June 3, 2008 - One of the best things about summer... tight pants. The 'Boys of Summer' ... nine innings of tight pants. The boys of the field... 4 quarters of tight pants. The boys of the court... really baggy shorts (but I have a fabulous imagination). Living in Canada, there is a lot about the baseball that we are missing. Sure, it isn't as fast as hockey. You don't often see the players throw their glove on the field and fight. There is no ice. But baseball is more than a game of statistics and Cubans, it is an experience. A game is about the sunshine, the peanuts, (the sushi if you live here on the West Coast), the beer, and the crowds. It's a little like a sports bar with a really really big screen TV.
Baseball has always been about the crowds. On this day in 1888, Casey at the Bat 1. was published for the first time in the San Francisco Examiner. Poet Ernest Thayer encapsulated not only the nuances of baseball, but the excitement and heartbreak of the fans that makes baseball America's game. Casey of course struck out. Now if Casey was juicing... I bet the Mudville Nines would have won that game. In 1888 the players hadn't likely heard about steroids yet. I wonder if Casey had been juicing if he would have denied it too? Either way, today is Casey at the Bat Day. Go out and throw a ball around today. Take in a ball game, or hit your local sports pub and watch on a much smaller screen.
Today also saw the completion of the CP Railway from coast to coast in Canada in 1889. Finally, the West is connected to the East by rail. Not that it improved the ability of the West to ship goods to the East - there was still enormous expense in shipping across the Rockies. The only train travel I've ever done is Vancouver Island from Courtney to Victoria on a scenic tour. I think the attraction of this was lost on me. Scenic one damn tree, you've scenic'd them all.
I don't suppose with the busy Baseball schedule of today the teams could ever travel via rail. The Boys of Summer would also be the Boys of Spring and the Boys of Fall. You think the season is long now?
Baseball has always been about the crowds. On this day in 1888, Casey at the Bat 1. was published for the first time in the San Francisco Examiner. Poet Ernest Thayer encapsulated not only the nuances of baseball, but the excitement and heartbreak of the fans that makes baseball America's game. Casey of course struck out. Now if Casey was juicing... I bet the Mudville Nines would have won that game. In 1888 the players hadn't likely heard about steroids yet. I wonder if Casey had been juicing if he would have denied it too? Either way, today is Casey at the Bat Day. Go out and throw a ball around today. Take in a ball game, or hit your local sports pub and watch on a much smaller screen.
Today also saw the completion of the CP Railway from coast to coast in Canada in 1889. Finally, the West is connected to the East by rail. Not that it improved the ability of the West to ship goods to the East - there was still enormous expense in shipping across the Rockies. The only train travel I've ever done is Vancouver Island from Courtney to Victoria on a scenic tour. I think the attraction of this was lost on me. Scenic one damn tree, you've scenic'd them all.
I don't suppose with the busy Baseball schedule of today the teams could ever travel via rail. The Boys of Summer would also be the Boys of Spring and the Boys of Fall. You think the season is long now?
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