Baseball is still a game!

Sometimes it seems that, with all the steroids nonsense, baseball no longer claims it's hold on the term "America's Past Time".  I fell out of love with baseball at a young age and find myself constantly bashing the players for being overpaid, and for taking to many games off.  But every so often I watch with childish awe as someone smashes a home run, or makes a ridiculous play in the field.  You just can't help sometimes to get caught up in the game.  It draws you in and your hooked.  Before you know it you have watched a double-header and are searching you HD stations for the night game.  Believe it or not I am still secretly in love with the game of baseball.

Tonight was one of those nights where baseball players reminded me they are just having fun.  In the Rays and Yankees game tonight the Yankees were getting annihilated in the 8th inning 15-5.  That's when something crazy happened.  The Yankees trotted Nick Swisher out to the mound.  The awesome thing about this pitching change was the fact that Swisher is the starting first baseman for the Yanks.  He hurled the first pitch down the pipe at a blazing 74 mph.  I was laughing as Yankee fans at the bar cussed and groaned.  But Nick didn't do a bad job, he even got a Rays batter to strike out swinging with a blinding 78 mph "fastball".  Swisher gave up no runs in his relief inning and looked to have had a helluva good time.  He looked like a grown man having a great time playing a kids game.  This move is not unprecedented however.  The Diamondbacks did the same with first baseman, and one of my all time favorite Cubs, Mark Grace when they were losing to the Dodgers 19 to 1 in the ninth inning of a September game in 2002.  Mark had a lot of fun with it even imitating teammate Mark Fetters on the mound.  

Baseball has had a tough road over the last few years.  And the last few weeks was no exception.  There is a sadness that no dumb ass book from Jose Canseco could ever bring on.  Last week baseball lost one of it's best young pitchers, Angel's starter Nick Adenhart, who was killed in a hit run car crash by an alleged drunk driver.  And today baseball took a combo to the gut with the loss of Hall of Fame broadcaster for the Phillies, Harry Kalas, and goofy pitcher Mark "the Bird" Fidrych.  Harry Kalas was known for his home run call "Outta Here" as well as his work providing the voice to NFL films.  Mark Fidrych brought fun to the game of baseball during his time as a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.  He was known for talking to the ball and using his goofball demeanor to bring enjoyment to fans all over Major League Baseball.  It is a sad day for baseball and they both will be sorely missed.  Live like no one is watching, and play the game.