Yup, it's that time again---Friday nite; and your latest Gulf Watchers Block Party, where there is fun, laughter and lots of drinks & food.
With this crazy weather that has given us a serious taste of spring; many of us sports fans are ready for the baseball Spring Training to begin, which it does next week.
Let us rejoice in the fine outdoor sport of Baseball; and forget those cold days of football in the snow....and basketball and hockey indoors.......
Follow me below the fold for a VERY brief look at our National Pastime, ecetera, ecetera,
ecetera.....
There are some on here (only one I think) who love hockey....a game that is played by guys who like to fight,..
and hit a little black puck that you can never see on TV. Pretty dull, except for the fights. There are teams in towns you almost never heard of: Columbus, SanJose, Ottawa, etc; and most teams make the playoffs (16 of 30 teams).
Same with NBA basketball: most teams make the playoffs, and they also have teams in cities like Charlotte & Oklahoma City (Yikes). Biggest problem here is it is a 60 minute game that is only important in the last 2 minutes----which usually takes 30 minutes to play!! Up & down the court they go for 58 minutes, then suddenly it sometimes gets interesting---and everyone starts to pay attention. Never watch a whole game----dull as hell.
Having just finished off the recent NFL football season with the crappy NY Giants winning the Super Bowl
--we can properly say: Good riddance to a dismal end to a mediocre season-----the truly best teams didn't get to the promised land. (well, maybe one did--Patriots belonged, I guess)
So, now this brings us to the great game of Baseball: the game that has been around for more than 150 years, and has the largest American attendence of the major sports---Of course they play more games, but so what???
The best part of this is: It is played outdoors in the Spring & Summer...on fields like this:
Unfortunately, it is a dying sport for kids, as you need minimum 10 kids to even pretend to play(and 18 to do it right)---so long term, it will decline in drawing in the youth to appreciate the fine art of the game.
There is also the fact that there are more famous stars of Baseball than in any other major sport (who can forget Joe DiMaggio?
OR, Babe Ruth?)
Yes, there are many many more very recognizable names from Baseball----not so much the other sports.
And, then there are also many many songs tied to the game:
Simon & Garfunkel refer to Joe D....
In the Forties, Joe again
Mickey Mantle I love Mickey.
Willie, Mickey & the Duke
Say Hey, about Willie Mays
and the most famous of them all Take Me Out to the Ball Game
So let us hear about your favorite sports--whether they be from Winter or the warm sun of Summer....(best beer drinking time).....................