15 July 2013

Nine traditions lost from baseball

From a column by Patrick Reusse in the StarTribune:
The Sunday doubleheader
Fungoes and infield
Pepper
Oldtimers Day
The Bullpen Car
Keeping Score
Averages in the Sunday paper
The Sporting News ("The Baseball Bible")
Collecting baseball cards
Discussion at the link.

6 comments:

  1. Jerry in and around DallasJuly 15, 2013 at 10:59 AM

    Sigh. The game ain't the same -- that is why I quit watching it.

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    1. I've given up on major league baseball as well, but had my enthusiasm for the sport revived by attending a couple minor league games (Madison Mallards, Eau Claire Express). It's more old-fashioned (fun) baseball.

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  2. I am a scorekeeper! It helps to get through the long lazy spaces between innings. I buy the scorecard at the stadium but remember to bring my own pencil - they charge a buck a pencil at Target Field!

    I see some people keeping score with apps on their phones, but I like maintaining the tradition of the scorecard (makes a nice fan too on hot days).

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    1. That's one reason the column appealed to me; I used to keep score for Twins' games in the 1960s.

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  3. With the exception of perhaps a bit less reverence for the 'unwritten rules' it still feels like the same game. I still love it, and watching on large HD tvs has made it pretty awesome imho. The main problem I have is with the prohibitive costs of actually taking in a game at the park. Dynamic pricing (that only seems to go up), outrageous concession prices etc. They used to let you travel between decks and seats so you could improve your view if people with better seats didn't bother to show up or left early. Now it's security herding cattle. Just not the same.

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  4. To me baseball was always more fun to play than to watch.

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