I love this game

"This is so boring. How can you spend 3 hours watching this?" Words that cut me every time I hear them. See I love baseball and even though I may be in the minority my love will never change. I believe it's the greatest sports in the world. I hear others say it's boring. The games are too long. Nothing exciting ever happens. Call me crazy but I love the game.

I'm not sure at what point I became so interested in baseball. Probably when I was very young. I remember being young and going to visit my grandma. I would sit in front of the TV for three hours rooting on the Minnesota Twins with her. She would get so excited when they won. It was hard for me not to get excited when I saw her joy this simple sport brought her. I never had time to think the game was boring. I would keep stats of my favorite players through out the game. I hated missing Twins games because I didn't want to miss any exciting plays. I knew my grandma was watching and it pained me to know I wasn't seeing what she was. Maybe I only got into the game because of my grandma but I will never forget those moments spent with her.

Those young memories have given way to some many more memories for me. Watching our small market semi-pro team through the wall in the outfield. Rooting on my Angels when they got to the World Series but only being able to watch game 7 on a small black and white TV that didn't have reception. Going to Milwaukee Brewer games with friends. Cheering the home runs and screaming at the painful plays. Memories that when I close my eyes I can immediately be taken back to these places.

One of the reasons I love baseball so much is that the game has no clock to determine when the game ends. Unlike other major sports the game is slow enough to enjoy while having a conversation with the person sitting next to you. The feeling when you walk out of a tunnel and see the green grass and the blue sky. The wonderful sounds that you get to hear at a game. The vendors selling beer and peanuts. Fans cheering for their teams or heckling opposing players. The sight of the pitcher throwing a 95 mile an hour fast ball and the sound of the ball hitting the catchers mitt. That is why I love baseball so much. It's so much more than the action of the game. It's the sights and the sounds. The passion of watching a game with a friend or with a loving grandmother.

I love watching baseball. I will admit that it may not be the fastest action of any sport but I don't need that. As baseball season begins again I will again cherish the opportunity the go to a game. The opportunity to sit for 3 hours either in my living room or hopefully a beautiful stadium. I will again be taken back to my grandmas living room. I will again cherish her and the beautiful game that she introduced me too. Go Twins.