This is beauty as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
A perfectly executed double play.
The sound of a Louisville Slugger making contact with the leather hide of a ball.
The sound of 60, 000 people singing "Take Me Out to the Ball game".
The vibrant and immaculately manicured grass of a ball park.
The ease of the foot-first slide.
Sandy Koufax on the mound.
The warmth of the sun on your skin in the outfield bleachers.
The feel of a warm hot dog in one hand... and a cold beer in another.
Jackie Robinson stealing home.
The diving outfield catch.
DiMaggio running the bases.
The arch of a home run.
Ken Griffey Jr.'s swing.
The above are just a handful of things in baseball that I find beauty in... that "pleasurably exalt" my "mind and spirit". There are so many other things about the game that make it beautiful.
It's a patient game. It is slow, and thoughtful with just enough pops of excitement to keep you on the edge of your seat. Baseball makes you think. Makes you question. You can't just run out onto the field and start swinging at things. You have to pay attention to your surroundings. When to bunt, when to try and steal second base, when to attempt to throw out the runner who is trying to steal second base, throw it to third or throw it home. Everything s logical, everything is calculated.
This is a game that is virtually unchanged since it's nineteenth century origins. The game that "The Babe" played is the same game the "The Man" played, and is still the same game that "The Freak" plays today. It's still 90 feet to each base. There are still three outs. There are still nine innings.
It has had it's rough patches, the Black Sox, the lock out, the Steroid era. Every few years a scandal emerges, but inevitably the game bounces back. Because that's the American way... and it is truly America's game.
Posts
