Before we dive into today's topic and you figure out why an April Morning Report has a summer title, I wanted to thank the readership for all the positive feedback on last Thursday's Whole Milk Marriage Report. This issue brought in record views to the blog and a huge amount of reader feedback and support, which meant a great deal to me.
But now, to this week's business. Though the title may not have given it away, the custom banner certainly did. Yesterday, along with being April Fools' Day and the day I finished Infinite Jest (Suck it, Otter 21!) was the opening day of the 2013 MLB season for most teams. The day was enjoyed by baseball fans across the country, though in some cities more than others, with Boston, DC, and Chicago among the cities briefly enjoying a 1.000 Winning Percentage.
While some readers likely find baseball boring to watch, it is my favorite sport to watch, either at a park or on TV. Physically going to a game is steeped in Americana and tradition in a way that no other sporting event can boast. And televised baseball can work to serve almost as a soundtrack to one's day, playing out in the background as life unfolds around it. Even though the first trip I ever went on as a wee baby was to Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, I can't speak as eloquently about it as true, long-term, full-time fans of the game could, but I can pull a quote that I think captures something about why I like the game so much: “The fundamental truth: a baseball game is nothing but a great slow contraption for getting you to pay attention to the cadence of a summer day." That, my favorite sentence from my least favorite book by my favorite author (Michael Chabon'sSummerland), captures it for me.
For other people, though, it's something else. For photographer Don Hamerman, it's the aesthetics of the ball. Others may be drawn to the history of the game's famous firsts. Still others the oddball trivia of old baseball cards. Some the poetry. Some the comedy. Some people even look to the game as religion, telling the story of how "In the big inning God created Heaven on Earth."
So, whether you subscribe to MLBtv to watch along at work, or you haven't seen a game in FOR-EV-ER, baseball is here. Even those who don't watch can look forward to the summer days it heralds.
