OCT 29 — By the time you read this, one of the most high-profile and glamorous sporting competitions in the world will be a step closer towards its conclusion.
I’m talking about baseball and the World Series between Boston Red Sox and St Louis Cardinals, who met in the small hours of Tuesday morning for the fifth game of their championship series, which was tied at two games apiece after the first four meetings.
Before we go any further, let’s face it: America is really quite a ridiculous country.
A couple of weeks ago we were all supposed to be grateful when they avoided plunging the entire world into economic crisis by extending their national debt to $17 trillion (yes, that’s TRillion); now we’re discovering they have been routinely spying on political leaders from other countries, even their own allies; and we are all, of course, relentlessly bombarded with mindless media messages imploring us to participate in the American Dream and all its frivolities.
Considering the essential frivolity inherent within the activity of watching professional sport – a pastime generally reserved for people living in countries fortunate enough not to have to worry about serious things like war or famine – it’s no surprise that Americans do sport very well.
American Football, for starters, is one of my very favourite sports for its fascinating blend of strategy, skill and brute force. I’m also a fan of basketball and its non-stop flow of action, spectacular athleticism and sudden changes in momentum, and even the fast and furious nature of ice hockey has a certain appeal.
Baseball, however, is the one great American sport that I’ve never been able to get to grips with, even after I went to watch a game at the legendary Yankees Stadium in New York City.
It always struck me as being far too simplistic to merit close attention: one man throws a ball, another hits it as far as he can with a bat which appears to be shaped with the specific purpose of prohibiting control over the aim or trajectory of the ball, and another man tries to catch it.
Compared to another “throw, hit and catch” game, cricket, which provides endless subtle variations depending upon field positioning, the state of the pitch, shot selection options for the batsman and many more factors, baseball always seemed somewhat childish.
However, I always suspected that my lack of appreciation for baseball stemmed not from the game’s shortcomings but from my own lack of understanding of its intricacies. I therefore recently asked an American colleague of my wife – and a New York Yankees fan – to teach me the finer points of the game so I could better judge its merits.
When we headed into an American bar in downtown Barcelona to sit down and watch a game, the first part of my “lesson” covered pitching, the one part of the game I had always known contained a great deal of skill – but I certainly didn’t realise the range of tactics at the disposal of pitchers.
Whether they are attempting to throw a basic fastball, or a breaking ball with variations of pace, spin, slice and movement in the air, the key skill for pitchers to master is disguise – not allowing the batter to be able to predict what kind of pitch is coming his way. All rather impressive when you’ve got someone knowledgeable to tell you what’s actually going on.
Batting, too, is a lot more complex than I had thought. Although there are indeed occasions when batters will simply attempt to whack the ball as far as they can, there are also different types of shot possible by changing the backlift, swing, angle of the bat and other technicalities which remain beyond my grasp.
I ended up enjoying the game much more than I had expected, forcing myself to accept that baseball is a more sophisticated sport than I had given it credit for.
I’ve only had one lesson so I’m far from being an expert, and in truth I’m not sure how many more games I will ever watch. The current season will end later this week with the conclusion of the Red Sox-Cardinals series, and even when the new season resumes it’s fair to say the MLB schedule is not especially designed for the needs of non-American viewers.
With my sport-watching schedule already pretty full, baseball will probably continue to be a peripheral interest. But although it might not be my particular cup of tea, at least I’ve got a bit more of an idea what all the fuss is about.
It also made me realise how easily we can be dissuaded away from our petty personal dislikes, simply by exposing ourselves to the positive aspects inherent within the object of our discontent. By gaining a greater understanding, we can also gain a greater appreciation and resultantly make our previous objections appear somewhat silly.
So I’ve decided now to continue my re-education by making a list of all the things that I dislike and forcing myself to confront them in search of their admirable qualities.
Next up: beetroot.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
