“Baseball isn’t necessarily an escape from reality, though it can be; it’s merely one of our many refuges within the real where we try to create a sense of order on our own terms. Born to an age where horror has become commonplace, where tragedy has, by its monotonous repetition, become a parody of sorrow, we need to fence off a few parks where humans try to be fair, where skill has some hope of reward, where absurdity has a harder time than usual getting a ticket.” ~ Thomas Boswell, 1984
Happy New Year! May your team play hard, win often, keep a ready bullpen, and always recover quickly from bottom-of-the-9th, two-out, tying-run-on-third heartbreakers.
Thank you to those many people who made me both love and understand baseball, including Thomas Boswell and his Washington Post columns, and my friends Jay, Jim, Renee, and Editor/Husband Randy who will sit through long rain delays, and games played through sleet, cold, my bouts of heat exhaustion in summer, leaky bullpens, and late-inning meltdowns in the outfield.
This is our year.
I’ll see you at the game … or I’ll see you in November. Play ball!
(Oh, almost forgot. Go O’s.)
Photo: A’s at Orioles, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, August 16, 2015. © The Baseball Bloggess
The Baseball Bloggess 
Go Dodgers
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2016 marks the 50th anniversary of a lovely World Series. Let’s do it again, right? :)
Love this. Let’s go O’s.
Could be an unexpectedly good year … on pace to hit NO home runs, yet win 162 games. Plus, a cake disguised as a pie. What other team can do that? (Rhetorical question. No other team, of course.) Go O’s!
Good luck to you and those Orioles, too! Your description regarding “sitting through long rain delays, and games played through sleet, cold, my bouts of heat exhaustion in summer, leaky bullpens, and late-inning meltdowns in the outfield” could have been one directly from my own experience as a White Sox fan! Those who don’t care for baseball, or its wonderful nuances, don’t quite appreciate our willingness to put up with “whatever” through a season–beginning to end. It all begins today/tonight, and we’re brimming with hope and anticipation. “Next year” has arrived! Play ball…
Be careful with that heat exhaustion … it really did happen to me and it was awful. (Not awful enough to make me give up baseball, but awful enough to make me a big fan of I-don’t-care-what-chemicals-and-sugars-are-in-it-it-saved-my-life Gatorade.)
To be fair the meltdowns in the outfield are mostly from watching college ball. The Orioles are more of your meltdown-on-the-mound variety.
I’m so glad baseball is here once more. Good luck to your White Sox!
Yep, those days of baking in the sun are long behind me now! I’ve grown fond of having shade around and plenty of water at hand. I don’t get out to the ballpark nearly as often as I did in my young and foolish days, so the chances of having any difficulties are pretty slim. Now, I usually enjoy my team’s exploits–meltdowns and implosions and successes–via radio or TV. I’ve been up past midnight the past two nights enjoying the season- opening wins against the A’s. The lack of sleep has been worth it!
Happy Opening Day! I wish you an exciting and enjoyable season! Good luck to the O’s in the East.
-Mike
And, good luck to your Tigers, too! I’m so glad baseball is finally back … it’s that wonderful time of year when both MLB and college ball are on the calendar!
O’s win a tight one on opening day. That is a good omen. In Cleveland , they only saw snow.
Just rain in Baltimore yesterday — which led to two long rain delays. But, we hadn’t beaten those pesky Twins in nearly 2 years, so that, too, is a good omen! Are you a Cleveland fan? :)
Happy New Year! By far the best part of any year :)
Happy New Year, Precious! I love this time of year … when all things are possible, even a World Series!
I nominated you to do the 3-day quote challenge if you are interested. https://greaterthangravity.wordpress.com/2016/04/12/play-ball/
Wendy, You’re going to make me work? Ok. Sure. But, your post sets the bar high. I’ll dig up something quotable! :)
You only have to work if you want to! 😉