My favorite person to go to a professional baseball game with is my husband.
Having played college baseball, he teaches me all the finer points of the game – which make watching it a much richer experience. And he provides me with “color commentary” which includes things like past historical feats of some of the players we are avidly watching, entertaining anecdotes and his own personal insights.
His gems of wisdom following each new facet of professional baseball always strike me as useful.
For instance, who knew a pitcher could throw so many different types of pitches?
Sliders
Sinkers
Cutters
Sweepers
Four-seam SB and
Change Ups
And at such variance of speeds: from 70 to over 100 MPH.
“See Iris,” my husband says, “there are many ways to approach a specific situation in life and with varying degrees of speed and intensity. If you are in charge, keep them guessing.”
He reminds me not only to watch the speed of the opposing pitcher and the type of pitch he throws, but to heed the bigger picture:
- How many pitches has the pitcher on the mound thrown thus far in the game?
- How many strikes?
- How many balls?
- Does he throw right or left-handed?
- What type of pitcher is he?
- Starter?
- Relief?
- Closer?
“See Iris,” he points out, “you need to thoroughly know who you are up against and both what his repertoire and role is.”
And then there are all those acronyms, such as:
OBP – On-Base Percentage. It’s a statistic that measures how frequently a batter reaches base by any means, including hits, walks and being hit by a pitch.
SLG – Slugging Percentage is a statistic that measures a hitter’s power by calculating the average number of bases a batter reaches per at-bat.
WHIP – Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched is a measure of how many base runners a pitcher allows per inning.
ERA – Earned Run Average is the average number of earned runs a pitcher allows over nine innings.
“See, Iris,” my husband reminds me, “it’s not enough to just study the competition, you have to make use of all accessible information so you can sharpen your own game plan.”
At the beginning of each game, we may still be sitting in the dining area finishing up a pre-game hot dog and Coke. Or we may still be hunting for our seats. Or we may already be in the stands chatting quietly with other nearby fans. No matter. As soon as the first strands of our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner” rings out, we immediately cease what we are doing. We rise. We place our left hand over our hearts. And we sing out loudly and proudly.
And on this, my husband doesn’t have to instruct me at all. Pride in our country is a given.
And when the Reds start trailing the visiting team, my husband relates the following:
It’s 2004 and the Boston Red Sox have lost three straight games to the New York Yankees in a best-of-seven series to clinch the American League Championship. Unbelievably, the Red Sox win the next four games and advance to the World Series. In game 4 of the World Series, the Red Sox are down 3-0 in the eighth inning. A pivotal home run by David Ortiz culminates in the Red Sox winning the World Series which breaks an 86-year championship drought for the Boston Red Sox.
As Steven tells me, “Iris, never lose hope. It’s not over ‘til it’s over.”
His gems of wisdom following each new facet of professional baseball always strike me as useful.
I was in the stands July 8, 2023 when Cincinnati Reds rookie shortstop Elly De La Cruz, known for his exceptional speed and athleticism, stole first base and second base. Then, with the Milwaukee Brewers pitcher preoccupied, De La Cruz stole third base as well. When the pitcher was walking back to the mound, De La Cruz took off for home and slid in safely. Stealing second, third and home in the span of three pitches was a feat which hadn’t been witnessed since 1961.
“See, Iris,” my husband earnestly entreats me, “always keep your eye out for the extraordinary.”
And my bit of advice: Roots are roots. And no matter how great or how dismal their record, always root for your “home team.”
And Keep Preserving Your Bloom,
PS: My husband and I were in the stands last night when the Cincinnati Reds played the Atlanta Braves. In the top of the eighth inning, the Braves had the audacity to score EIGHT RUNS – breaking a 3-3 tied ballgame.
My husband was totally disgruntled and implored me to leave the game as there was little chance of a Red’s win. I reluctantly – very reluctantly – agreed and gathered up my purse and half-eaten bag of peanuts. We headed home – causally turning on the radio to listen to what we perceived would be a very heartbreaking end for the Reds as we headed down I-75 North.
It was heartbreaking, but not in the way we anticipated.
The Cincinnati Reds came back in the bottom half of the eighth inning to score EIGHT RUNS too!
The game was tied at 11 to 11 and we were listening to it on the RADIO; not watching it in the stands surrounded by wildly cheering fans. I was livid.
The Reds ended up losing in extra innings by one run. That was okay because they played with gusto and determination.
What did I learn? My husband knows a lot about baseball, but not even he can predict when the extraordinary will happen.
And I am never leaving a game early again.