Play Ball!

By Sarah McVeigh

Ahhhh, smell that? It’s the smell of freshly cut grass, recently watered dirt on the infield, popcorn, hotdogs, and maybe, if you’re lucky, even the sweet aroma of the Bronx. Opening day was March 27. Baseball is back, baby!

Baseball is one of those sports that just makes you feel good. Once spring training is over, there’s this sense of hope and optimism that comes with the new season.

Of course, most people are probably excited for the actual baseball part. Maybe you’re looking forward to seeing Aaron Judge continuing to break records or Juan Soto playing for the Mets this year. You might even be interested in the ever-changing MLB rules or “torpedo” bats. But like I said, that is what most people care about … but not me.

For starters, baseball tells you that you survived the cold winter. And that, for me, is a big one. When I see the handsome Michael Kay on the television, I know I made it — like a bear coming out of hibernation. Maybe I can put the puffer coat away and begin to relearn how to walk in flip flops. You might even hear me say, “Let’s go watch the Yankees game at Callies!”

An even bigger one for me, opening day in baseball means NYC spring break is just around the corner, and then … SUMMER VACATION. I could write endless amounts about how our poor children (and, more importantly, me) are in school for just way too long. It’s torture! But baseball reminds me that we’ve almost gotten through the school year. Eleven weeks left, but who’s counting?

Lastly, baseball is just soooo darn American. It makes me want to wave my American flag like the Fourth of July. It’s not called “America’s Pastime” for nothing! The national anthem plays at the start of the game, and God Bless America during every seventh-inning stretch. All across the country, there are kids in sandlots pretending to be their favorite player. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican or Democrat — what matters is if you’re a Yankees or Red Sox fan. Baseball has this ability to bring Americans together in a way that we so desperately need.

By the time The Rockaway Times goes to press this week, I will have gone to my first baseball game of the year. Diamondbacks vs. Yankees: A house divided. I will have eaten my first hotdog with ketchup (yes, sue me), with some Lays potato chips and an ice-cold beer. I, along with so many others, will once again get to experience that glimmer of hope that only baseball has the capacity to bring.

And so, with that, coil up DBacks and I’ll take a cold beer ova’ here!