Spring Break
Thank God for baseball
Paul Hawkins
Issue date: 4/7/09 Section: Opinion
Well, it looks like unemployment has crept up to 8.5 percent, the highest it has ever been in my lifetime. In North Carolina, it's in the double digits. My fellow seniors are staring down a pretty horrendous job market. We're expanding the war in Afghanistan and there are still over 100,000 troops in Iraq. Any time you turn on the news it's the same thing: More bad news about the economy, shooting sprees and the "octomom." It's just depressing out there.
So what's one thing right now that we can use to escape some of this bad news? Well, I personally look to our national pastime -- baseball. For those of you who didn't know, the opening day of Major League Baseball is this week. Baseball is a wonderful thing; there is nothing more suspenseful than those games that finish in extra innings. Your team is up to bat, down by one run. Your rival has just brought in their star closer, but your team's slugger is up to bat. I don't really have to go on, but either way the ending brings out the overwhelming excitement of victory or the stinging disappointment of defeat. This is sports. Our way to live an alternate life by viewing competition in its purest form, and yes, live out our childhood dreams of being a professional athlete.
Ever since I was a kid, I've pulled for the New York Yankees. They were my dad's favorite team, and they were winners. I'm looking forward to their opening game against the Baltimore Orioles. The team is playing their inaugural season in the new Yankee Stadium. (I was really fortunate to see a game at the old Yankee Stadium last season.) Their first game in the new ballpark was a preseason win over the Cubs in which Derek Jeter got the first hit ever in the new stadium. I thought this was fitting since I guess you could say he was my favorite ballplayer as a kid (my dad's was another Yankee, Mickey Mantle).
Of course baseball has its problems, and you could look no further than my team to see them. I guess A-Rod is now A-Roid, though he never could seem to take anything that would keep him from choking in the playoffs. Most people hate the Yankees because of all the money being thrown around, but according to statistician Nate Silver, writing for Esquire magazine, the outrageous pay structure is actually trending in a more positive direction. Also, hopefully the shame that goes with a steroid revelation will deter future players from using.
So what's one thing right now that we can use to escape some of this bad news? Well, I personally look to our national pastime -- baseball. For those of you who didn't know, the opening day of Major League Baseball is this week. Baseball is a wonderful thing; there is nothing more suspenseful than those games that finish in extra innings. Your team is up to bat, down by one run. Your rival has just brought in their star closer, but your team's slugger is up to bat. I don't really have to go on, but either way the ending brings out the overwhelming excitement of victory or the stinging disappointment of defeat. This is sports. Our way to live an alternate life by viewing competition in its purest form, and yes, live out our childhood dreams of being a professional athlete.
Ever since I was a kid, I've pulled for the New York Yankees. They were my dad's favorite team, and they were winners. I'm looking forward to their opening game against the Baltimore Orioles. The team is playing their inaugural season in the new Yankee Stadium. (I was really fortunate to see a game at the old Yankee Stadium last season.) Their first game in the new ballpark was a preseason win over the Cubs in which Derek Jeter got the first hit ever in the new stadium. I thought this was fitting since I guess you could say he was my favorite ballplayer as a kid (my dad's was another Yankee, Mickey Mantle).
Of course baseball has its problems, and you could look no further than my team to see them. I guess A-Rod is now A-Roid, though he never could seem to take anything that would keep him from choking in the playoffs. Most people hate the Yankees because of all the money being thrown around, but according to statistician Nate Silver, writing for Esquire magazine, the outrageous pay structure is actually trending in a more positive direction. Also, hopefully the shame that goes with a steroid revelation will deter future players from using.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Jared
posted 4/07/09 @ 9:14 AM EST
I completely agree with this whole article. Even though I am a Boston fan, there is nothing greater than when you were a kid pretending to be your favorite player(Pedro Martinez was mine when he played for Boston!), but even in all the negative things in the world. (Continued…)
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