Baseball is Life

I can remember when I was seven years old I went to a Giants and Dodgers game, I was as close to hell as I ever hope to get, Dodger Stadium.  In that game in 1992 a pitcher named Kevin Gross did the unthinkable to my Giants, he threw what is known in the biz as a no-no.  I was the only person in the stadium crying tears of anger and sadness as I walked out with my Dad who was wearing a Dodgers hat.

That same year on my way home from visiting my aunt and uncle in San Mateo I cried as news broke that the Giants were going to be moved to Tampa Bay.  They ended up staying.

A year later I was at Candlestick park sitting in terrible seats when chants began to ring out, first it was "BEAT LA" then an inning later it turned to, "DODGERS SUCK."

When I was ten I went to a game for my neighbors birthday, I got to run the bases at 3COM park at Candlestick Point.

In 2000 I went with my Dad sat 13 rows behind home plate and watched the fifth game ever played at AT&T Park as Barry Bonds faced off against Randy Johnson.

My Dad slipped into a coma that night he never woke from hours after Bonds broke the all time home run record of 755, he ended with 762.

I took Sarah on our first date to watch the Giants get beat by the Twins.

I took Cooper to his first game at four weeks, and Micah to his first at five weeks, it happened to be game three of the NLCS where Matt Cain shut down the Philadelphia Phillies.

I watched the Giants win their first World Series in 56 year with four generations of fans, the youngest being less than two months old and the oldest being in their 70's.

I watch baseball because I love the game.  I love situations, I love the grass, I love that the game that was invented over 150 years ago has remained largely unchanged, I love that no matter what happens in life, baseball will be there.  The history is rich, the stories have been written since the 1880's.

There is just enough time in baseball to see tragedy and triumph coming at you like a freight train.
There is enough time in life to have no clue what is going to happen.

Baseball, like any other hobby or sport that people love to revel in and waste time on, is great for enriching your life, but terrible for turning it into your life.  There was a successful t-shirt that said, "Baseball is life" I had one, I wore it with me blue and white striped denim shorts in the early 90's.  That shirt is not only wrong, it's sad.

Life is bigger than that, it is more important than that.  We've been entrusted to pass on a message that is better than tracking a team.  What have you dedicated your life to?

Baseball > Football

I will start by saying this, I like football and baseball, but football is the weaker species.

Brian Wilson, Genius/Closer

I have been reliving Giants glory, rewatching the NLCS and the World Series, it has been phenomenal.  As I write this the Giants are 26 days away from Pitchers and Catchers reporting to their facility in Scottsdale Arizona.  Also as I write this Pablo Sandoval is losing about 25 pounds and the rookies and suck ups are at pre-training which started 4 days ago.  I have no expectations of the Giants doing to me this year what they did last year, because last year all they did was rip my heart out day after day week after week, play some hacky sack with it then hand it back to me tattered and worn but having enough life left in it to take another beating the next day.  That being said, if they win the World Series again they can do whatever they want with my heart.

But I get giddy because I love stories and I love baseball.

Buster Posey, Catcher, 2010 Rookie of the Year

Football isn't fun because of the stories, football is fun because a guy breaks a tackle and sprints 80 yards while being chased by another dude in a different jersey.  It is exciting, it is crazy, there was just a huge play out of no where.  Are there stories in football? Yes, but most of them are scandals about dog fighting and shooting yourself in the leg while partying in 'da club.

But baseball is different.

Baseball stories are what make the game.

Tim Lincecum, Starting Pitcher, 2 Time NL Cy Young Winner

Without the back stories that baseball offers it can get boring really quickly.  I can't sit and watch the Yankees play the Red Sox as much as ESPN thinks I can because I don't care enough about their players, I don't know their stories, I don't know who the Red Sox 5th starting pitcher is, so I won't watch that game.

But I will watch a football game even if I don't know anything about either team, why?  Because football is a more exciting game to watch.  It is simple, people get it and that is why the Super Bowl is one of the most watched television events every single year.

I guess what i am saying is football is more exciting to watch but baseball has depth.

Think of Football as the popular cheerleader in high school that can't count to 10 and baseball as the quieter cute athlete who can tutor you when you fall behind in Algebra 2 and also she loves Jesus.

What do you think, cast your vote, Baseball or Football, and don't worry if you choose football I won't judge you, that's God's job.