| Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Baseball | | | | up and down. I was so excited. I was so happy |
| | | | she delivered. |
| 1 The Ultimate Challenge | | | | |
| | | | 7 I love all of the statistics. |
| Hitting a round ball with a round bat. The | | | | |
| feeling I would get when I hit the ball. Just | | | | Did you ever see so many stats? Runs, RBIs, |
| think of a baby that is crying for food. When | | | | hits, doubles, triples, home runs, stolen |
| that baby gets her bottle the first thing you | | | | bases etc..... Comparing eras, or comparing |
| hear is that ahhhhh sound. Oh that ah. When I | | | | players. Duos like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig - |
| hit a ball perfectly I would have that | | | | how do they stack up against other twosomes. |
| ahhhhh. | | | | Who had the highest batting average in a |
| | | | three or four or five year stint? So many |
| 2 I call it Contentment at a high level. | | | | statistics to choose form. It is endless. |
| | | | |
| I played all the time when I was a kid. Some | | | | 8 A place to excel |
| of my favorite memories were from the | | | | |
| diamond. When I hit two home runs in one game | | | | I loved taking a hit away from the batter. I |
| off the star pitcher form our High School | | | | felt great stealing a base. Why is it that |
| team. I rounded the bases in full view of our | | | | stealing is bad except in baseball? My |
| High School coach. I was glowing. When I hit | | | | satisfaction was heightened by a solid hit. |
| a game ending home run off Jay Klein. | | | | This was the best. Ahhhh. I especially felt |
| | | | great rounding the bases after hitting a |
| He thought I could only hit singles. Rounding | | | | homer. I think I know how Babe Ruth felt when |
| the bases of redemption was a another special | | | | he whacked one. |
| moment for me. When I broke up two no hitters | | | | |
| from the star, city league pitcher. I felt | | | | 9 My favorite team is the Yankees. Of all the |
| like I had made the grade, and that was | | | | teams I root for in all the professional |
| awesome. | | | | sports I watch the Yankees are the only team |
| | | | that wins on a fairly regular basis. All my |
| 3 Easy watching | | | | other teams usually lose. It feels good when |
| | | | my team wins. |
| I can sit in my favorite chair and root for | | | | |
| Derek Jeter to hit one up the gap. Holding my | | | | 10 I love the stories. |
| breath with every pitch delivered to him. Or, | | | | |
| I can sit and read the paper and view the | | | | Like the story Mickey Mantle tells of the |
| events of the game through the corner of my | | | | time when he first joined the Yankees. He |
| eye. Either way is ok with me. | | | | was not hitting well. His confidence was |
| | | | dwindling. After days of desperation he |
| 4 I am amazed by what Babe Ruth and Lou | | | | called his father when he was playing near |
| Gehrig accomplished in their careers. I look | | | | Oklahoma. Mickey Mantle was hoping his father |
| at old film footage, or read about either The | | | | would give him a pep talk. But when Muck |
| Babe or Larripin Lou and always feel awed by | | | | Mantle got to the hotel room where Mickey and |
| the big numbers they both put on the board. | | | | the New York Yankees were staying. Muck did |
| From home runs to RBIs to batting average to | | | | not give his son a pep talk. He did the |
| runs scored, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig | | | | opposite. Mickey's father told Mickey that he |
| achieved over and over again. | | | | was there to pick up his son and bring him |
| | | | home. Mickey's father said that he did not |
| 5 Double my pleasure. | | | | know he raised a quitter. Mickey Mantle got |
| | | | the message. He started to hit after his |
| I could play baseball and get a tan at the | | | | father left. He attributes that meeting with |
| same time. | | | | his father as a turning point in his career. |
| | | | I have heard Mickey Mantle tell that story a |
| | | | few times on tape or live. Whenever I hear |
| | | | him tell it I am moved by Mickey's love and |
| 6 My sons played and my daughter still plays. | | | | affection for his father. |
| I have had the pleasure of sharing joyous | | | | |
| moments with my children. Times that I will | | | | |
| not forget. Like when my daughter got the | | | | |
| game winning hit against Fair Lawn High | | | | 11 It is just the greatest game. |
| School last year. We won 1-0. I was jumping | | | | |