Written by Chris Hamelin & Mike Treadgold
Trying to get into baseball can seem intimidating at first; after all, there are 30 major league teams, each of which play 162 games each season, not to mention the many years of tradition, scouting reports, and statistics that come with the sport fondly known as America’s pastime.
But, if your initial reaction to the thought of getting into baseball is a feeling of intimidation and a sense of being overwhelmed, here are a few starter suggestions for how to get into this great sport.
First, I suggest that you start by following one team; maybe one from close to home? Let’s say the Toronto Blue Jays. Certainly not the most popular team, they could use the fans. If you don’t have an affinity for a particular team, try following a select few players, or join a fantasy league and create your own team, made up of real players.
Not being a hockey fan myself, I don’t like basing my sense of national identity around the performance of a sports team, but the simple act of following the Blue Jays can be considered a nation-building experience. Seeing as the Blue Jays are the only Canadian team in Major League Baseball, they attract fans from all across our diverse nation.
You see, baseball is not necessarily a game just for traditional “sports fans.” Baseball does not sustain the same popularity and culture in Canada as does hockey. This is largely because baseball attracts a variety of fans, for many different reasons. It’s not as fast-paced or physical as most other sports, namely hockey or football. Baseball is foremost a game of patience, and requires patience to watch.
Playing video games is a great way to get to know the teams and players. Watching games with someone who has a strong grasp of the rules is a good idea, as a lot of the excitement comes from taking notice of the finer details of the game. Baseball is game of strategy, odds, and statistics; every situation calls for a different plan of action. Just picture yourself as a batter, standing at the plate, waiting for the pitcher to throw you something in the strike zone. He could throw you a heater down the pipe, or an unlimited number of permutations of other types of pitches, locations, and speeds. Then, consider that batting is only one aspect of the very complicated game.
The most important piece of advice that I can offer to someone getting into baseball is most likely the most obvious: go to a game! Seeing it for yourself is the only way to get a feel for the atmosphere of the sport.
Also, try rooting against the New York Yankees, the most widely-liked team with a wickedly loyal fan-base, and disgustingly large number of players making ridiculous sums of money. Considered a dynasty of hitting and pitching power and an archrival of the Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees provide the ideal enemy for loyal Jays fans.
Like any sport, baseball is a game of inches. You can miss hitting or catching a ball by inches; just a few inches can be the difference between being safe or out, hitting a home run or bouncing a ball off the wall, winning Game 7 of the World Series or losing it all.
Hopefully I’ll see you at the Home Opener on Monday! Go Jays Go!
The Ontarion’s top 5 players to watch for the 2010 baseball season
Joe Mauer (Catcher, Minnesota Twins): Perhaps the most well-rounded catcher in recent decades, Mauer was last season’s American League Most Valuable Player, demonstrating a keen batting eye, power and superb defensive instincts. His trademark sideburns have become legendary in Minnesota to the point where the team now dedicates a game each year to honouring his facial hair.
Albert Pujols (First base, St. Louis Cardinals): Undoubtedly, baseball’s most dangerous hitter, Pujols is coming off of his third National League MVP season, a year in which he led the league in home runs, runs scored and slugging percentage. Pujols makes hitting look easy and has already taken aim at the game’s most illustrious batting records.
Jason Heyward (Outfield, Atlanta Braves): Want to make a good first impression? How about hitting a home run in your first major league at-bat, as Heyward did on Monday. Heyward is among the most hyped prospects to come into the league in years and became famous for breaking car windows with his moonshot home runs in spring training. Rental car companies now offer – no joke – HLI (Heyward Liability Insurance) At just 20 years of age and having succeeded at every minor league level, the sky is the limit for baseball’s next great talent.
Roy Halladay (Starting pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies): Blue Jays fans went into mourning when their beloved ace was traded to The City of Brotherly Love in the off-season after Toronto determined that they could no longer afford his game-changing talent. Doc, as he is affectionately known, has a robotic-esque work ethic and instantly makes the Phillies the favourites to win the NL East. If you’re not a fan of lengthy ball games, go watch Doc pitch; he’ll go about his business and get you home in time to watch The Office.
Adam Lind (Designated hitter/Outfield, Toronto Blue Jays): Lind is quickly making Blue Jays fans forget about the last great lefthanded hitting Jay: Carlos Delgado. The sweet-swinging slugger, entering just his second major league season, was the Silver Slugger award winner last year among designated hitters and started off the year with a bang, going long against the Texas Rangers on Monday. Lind brings all the talent, and none of the ego to the game and is a refreshing example of humble, yet successful players.
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