My Love for Baseball: A Brief Disquisition (Part II)

Now that I've spoken of the pitcher/batter struggle, allow me to postulate on the beautiful aspect of the human element in baseball. While most sports are cut and dry, black and white, baseball is not. No play in baseball (except maybe a ground rule double) is set in stone. The umpire plays a role in every single play. Even when it appears obvious, the ump must call a homerun a homerun before it can be put in the record books. Players, fans, and managers alike hold their breath in anticipation with each play in the field to learn how it will be scored. Was that an error or a hit? (In the case of C.C. Sabathia on 9/1/08, this was a really big deal.) Or take the case of the Red Sox game on August 5, 2008, when the 'homerun' ball rolled along the fence before it was knocked back into play by the outfielder. Was that a homerun or not? It was just bizzare. Strikezones change (as in the case of the Sox/Rays game on 10/11/08), and outfields are unique in each ballpark. I love it! In Houston, the Astros have a legitimate hill in center field, waiting like a hungry alligator for its unsuspecting prey. Fenway has the Monstah, Wrigley has the ivy, Petco has the bay, and the Trop has the catwalks. Safeco has a retractable roof, and BOB (Bank One Ballpark- Diamondbacks) has air conditioning What may be a homerun in one park is a double in another. Fenway has lots of nooks and cranneys for the ball to roll into, adding yet another element. And then consider the fans! Oh my gosh, the fans! What other sport do you have where the spectators can reach out and mess up a play, or do nothing at all so as to assist the outfielder in his fielding? Boston fans are proudly vivacious, and they know when to interfere with a popup. Baseball has a beautiful and sometimes inconsistent human element to it, which just makes it that much better!