You’re being watched. Spies are everywhere, monitoring your every move. They go where you go, tap into your private conversations. They try to invade your thoughts and if you’re out of earshot they’ll be reading your lips.
Baseball can be a little bit like church in that a lot of the meaning is in its rituals. That’s how most fans endure the 162-game season, why a team can be out of the pennant race in May and people will still show up—it’s the rituals, the smells, the sounds, the memories linked to Cracker Jack and the seventh-inning stretch. It feels like sitting on your grandpa’s lap. Everything’s gonna be alright. For nine innings you feel safe. When we’re small, there are some sports we sign-up for, but baseball is something you inherit.
Dumb things happen in sports every day. Most of this stupidity is perpetrated by the television networks. During the wildcard game, ESPN interviewed Joe Girardi in the fifth inning – while the game was going on. Boy, is that a silly idea.