Heck,
I don't know how this thread got so far off the topic of
baseball, but. . . as MikeYank and Peter would tell you, in an
augenblick:
baseball IS the "beautiful game".
Baseball is that rarest of games, which has the capacity to be - and regularly IS - both sweet and pastoral, and MIGHTILY heroic. In its concept, it is quite simple - much simpler than cricket, from which it is probably derived. And much easier to understand, in terms of rules, and scoring, than cricket is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball
Unlike rugby or American football, which rely crucially on strength and BRUTALITY - baseball calls on strength and speed, but is (in its essence) a very GENTLE, and PASTORAL game - as George Carlin famously observed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmXacL0Uny0
Europeans all love football (or soccer, as we call it here): and there are good reasons why. Soccer is fast, fluid, and (played by its greatest practitioners): quite elegant. But, for any red-blooded American, or many Canadians, baseball will ALWAYS trump soccer, because baseball, though leisurely and elegant in its own way, is also POWERFUL and CONCLUSIVE, in a way that soccer NEVER IS. When a great pitcher is on the mound, and a great batter is up to bat -
it's a DUEL to the DEATH. . . and you know, the virtuosity of one, or the POWER and skill of the other, could make or break the game, decisively. It is
personal, and intense, and such duels: eye-to-eye, and man-to-man, do not occur in the fleeting encounters that are characteristic of European football.
It is this DUEL, that counts. If the crafty pitcher wins, and thwarts the batter - the game could be over, for his opponents' team. If the batter wins - and knocks the ball out of the park. . . the game could be over, and allow him and HIS team, to exult in victory. All from ONE crack of the bat. I would venture - and I know I will be called out, and MOCKED for saying so - that there is NO GOAL in soccer, which could EVER be as EXCITING as a
HOME RUN in baseball - which could potentially garner multiple runs, and turn a losing game into a WINNING one, and win the ENTIRE GAME, with a
single swing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQilXcnJD3o
That's the allure of BASEBALL, I think. Peace and calm and
subtle strategy, punctuated by moments of
magnificent POWER. Yes, soccer is beautiful - but there is
nothing in soccer, like the thrill of seeing BABE RUTH hit a homer, and win the game!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkEX0eb2eBo
Not to mention, the glorious (and true) story of how the "Bambino" promised sick little Johnny Sylvester, in the midst of the 1926 World Series, that he'd hit a homer out of the park for him - and true to his word, Babe Ruth did. And Johnny Sylvester recovered. I don't know of a moment like that, in soccer, hockey, American football, or ANY other sport. It's just the miracle, of BASEBALL.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Sylvester
That's my best effort to introduce the love of baseball, to European friends, who might not be familiar with it - or who might find it mystifying. I probably failed - but: I have written this essay in answer to the original question posed by Jon. . . and with love for Peter and Mike, and especially, my dear old 82-year-old Dad, who loves baseball SO MUCH - when you visit his house, the Toronto Blue Jays are ALWAYS on, TV.
Love,
"A" XOXOXOXOXOXO
P.S. Just for Mike and Peter, here is the best essay ever written about baseball, for initiates, by the estimable John Updike. It is his tribute to the great Ted Williams.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/hub_fans_bid_kid_adieu_article.shtml
P.P.S. Here is a song that brings back a much happier time, in North American history: "Take me out to the ball game" ~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwF0wJMkzzA
