For many people not enamored to the game, being keen on baseball may be something short of insanity. For them there is no fun in watching grown-up men go after a tiny ball, flung or whacked by another grown-up man who obviously desired the ball to go way off the reach of others. But for baseball enthusiasts, it is the greatest game in the world, even immortalized in small pieces of cardboard called baseball cards. Most treasured are Topps baseball cards, those plain memorabilia of the great men of baseball, that come with the batting statistics, names, signatures and other information so dear to the spirit of baseball fans.
But why is baseball so popular? The first reason is because it is a spectator sport. Since it is held in an open area, it can be viewed by many persons. Even if watching is limited to the number of people who line the edge of the baseball diamond, the number is still great. Compare baseball to chess and you get the idea. If only a portion of the number gets truly interested in the game, the actual fans will be greater in number. One irrefutable proof is the gigantic arenas mainly for playing baseball games.
Second, baseball is an activitysport. There is much action, but normally in flurries, so the spectator is not overpowered. A spectator can actually follow the action of the important players as they fly around the bases, hurl the ball, or run home to score. But suspenseful, split-second action happens quite regularly, enoughsufficient to get many addicted to watching the games. Moreover, the game is quite simple to keep up with, the players easily seen, winning and losing readily understood.
Then, it is a game of heroes. The guyplayer who bats the ball to outside the field and score successive homeruns is a hero. The pitcher who consistently outs his batting opponents is a hero. The shortstop who gets the fly ball with the bright sun shining in his eyes is a hero. Anyone who makes a home run inspite of great odds, is also a hero. They can be rare, true, but they happen and you need to watch the games to witness them.
Baseball is a multi player game, from two players to 20 or even beyond that. It is versatile enough that from two players one bats, the other as pitcher and fielder it can accommodate to as many as wanted, as long as the field can hold them and all agrees to the arrangement.
Then it is a game for everybody. For every age, any status, from all styles of life: there is no prejudice or requirements. A son, a father or a senior citizen and all the people between and all family affinities can enjoy it at the same time, in the same place, for the same reasons. It makes for a great bonding not only for family members but for friends, neighbors and perhaps strangers.
Finally, it is a game of skill, guts, willpower and cleverness, all of which we hold essential for ourselves and hence in others, too.
Filed under Stamp Collecting by Hobby Specialist









