrenaline rush I get when I'm watching football, or basketball or hockey for that matter. There are moments in some baseball games that keep me on the edge of my seat--the classic "full count, two men on in the bottom of the ninth, my team two runs down" moments. Most of the time, however, the drama of a baseball game is a much more subtle drama.
I like to try to think along with a pitcher. What pitch will he throw this batter in this situation? What does he throw when he's got two strikes on the batter? Will he always throw his cutter then, or does he throw a curve sometimes? My dad watches a game like this, too, so it's a lot of fun to watch a game with him when we're visiting.
That reminds me of something else I love about baseball. I'm lucky enough that every member of my family--my parents, my brother, my sisters, my wife, and even my two oldest kids--enjoy baseball. My wife and I went on our first date to a minor league baseball game, and all the adults in our family know the game well. As sappy as it might seem, there's almost nothing better in life than watching a baseball game with my dad and my nine-year-old son. We watch other sports together, too, but during a baseball game I have time to think about how cool the experience really is. It's fun to teach my son, and now my older daughter (she's almost 6) about the game. Lil' Sis, who's only three, doesn't get it yet.
I like to think along with a football team's coaching staff--trying to figure out what will the offensive coordinator might call here, or what the defense is trying to do to stop it. I'll watch a basketball coach's substitution pattern, or try to match wits with him/her during the last minutes of a close game. And I'll pay attention to who's on the ice during crucial situations of a hockey game--who takes the key faceoff, or who's getting more time on the power play or on the penalty kill. Still, there's nothing to me quite like thinking along with a pitcher and catcher, or a manager, as they make the hundreds of decisions they're faced with during a baseball game.
Or, I can simply relax and watch the game if I don't feel like thinking too much.