I hear people say baseball is like watching paint dry.  People say this because they don’t understand the game or how to watch it.  If you are going to the park to look for HR’s and diving plays you would surely be bored, because that is not the game.  When those happen it is icing on the cake, but the game is far more complex than that.  Kids quit and say it is just boring, and I wonder how can they say that?  I realize it was the kid the coach stuck in right field or only gave the minimum number of at bats each game so he was not able to grow a love for the game.  To love baseball and fully understand the complexity you must have a passion for the game and that passion starts young.

Watching a baseball game is different for everyone but for the true fan it is exciting, and almost too much to take in at one time.  The game involves strategy that the passive fan who just wants to drink beer and eat hot dogs while hanging with some friends could never understand.  This fan is more interested in seeing a guy charge the mound, then a 1-2 fastball at the on the outside black at the knees.  Every play has numerous outcomes depending on what the coach decides to do.  For example if a runner is on first base a coach can decide to bunt, hit and run, steal, or let the hitter hit a way.  Each choice provides many different outcomes and the real fans understand and know when to choose each one, they know if you are down six it is not a good time to steal.  This situation is also affected by who is hitting, does he swing left handed or right, is he a good contact hitter, or does he have the capability to drive the ball to the gap consistently.  After all that info I am out of breath after all the info and we only covered one situation, so you can imagine how many things run through a coaches head at any given point.  Think about all the decisions a pitchers and catcher have to make on every pitch.  Does the hitter jump on first pitch fastballs, is he a low ball hitter, will he chase, what have I used against him in the past.  Now add a runner on second with no outs and the pitcher has more to worry about.  Is he going to bunt, can he handle the bat and get guys over without bunting, should I go hard in and beat him or go soft away and make him roller over with a grounder to short.  As a fan and active coach I try to guess every situation and every pitch before it happens.  You should try this at home, try to guess what pitch the pitcher is going to throw and then also choose location.

If you know and understand the game and have a passion for it, the game is way to complex to be boring.  Teach the game to your kids, your friends, your spouse, and spread the passion because this game is far more intricate then the passive fan will ever be able to comprehend.  So be proactive and teach people and spread your knowledge, because baseball is a lot more then just HR’s and diving plays.