I took me out to the ball game
The Red Sox are doing very well against the Yankees this year. Very well indeed:
…[I]t might be many years — probably even decades — before the Red Sox open their season series against the Yankees with eight straight wins.
This is the first time they have done so since 1912.
And I was there for one of them. This past Tuesday I went to Fenway Park for the first time since the major refurbishments of the last decade.
The park is now much spiffier, with more seats and a dizzying array of food choices. There are new pennants that declare the Sox’s recent World Series wins, to go along with the century-old ones. The traffic on the way in and on the way out is the usual Boston mess, squared.
Instead of a balmy June night, though, it was in the low fifties, and the cool mist that sprayed us for the entire game made it feel even colder. But Fenway was full anyway—and I mean there was scarcely an empty seat to be seen. The fans were decked out in proud regalia; one young woman in front of me had on not just the hat and the shirt but carried the backpack and the blanket and the umbrella. The latter came in handy, especially afterwards when the sky opened and the deluge came just ten minutes after the end of the game.
The winning outcome seemed a foregone conclusion that evening; the Sox were never behind and the Yankees never even threatened. So the crowd was at its happy raucous best, with cries of “Yankees suck!” and”A-Roid” ringing merrily through the chill night air.
I noticed once again how handsome baseball players are, and how graceful in their movements. Of all the team sports I know, baseball is the one where the athletes most resemble dancers in their combination of enormous strength, agility, flexibility, and fluidity. It seems that the best way to deliver a ball as fast as possible from third base to first tends in nearly all cases to be the most graceful way as well. Funny thing, that.
It was Ted Williams who said the hardest single thing to do in sports is hit a curve ball. As for fielding, there is much truth in the saying that the great ones make it look easy.
I took the boys to Fenway many times when they were younger, but I don’t go much now. It’s a lot easier (and cheaper) to go to McCoy stadium in Pawtucket, and easier, cheaper still to wait for the Sea Dogs to come play the Fisher Cats in Manchester.
“Of all the team sports I know, baseball is the one where the athletes most resemble dancers in their combination of enormous strength, agility, flexibility, and fluidity.”
Caveat: I am a baseball fan, and a Red Sox fan, too.
But…
Clearly you have never been to a hockey game or watched ice hockey. Because you have not really seen those qualities at the highest level until you have taken in the skills, grace, and power of hockey players competing at high levels. Plus, it takes a lot of intelligence to play the game well. The best players know where the puck is going to go, and do not so much react all the time as to time their moves. Here are some names for you: Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Stan Mikita, Jean Beliveau, Guy Lafleur, and so many more.
It has been stated that ice hockey is ballet and brawn.
But, back to baseball… watching any team’s infielders turn the double play, or a center fielder chase down a liner deep into the outfield, or a catcher throw out a runner… yes, it is beautiful to watch.
But, neo, you have to take in a hockey game.
I remember as a kid when my Dad (in the Air Force at the time) drove my older brother and I from Topeka to Kansas City to watch the Kansas City Athletics play. There’s something about a major league ball park to a young kid and that memory never fades.
As far as the “Instead of a balmy June night, though, it was in the low fifties” – glad that global warming thing is working out for y’all up there Neo.
FredHjr: I’ve seen ice hockey games on TV, and parts of ice hockey games in person.
And I have to say that, although I do admire the exceptional skill, I don’t see the grace part. I’m sure it’s there (as it is in nearly all athletes at the top levels). But it’s nothing like baseball, where you see the bodies revealed rather than concealed by the uniforms. Hockey just has too much padding (necessary, I know) for me to be able to fully appreciate and admire whatever grace is involved.
We’ll have to agree to disagree :-).
I need to have some fun this summer. Time to either drive up to Portland for a game or drive over to Manchester for a game. I’ve been to both parks. The new stadium in Manchester is beautiful. And that’s not just my opinion. A few years ago my youngest brother got married, so my siblings from Seattle and Clarksville were here for a couple of weeks. We took in a couple of Fisher Cats games and my brother and sister (who go to a lot of minor league baseball games) say that Manchester’s is the best minor league ballpark in the country. My brother, Jim, goes to Mariners’ games and apparently Seattle has a great ballpark.
I have not been to Fenway in years. My complaint is that the seats are very tight for big guys like my brothers and I. And we’re not fat, just large from our frames and our weight training. Traffic and parking are crazy. I wish we had a new stadium for the Red Sox. Before the team was sold for that outrageous price there were plans being floated for a new stadium and one of them was very doable and would have been a great location. Instead, we’re stuck with that old bandbox.
It’s because sound biomechanics directs all the power to throwing the ball by the sequential firing of the thighs, hips, torso, arm, and wrist, in that order. It’s graceful because there’s no wasted effort, which necessitates perfect dynamic balance throughout the throw.
Neo,
You need to check out German and Italian national team soccer players for some real beef cake.
I attended a major league game recently. What amazed me was watching them warm up before the game. We’re talking outfielders 250 feet apart and throwing to each other a ball that appears to not drop 5 inces in that distance. Heck it may even rise a little bit.
I admit it. Tonight I could be watching John Lester taking the hill for the Sox against the Phillies, but I could not resist a Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals.
I’m rooting for Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Three ex-Bruins on Pittsburgh: Hal Gill, Bill Guerin, and Sergei Gonchar.
I’m watching the Sox in between periods. Boston 2, Philly 1 in the 7th.
Penguins and Wings scoreless after period 1.
neo,
John Lester for the Sox now has three games in a row when he’s had ten or more strikeouts. I love the kid; he’s overcome a lot of adversity during the last three years.
It was a good night for us Red Sox fans (5-2, in 13 innings) and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup.
I noticed once again how handsome baseball players are, and how graceful in their movements
there is a casual motion that must be masterd, and while I had a good arm, I never had a fraction, a minute fraction of the transitions of movement from violent aggressive motion to a fixed point in space to apprehend an errant object, only to shift position in a way that allowed me to deliver maximum power, speed and range, and accuracy to that same small object within a fraction of a second.
These guys weigh in, AT LEAST the high 100’s, basicaly no less then 190 lb’s, and not uncommon to find them at 250 or so in mass, to turn on a dime, like you say, as a dancer, casually reach their arms out, and without a single jerky or sudden motion, the just flow into the form for a hard throw.
Not just a hard throw, but a hard throw that hits a target that is less then 8″ in diameter, all the while knowing absolutely that the person on the other end of that projectile is prepared for that almost deadly weapon flying at their bodies, will catch it in a piece of leather that is about 3/4 of an inch thick at most, while having the situational awareness to jump in time to dodge a “spike” or to brace for a charge.
I won’t say baseball players are the most athletic of athletes (that’s either hockey or basketball) but the divercity of functions a baseball player must serve (at least in defense) does require a near pirroettic grace to function at the professional level.
And I’m a Sox fan. a WHITE Sox Fan.
Don’t rub it in, it’s an ugly year for us, Bartolo who I love is a great disapointment this year.
So right about baseball players strenght and grace.
However, as a dance dad, and having been around ballet somewhat, for me, without a doubt the nod goes to the basketball player. (if you can get past the Bloods/Crips appearance of the players).
I once saw a piece which juxtaposed Michael Jordan and Barishnokov set to classical music. The similarities were amazing, with Mikhail’s Grande Jete’s and Michael’s leaping, twisting dunks.
The thing I like about baseball is that it selects for normal-sized guys, unlike basketball or football. The average major league player is about 6’1″, 205 lbs. Not a weenie, but not enormous either – just a good-sized guy.
For fielding positions it’s disadvantageous to be much over 6’4″, or over, say, 240 lbs., because it cuts down on agility and speed. Pitchers are the exception, but even most of them aren’t bigger than this. (Being tall, up to a point, is an advantage at first base, but too tall and opponents will drop bunts down the first base line all day long. Also, big guy = big strike zone!)
This tradeoff between size and speed/agility is why a baseball team walking through a hotel lobby hardly gets noticed, unlike a football or basketball team.
The difference from a basketball player driving to the basket is that a fielder cannot plan his movement; he has to react to a ball approaching at ca. 100 mph, and has to be prepared to move instantly in any direction: left, right, forward, back, up, or down.
So unlike football and basketball, height/weight cannot make up for any deficiencies in ability.
Occam,
I believe you are quite right about the size/agility tradeoff in baseball. There are some tall pitchers, but in baseball I think once you get over 220 lbs. it affects speed and agility.
Now, this is where baseball and hockey intersect. Both sports require agility and explosiveness. I played hockey because I was too short for basketball (and white guys like me can’t jump) and too small for football. I don’t have good eyesight and have worn glasses since I was 5 years old (astigmatism and farsightedness). I love baseball, but you really need to have great eyes to pick up the ball coming in at you from the pitcher.
Hockey was a very good fit for me. I’m agile, balanced, can explode out of dead stop, strong, and have really soft hands. For some reason I took to skates like a duck to water. And I never, ever had a problem learning the wrist shot. I can roll those wrists and snap off the puck like it’s nothing. Like baseball, hockey players have to have quick hands and wrists.
Wayne Gretzky used to tell kids to play another sport besides hockey. His choice was baseball, because the challenges and skill sets were very similar.
Of course, in hockey, unlike baseball, you can check people. And I loved the physical part of the game. I never, ever had a problem with someone hitting me cleanly and within the rules. And I could dish out hip and shoulder checks quite well. I played center and defense, which are the positions which fit me well, because I like to read what’s in front of me and quarterback the puck accordingly. Playing wing, for me, was not my favorite thing, because it’s like playing in a frantic tunnel. Plus, I’m more of a playmaker and I like setting people up. Centers have more area to cover, which means it’s easier to find the seams in a defense from which you can create scoring opportunities for your linemates or for yourself.
Eventually, in my later years, I was playing with contact lenses on, which really helped my game a lot. I got to be good at positioning myself in front of goalies and tipping in slap shots from the point. Really good at it.
If only I had contact lenses when I was a kid. I would have been able to hit the baseball better. My favorite baseball position: catcher. I liked being able to manage pitchers and mess with the heads of opposing batters.
Here’s some hockey grace for ya.
THAT was some, goal by Malkin. I’ve seen some amazing ones in my life, and that’s right up there with the best.
Fred,
I played every position, but pitching was my favorite. You will not be surprised to hear that I must have set some kind of record for hit batsmen. A great technique for dealing with the suicide squeeze is to throw at the batters face: they inevitably duck or foul the ball off defensively, and the runner is out or goes back to third. I should add that I never once hit a batter doing this. I also loved pitching in relief.
I am having a hard time with baseball since they made the strike zone so small and won’t let pitchers throw inside. When I was a kid, Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale were my heroes. I wonder what they would say about the game today.
Oblio,
I see Red Sox pitchers work hitters inside a lot, but it’s a high risk move since we have a lot of teams in the AL who hit better than the Red Sox do. The Sox do not pile on the runs as they did a few years ago. So, we have to keep the runs to the opposition down. Beckett, Papplebon, and Bard have good heat, so they will challenge hitters inside. Other starters and relievers on this team don’t have the velocity to jam hitters, so they are more conservative with their locations.
John Smoltz is doing his rehab assignment down at AAA Pawtucket, and when he’s ready to come up I don’t expect him to challenge hitters inside. He is just not going to have the velocity he had years ago in Atlanta. Our other starter is a knuckleballer and you just don’t have that much control over that pitch to work hitters inside.
One of the things I love about baseball is the variety of physical types one sees among the players – it’s truly a democratic game. You don’t need to be a pituitary case like in basketball, or be built like a refrigerator like football players. Yes, it helps for a pitcher to be tall but it’s not essential. I like seeing all the different sizes and types of guys out there on the field.
And I love the fact that baseball is the only American sport that’s played without a timer. The game takes as long as it takes. Play continues until the struggle is done. In our instant-gratification, split-second world, I like that here’s something that can’t be rushed.
I once sang the National Anthem with a symphonic choral group at a major league game here in our city. Walking out to center field while the players were warming up was one of the most exciting and terrifying things I’ve ever done – balls whizzing past our heads in all directions and landing in gloves with a sound like gunfire! Being a mezzo and short, I was in the middle of the first row. The sound man came over and set up a huge mic about three inches from my face. Then he pointed it directly at my mouth.
I must have looked unnerved, because he leaned toward me, winked, and said “don’t make any mistakes!”
I pitched in high school, college, and semi-pro for a while, as well as playing first base and outfield (I’m a southpaw).
And now, in my geezerhood, I’ve returned to the game (in the intervening decades Steve Sigler started the Mens’ Senior Baseball League, God love him). In fact, I’m in my uniform right now, about to go play in an hour!
OB, this might interest you.
http://www.newenglandvintagebaseball.com/
Cool! Thanks, AVI.