The American Spectator : The Summer Game

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The Summer Game

By Lisa Fabrizio on 2.18.10 @ 6:06AM

Now that the NFL season is thankfully behind us, the real American pastime can't be far away.

Now that the NFL season is thankfully behind us with all of its macho violence and general inanity, we can finally look forward to the end of winter. While I was surprised at the number of folks who commiserated with me and the beefs I raised in my column on the Super Bowl last week, it still managed to raise the hackles of many a football fan. And that's a shame since I still consider myself as one of them, though dismayed at the direction the game and its packaging have taken.

But soon the buds will bloom, the sun will lengthen its daily visit, and we will smile as we acknowledge the many blessings of God, one of which is that spring training is imminent. And when the beloved sound of horsehide striking leather once again fills our ears, and the sight of pure white lime dusting red clay and green, green grass widens our eyes, we'll know that the real American pastime is back.

Thirty or so years ago George Carlin, one of our many foulmouthed philosophers, managed to come up with a witty routine outlining the differences between football and baseball. And although it was meant as a critique of football as a symbol of America's dreaded military industrial complex bent on land acquisition, it was nonetheless quite funny in its own right.

But there really are differences between the two sports and those who televise them and follow them. One of the biggest was on display two weeks ago. American football, particularly the professional game, is underpinned by gambling and to deny this is to ignore that the NFL itself requires teams to publish weekly injury reports.

Now don't get me wrong, I've been known to place a bet or two and certainly there are those who wager on baseball. Indeed, my husband, a confirmed Yankee-hater, delights in taking the Bombers in the playoffs in order to guarantee himself a happy outcome no matter who wins. But he and those like him are in the distinct minority. But take out football betting and particularly the accompanying pools, and the only interest most folks would have in the big game might be the insulting commercials and mindless halftime "entertainment."

Another difference is in record-keeping. Statistics were virtually made for baseball fans and long before collecting them became a cottage industry, children who could barely memorize their times tables could rattle off the entire contents of baseball cards at will. Stats are the lifeblood of baseball and of baseball arguments. Sure, there are stats used in football but they are hardly ever indicative of anything relevant: "When so-and-so rushes for over 100 yards his team wins 75 per cent of the time" -- what a revelation! The fact that the purveyors of football telecasts use such graphics is an insult to the game's fans.

But TV coverage is one of the major differences between football and baseball. For all who buy into the bogus assertion that baseball is boring -- which it most certainly is not -- then it is the fault of networks and not the game itself. In the earlier days of baseball telecasts, one occasionally got to see something other than the pores of the pitcher and batter. Why was the two-base steal of Johnny Damon in Game 4 of the World Series such a shock to all those not at the ballpark? It was because Fox in its wisdom never bothered to show that third base was uncovered due to the fact that the Phillies had employed a shift against Mark Teixeira. Nor are we often treated to those ancillary goings-on that make the game so great: live shots of bench-jockeying, coaches flashing signs, infielders deking base runners or vice versa.

But as I said, these glaring errors occur only in October or the weekly network games. Televised as it is mostly at the local level, baseball retains a charming homer-ism when it comes to broadcasting. Here in the New York metro area, as in most of the country, each team has had its favorites like Phil "The Scooter" Rizzuto or Bob Murphy -- one of the best summer voices of all time -- who although a Mets broadcaster, endeared himself to yours truly by refusing to refer to Jack Murphy Stadium by any other name; corporate sponsorships be damned!

Baseball, when properly shown in all its lazy, sun-drenched glory is, unlike football, truly a pastime, which by definition is meant to be a leisurely diversion. And oh, do we need it after the mind-numbing events of the past year. But not to worry, as my eyes return to my newspaper after scanning the snowy landscape outside my window, I catch sight of the five words that are sure to melt the ice in the hearts of all real American sports fans: pitchers and catchers report tomorrow.

topics:
Major League Baseball, Spring Training

About the Author

Lisa Fabrizio is a columnist who hails from Connecticut (mailbox@lisafab.com).

Letter to the Editor View all comments (56) | Leave a comment

Mike D.| 2.18.10 @ 7:07AM

Got news for you, football IS America's pastime.

GW| 2.18.10 @ 12:32PM

Actually, its not. Baseball always will be a uniquely American sport, football is similar to rugby and Australian football

Alan Brooks| 2.18.10 @ 4:24PM

Football IS as American as baseball. I have liked football ever since Namath guaranteed the Bowl in '69.
Who says the '60s was all bad? back then sports wasn't as much about big contracts.

Ron Gengo| 2.20.10 @ 11:13AM

I watched Wayne Rooney of England score 2 spectacular goals for Manchester United over AC Milan.
I wonder how on earth our US team is going to stop him on June 12 in South Africa? Beckham is not the major concern. It's Wayne Rooney!
Not Andy Rooney or Dan Rooney or one of hundred other Rooneys. If I were a Steeler fan I would invite him to Hines Field to promote another football team in Pittsburgh.

Forget Baseball and American Football. The world is craving for the real football games in South Africa.

US defeated England in 1950 1-0 in Uruguay during the World Cup tournament, and made a movie of it that I recommend all Americans watch. I hope we repeat 60 years later.

Rick| 5.16.10 @ 4:26PM

You are kidding right???? The may be craving soccer but here in America it will always be American football first! Get used to it.

stan | 5.26.10 @ 11:32AM

Give it up. All these years and soccer in America is still a 2nd class sport. Terrific, the world craves soccer. Americans want American football. Keep hoping though.

Tim| 2.20.10 @ 8:11PM

Beat me to it Mike D.-Football IS America's pastime!

Albert A. Turner| 2.18.10 @ 7:26AM

Love the game. I prefer it over football. Especially prefer it over college football. I love the social aspects of college ball . I despise the excluding of teams when determining a champ. It's not the American way.
Pro football is at its' peak. Take a look around at some of the bottom lines of some teams. They are suffering even with all this revenue floating around. They are spending themselves out of existence(see the Soviet Union).

Donserge| 2.18.10 @ 9:47AM

Baseball is still the game to watch until it becomes like football....ruined by the domination of television with its ten minute "challenges", never-ending replays and action that is "overturned" or "confirmed". Life is full of mistakes. Coaches, players and even referees; are they not allowed to make them too?

Duked| 2.18.10 @ 10:17AM

"Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We're born again, there's new grass on the field."
Ahhh, those famous lyrics from JC Fogerty.....
It's my game too Lisa, none can compare but you know.... MLB could learn some valuable things from the NFL..... mostly how to market a game and when to play the important games. It's almost sacrilegious that youngsters can't catch a playoff or world series game because MLB refuses to play them before 8:30 at night. Look at the Super Bowl, the broadcast it at 6:00 and seem to be doing just fine with their revenue from the advertisers thank you. They need to take some cues from the NFL in order to spread the game across the marketplace they need to cultivate....... the kids who grow up and learn to love the game.
Put me in coach..... I'm ready to play!

Al Adab| 2.18.10 @ 10:22AM

Pitchers and catchers tomorrow. Life is good. Go home team. Play Ball

Jared| 2.18.10 @ 10:23AM

The more the powers that be in baseball try to make the game like football, the more the game suffers--interleague play, instant replay, more and more goofy television graphics meant to "enhance" the broadcast. Baseball doesn't need it. It's a pure game and "man can only mar it" by trying to football-ize it. I suppose the current use of instant replay for homerun calls isn't too evil, but please, please, please keep it at that.

Bronson| 2.18.10 @ 10:24AM

Baseball.....you mean the sport that has been on strike twice in the past 25 years? The sport that has made a mockery of the record books with guys like brady anderson hitting 50 home runs? The sport where Carlos Delgado is paid millions for turning his back on the flag? The sport that starts in April and ends in November?

That's funny....
No thanks. I'll stick with football.

Bronson

GW| 2.18.10 @ 12:34PM

Until the current CBA runs out in the NFL. And they go on strike. Football is such a manipulated game, with ticky tack rules (pass interference, roughing the QB).

Anthony| 2.18.10 @ 10:25AM

Amen Lisa. Ever notice when Derek Jeter or Mo Rivera make a great play, (or even a routine play) but then again, their great plays are routine, but I digress, there's no arm flexing, chest thumping, crab walking or mugging for the cameras? Just business as usual by classy pros.
God, I can't wait for April!!

Mike M| 2.18.10 @ 11:04AM

While Lisa makes a number of good points, she fails to mention that in the NFL there are about 14 teams, or half the league, have a shot at competing for the championship. Not so in her beloved baseball, where one team dominates and maybe 4 others have a remote chance. After all, the Yankees have to play someone in the playoffs, don't they?? Until baseball does something to level the playing field (like the NFL) MLB will continue to lag well behind, and for good reason.

Masaryk| 2.18.10 @ 2:49PM

In the last decade the Yankees, Mets, Diuamondbacks, Giants, Angels, Marlins, Red Sox, Cardinals, Astros, White Sox, Tigers, Phillies and Rays have all competed in the World Series. Many other teams competed in the playoffs. All this hype about only 3 or 4 teams having a chance at the title just doesnt bear scrutiny. Pitchers and catchers are in camp, and the world is a better place.

Stuart Koehl| 2.18.10 @ 7:09PM

Easy steps to reforming (and improving) baseball:

Cut back both leagues to eight teams. There is only sixteen teams worth of starting pitcher talent in the universe at any given moment.

Eliminate divisions. With eight teams, the best one goes straight to the World Series. No crap shoot short-series playoffs, no wild cards, no fudging whose really best.

Eliminate all teams west of the Mississippi. Fixes the time problem, and besides, who cares what happens on the West Coast?

Cut the season to 154 games. That way, the season ends in September, the way God intended.

Eliminate night games. We need more absenteeism at work, anyway.

Eliminate indoor stadiums. Now that you are playing in daylight, during warm weather, there is no need. If you get rained out, there's always tomorrow. And grass has a smaller carbon footprint than astroturf.

Kill the designated hitter rule. Players who can't run or field should retire. Pitchers who can't hit should learn how to bunt. Enhance the strategic element of the game.

Reinstate the reserve clause. If these guys are going to be paid millions of dollars, they can endure a little indentured servitude.

If appointed commissioner, these will be my priorities. I never cared who used steroids, anyway. No amount of performance enhancement can make a star out of someone who can't hit a curve down and away.

Masaryk| 2.19.10 @ 7:41PM

You left out 1 point - - Return a team to Brooklyn!!!!

Richard| 2.18.10 @ 11:59AM

Baseball is tradition and ritual--the home plate umpire, for example, has been dusting off the home plate to start the game in exactly the same way for over a century.
Baseball is also the perfect match between the individual and the group. With only the horrible exception of the DH in the AL, each player must defend or pitch and then hit. If he cannot do both, well, he can return to Peoria. Furthermore, the enemy of the player's health is not so much injury but fatigue because the regular season is really one big long game lasting 162 nine inning segments.
But I guess the reason I love baseball so much is that it is played by normal men with extraordinary athleticism. Go Cards!

John - TMF| 2.18.10 @ 12:12PM

1. Baseball suffers from being a "life-skill" sport. It takes years of childhood through adulthood to develop the skills and functions of even rudimentary play. Anyone who has gone to the local batting cage on a lark... grabbed a 34 Louisville slugger, and a batting helmet, usually loses nerve after six 50-60 mph pitches. If they do hang in there and take some swings... strikes are the rule.

I haven't been behind a plate for more than a loopy slow pitch game played with a beer in one hand... and a cigarette dangling from the lip (shows how long ago that was...) but there are just too few folks with the pitch and catch skills to connect with co-ed slow pitch softball, anymore.

2. The obsession with statistics is brutal, and painful since it warps the ability to reform the sport into something that generates a reasonable amount of fan interest.

The season is far too long, and there are too many meaningless "throw-away" games. For most casual fans, the baseball season doesn't even start until late August as the pennant races start to heat up. Until "magic numbers" are posted most Americans are concentrating on vacations, football practice, football pre-season (first week in August), and football games.

3. I love baseball, but find that even I have no time for it anymore. I can't abide by the Orioles, and the Nationals are so dreadful and so phony they might as well just call them the Expos and sell them to Montreal. Neither of my teams, (Mets and Yankees) plays much on the air, in DC. So the entire season is read from the paper.

3. Football is America's sport, America's game, America's pastime now. Baseball is a fading mirage of old summer evenings listening to Phil "the Scooter" calling the games from Yankee Stadium, or listening late at night to Kiner's Korner as the Mets wrapped up another evening's effort.

The crickets chirping, the screen door banging closed, the neighbor in the back yard... "HEEEEERRRREEEE kitty kitty kitty..." . That cat never seemed to come back. Baseball is long gone, too.

r/The Mighty Fahvaag

GW | 2.18.10 @ 12:36PM

To get a sense of what baseball is and football isn't, compare classic baseball movies (Field of Dreams, the Sandlot, The Natural, 61*, Eight Men Out) to some football movie (Rudy, Remember the Titans) .

Doesn't even compare. In fact, the only decent non-baseball sports movies are Chariots of Fire and Hoosiers.

GW| 2.18.10 @ 12:37PM

Forgot Bull Durham and the Major League movies (not 3). Oh, and The Rookie and Little Big League ain't bad either.

Dave| 2.19.10 @ 12:00PM

"Miracle" is a great non-baseball sports movie.

GW| 2.20.10 @ 1:42PM

ditto

J. Moore| 2.18.10 @ 12:50PM

I love baseball, but football is still the best. Particularly college football, but the NFL is great also. Oh yes, and as always ,Yankees suck. Red Sox suck too!

Jim Woodward| 2.18.10 @ 1:02PM

Used to love baseball and the Baltimore Orioles. Went to, I can't remember how many opening days at Memorial Stadium. Seats were cheap, beer was cheap, food was cheap. The Birds were the best team in baseball for many years. Watching them destroy the Big Red Machine in the early seventies was poetry in motion with Brooks at third.
Then along came Peter Angelos. Birds have'nt been to a World Series since. Idiot owners sure can screw up a franchise.

Northern Rebel| 2.18.10 @ 1:59PM

Bronson:

How can a football fan criticize baseball players for using steroids? Have you forgotten Lyle Alzado?

Middle Linebacker Mike Curtis, of Baltimore Colt fame, weighed 220 lbs., about 10 lbs. more than I do.

Normal men used to be able to play NFL football, until the league legislated defense out of the game, and players started sticking needles in their ass!

I love football, but it is really glorified professional wrestling, except (hopefully) the outcomes aren't predetermined.

Get off your high horse dude.

Stuart Koehl| 2.18.10 @ 8:27PM

Of course, to be brutally honest, real athletes ROW. Everyone else is just playing games.

765x53| 2.18.10 @ 2:22PM

"Shooting is America's pastime and always will be."

Danbury2OC| 2.18.10 @ 2:28PM

Not to diminish my love of the man's work, nor your admiration, Lisa, but the Murphys were brothers.

DebraNY| 2.18.10 @ 4:08PM

I agree that baseball is America's pastime. America loves football just as well, it's clear.
I am disheatened with the NFL, however, & their biased Commissioner and referees. It was very evident this year that "The FIX" was in, especially in the Viking/Saints game. They literally looked the other way for the Saints and pulled calls out for the Vikings! LOL It was so evident who they wanted to win that game. Also I think the Vikings gained double the yardage the Saints had. The better team was not in the Super Bowl this year!

Dave| 2.19.10 @ 12:06PM

Right on, Debra! I'm glad someone outside of MN feels that way, too.

Derek Leaberry| 2.18.10 @ 5:09PM

Baseball is terrible on TV. But the leisurely pace and visuals of watching a baseball game at a stadium is a delight...if you can afford the prices.

A Stephens| 2.18.10 @ 5:31PM

Nothing bores me more than a 60 minute game that takes 3.5 to 4 hrs to play, and it's actually worse in person, players milling around for tv breaks. Give me a break.

Baseball is about passion engaged.
Football is raw emotion in bursts.

Baseball is chess.
Football is checkers.

jonathan| 2.18.10 @ 5:52PM

baseball sucks. it's a boring game made up of overpaid, drug using prima donna's. The season is too long and the average fan can't afford to go to the games. And it's the same cast of teams and players going to the playoffs.

Stuart Koehl| 2.18.10 @ 7:13PM

football sucks. its a boring game made up of overpaid, hypertrophied drug using thugs. The season is too long and the average fan can't afford to goto the games. And its the same cast of teams going to the playoffs (because you really have to suck not to make the NFL playoffs).

R| 2.18.10 @ 7:50PM

Baseball's season is long, yes. The beauty of the sport is that you don't have to watch every day, every game - but a game is there for you all summer, if you need one.

Also, baseball is America's Pastime. More people go to more games than go to football, basketball and hockey games COMBINED.

victorkiraikus| 2.18.10 @ 9:00PM

Over a third of all television sets were on this year's Super Bowl making it the most watched television event in American history. The World Series' ratings have been declining for years and now can't even get ratings in the double digits.

If some football league were to go head to head with baseball, I think they would beat the tired sport of baseball in the summer as well. Baseball is a dinosaur that deserves to become extinct.

Manic Monkey| 2.18.10 @ 11:02PM

Both sports have their pros and cons. Baseball seems to be alittle more boring because of how they show it on television but if I were to actually see a game in person I'm pretty sure I'd be excited as hell.

And the same goes for football. There probably is more to football then be stronger and get the ball to the other side of the field.

At any rate this whole debate on which sports is America's past time is pointless as it all amounts to personal opinion in the end and nobody can come to an agreement on that so just make America's pastime whatever the ($%^ you want it to be. :)

tara| 2.18.10 @ 11:24PM

THE author is a stupid ass

Dave| 2.19.10 @ 12:08PM

Wow. What a compelling argument you make.

tara| 2.20.10 @ 5:55PM

You too are a stupid ass

Richard Baker| 2.20.10 @ 12:49PM

Play Ball! Go Cardinals!

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