I realize that there are quite a few people who don't enjoy baseball. It's not the fastest game in the world (although it's pretty easy to argue that football is just as slow), and well, not to sound too pompous, it's a thinking man's game. Baseball is the epitome of one on one competition and a team sport all rolled into one. Don't believe me? Just look at Jered Weaver's no-hitter on Wednesday.
There is no doubt that for a pitcher to throw a no-hitter, or for that matter win a game, he needs his defense behind him. But, that defense also relies on him to throw pitches that aren't meatballs that get cranked over the fences. Baseball is an individual battle for a split second. Pitcher versus hitter. Both men have the power to win or lose a game for his team. But like the pitcher and his defense, the batter has teammates too. This is what makes me love baseball so much. While it is a team sport, there is a sense of individuality to it. Look at the Braves vs. Phillies game yesterday. Chipper Jones hit a walkoff home run. One guy, one swing, game over. Did it help that there was a man on base? Yes and no. The game would've been over even if he hadn't been there. But that guy on base may have made the pitcher tip a pitch or give something away that Jones caught while in the on-deck circle. That Braves game didn't just end on a walkoff home run mind you. The final score was 15-13 and it took 11 innings to complete. So again, Chipper Jones may be the hero, the guy who "won the game" but it was a team effort that put him in that situation.
Another thing I love about baseball, there are no ties. Well except for that stupid All-Star Game in 2002, thank you very much Joe Torre. But in the regular season, there is a winner and a loser for every single game. The NFL has ties, just ask Donovan McNabb. Soccer games end in a tie, or draw, whatever, and hockey has this weird thing were if you lose in overtime you still get a point. Which isn't really a tie, but it's awkward, kind of like a consolation prize. By now it should be obvious that I'm not much of an NBA fan, but I'll give them credit for not letting games end in tie. It's just dumb. Like Herm Edwards said, "You play to win the game." Also, baseball doesn't seem to have the divas that football and basketball have. You can't accuse a baseball player of being a ball hog, and when was the last time you heard a baseball player act like Terrell Owens at a press conference? It doesn't happen. Sure there are guys who say and/or do things that make them look stupid. But the degree in which superstar baseball players seem to have an ego pales in comparison to that of the superstar NFL and NBA players.
Lastly, the thing that really puts baseball over the top for me is the ability to achieve perfection. There have been 21 perfect games in MLB history, 19 of which have come since the year 1900. Think about that for a second. In the last 112 years or so, there have been 19 games in which no batter reached base. 27 guys came to the plate, and 27 guys went back to the bench. I can't think of another sport where anything similar to this would be possible. Maybe tennis, not letting your opponent score a single point? But that's an individual sport. Just like with a no-hitter, the pitcher is the star, but his defense is just as important as he is. You're never going to see an NFL game when one team gains zero yards, and no NBA team will ever even get shutout, although it sure looked like the Bobcats were going to challenge that one this year. Oh, and just because you threw a perfect game, it doesn't mean squat in your next start. The last perfect game was few weeks ago, thrown by Phil Humber. He set down all 27 Seattle Mariners he faced. His very next start? He went 5 innings and gave up 9 earned runs. Not exactly what you would expect from a guy who just etched his name in the history books.
There is a reason why the term home run and/or grand slam are used in every other sport. Because baseball illustrates life. You have to go at it alone sometimes, but there is always a team behind you supporting you. Don't get me wrong, I love football and I love hockey. But baseball is my passion. A lot of people can throw spiral, make a tackle, shoot a three, dunk, ice skate, handle a puck, or shoot a soccer ball. Very few can hit a 100 mph fastball or a nasty curve ball over a wall that's 400 feet away.
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