Baseball in its Purist<\/i> Form:<\/p>\n
Individual, Collective, Universal Appeal<\/p>\n
Ken Burn\u2019s Baseball <\/span>emphasizes the indigenous character and homespun heritage of our country\u2019s National Pastime. By implication it can be inferred that the innovative and endearing qualities of America can transform a world willing to incorporate the essence of those qualities into an enduring fabric for their own mental and physical environments.<\/p>\n The Game of Baseball is the ultimate in sports activity! To all participants, players or fans, its unique simplicity conveys a human drama, and then reveals and resolves the complexities that would elicit trauma from life\u2019s uncertain circumstances. Nine players take to the field with intent to defend what is considered their \u201cturf\u201d against the encroachment of others. They spend as little time as possible in defense of this nebulous expanse of territory, for, after a successful defensive stratagem, an opposing team of nine players gets an equal opportunity to defend what then becomes its territorial possession. And the game goes on for an indefinite period of time, normally expressed in terms accepted as \u201cnine innings\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cCould mere human contrivance order such preciseness, from the tri-hedral dimensions of the field of play, to the definitive specifications and range of intricate function for the designated participants?\u201d – Socrates<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A unique feature of the rules of engagement is the civility with which all participants are expected to conduct themselves, with respect to the range of their designated positions and the thoughtful concern for the well being of their opponents. A flagrant disrespect for either could instigate an immediate expulsion from the theater of play.<\/p>\n It would be difficult to exalt any particular field position above another, in rank or prestige, for it is incumbent upon each to perform equitably as various game circumstances present themselves. However, the prominence extolled to the \u201cPitcher\u201d is unavoidable because he initiates and sustains the rhythm of play by his action of throwing the \u201cball\u201d (baseball). The quality of the pitcher\u2019s performance is determined by how well he is able to prevent the opposing player(s) from initiating action that would allow his (their) team to successfully encroach within the borders of pre-designated areas of defensive territory. The extent to which each \u201cfoil\u201d to the pitcher is successful in fulfilling his goal will invariably determine which team wins the game.<\/p>\n In Baseball the singular concepts of individual and collective (team) excellence are intertwined masterfully. And the team that embodies such synergistic essence and complies with the highest standard of personal and collective excellence produces a \u201cChampionship\u201d quality.<\/p>\n The high-quality pitcher is he who is adept at either preventing the \u201cbatter\u201d (opposing player) from hitting the ball, or whose pitches prevent the batter from hitting the ball well. But, if the ball is hit, the pitcher expects his teammates to perform optimally when applying their fielding skills. Preventing the batter from permeating the invisible \u201cshield\u201d of defense and presenting his own offensive position on the \u201cbase-paths\u201d is the mutual goal of the pitcher and his defensive team.<\/p>\n The first line in the \u201coffensive\u201d continuum is for a batter to get on the \u201cbase-paths,\u201d either by hitting the ball, being struck by a pitched ball, or receiving a \u201cbase-on-balls\u201d(4 errant pitches to the batter). Once the batter attains position on one the three bases (first, second, or third base), he becomes a \u201cbase-runner\u201d, and another of his teammates becomes the batter. The new batter\u2019s objective is to help advance or score the runner(s) from the base(s) of which he has taken possession.<\/p>\n Now, here is where one of the many variable and ingenious characteristics of the \u201cGame\u201d comes prominently into play. So many options for strategic deployment present themselves, from the thoughtfully reckless to the intuitively cautious \u2014 to gamble on whim or to hope in a pattern of consistency. And only the one that works gives credibility to the \u201cbrain and brawn\u201d that accentuates \u201cteam-play\u201d.<\/p>\n The proficiency of each player on offense and on defense will determine his individual worth. And the excellence towards which he strives for himself and his team will endear him to his mates and adoring fans. As each player accomplishes his own mastery, the team itself should be beneficiary to the product of a collectively successful enterprise. And each player should also become beneficiary to the collective worth of the team.<\/p>\n Baseball\u2019s enduring attributes, to all levels of civilized society, are those which foster relevance to equal opportunity for the individual, and a sense of genuine contribution to a collective effort. These afford respect that cannot be diminished by an insignificant standard to a presumably less significant status. Every player in a line-up bats, and every position is held equally accountable for mental and physical errors. The standard is the same for all players! What can be a more fair way of evaluating performance? Is there any other arena of \u201cSports\u201d that epitomizes the \u201cAmerican Dream\u201d more than that displayed on Baseball\u2019s level-field-of-play?<\/p>\n Why is Baseball an American institution? And how can it harmonize the World to the rhythm of its synchronistic appeal? The genius of Baseball is in its ability to promote individual excellence while cultivating the collective aspiration to a noble goal. This dual purpose can only be applauded for enhancing the prospect of continuous, enthusiastic hope by all participants, both active and vicarious.<\/p>\n Within the context of its everyday regimen, Baseball is first a one-on-one confrontation (Batter vs. Pitcher) like Boxing (normally without pugilistic intent and public vilification). This defines a separate but prominent dimension of the overall game. But every individual player is innately humbled by an awareness that his own vain and tenacious effort for personal glory pales in comparison to the satisfaction of attaining the triumphal exhilaration of a \u201cTeam\u201d victory. When the team wins, against an overwhelming performance of an opposing pitcher, the \u201cprickly\u201d sensation of a batter\u2019s hitless night somehow doesn\u2019t seem so abrasive. And conversely, the magnificent individual effort of one man (pitcher, in this instance) gives no solace to the individual or his team if the greater goal of victory was not forthcoming.<\/p>\n In Baseball, the adage, \u201cone for all, and all for one\u201d rings true in the hearts and minds of these \u201c9 Musketeers\u201d, with their collectively idealistic sense of purpose. In Football, Basketball, Soccer, and Hockey not everyone is under the spotlight and given his equal opportunity<\/span> to reflect even a glimmer of those majestic heights of glory that all players in Baseball are afforded. In football, the \u201clinemen\u201d hardly ever touch the ball; in soccer, the goalie and fullbacks never score; in hockey the same is true for goalie, and defensemen barely score; and in basketball, the small man is virtually non-existent. What other sport besides Baseball involves so many individuals in a collective endeavor, all having an equal opportunity to be exalted to the full range of glory, playing positions where equality of skill can not be differentiated for maximum results, where size never has to be a preponderant factor, and (potentially) where remuneration for services should<\/span> never alienate players or create team dissension?<\/p>\n Baseball\u2019s glorious competition triumphantly celebrates the athletic prowess of at least 18 stellar performers. And the drama enigmatically exemplifies the nation\u2019s struggle as a free-spirited and ebullient exponent of a workable \u201cdemocratic\u201d society. Baseball is truly America\u2019s national pastime. It not only epitomizes the \u201cnew-wave\u201d national standard for American \u201cequality for all\u201d, but characterizes the highest sentiment for democratic reform throughout the world. Except for what could be considered brief lapses in moral consciousness (early segregationist issues, and its latter insidious bout with steroid controversy), the level playing field of Baseball has remained virtually intact, and its pristine elements are continually being unfolded. (Even the latest \u201cSteroid Controversy\u201d that has stirred up a hornet\u2019s nest will ultimately subside, and the game will resume, but with a renewed sense of moral legitimacy.)<\/p>\n Many people, men, women, boys, and girls love to swing a baseball bat at a baseball (softball). It seems a pretty fair accomplishment\u2014mentally sizing up the speed of that spherical object floating in a relatively straight path toward a designated area for the \u201cbatter\u201d to physically strike with a long narrow cylindrical piece of wood or aluminum. It\u2019s really fun! The skill involved is not just physical; the mental aspect includes the quick discernment of time, space, and geometric calculations, (and much more intense at the Big-League level). That\u2019s why baseball (softball) games at family picnics, and other recreational environments, are such crowd-pleasing activities. And if no one gets hurt, it\u2019s even more enjoyable!<\/p>\n For those who get involved at a more intricate level, like Little League and above, the game speeds up. The batter doesn\u2019t seem to have as much control, as when dad or mom was pitching the ball. But the game is still fun; you just have to take it a little more seriously, more figuring and adjusting to more variables. And when your bat makes \u201cgood contact\u201d the exhilaration is more intense and meaningful.<\/p>\n But as Ted Williams exclaimed, and probably many before him realized, and assuredly, every athlete who has been privileged to experience the physical, mental, and emotional tension associated with swinging a baseball bat under official game conditions can verify, \u201cHitting a baseball effectively<\/span> is the most difficult thing to do in all of sports\u201d. And even after many a would-be \u201cbig-leaguer\u201d realizes he\/she doesn\u2019t have the fortitude (or opportunity) to climb the ladder to the pinnacle of baseball success, there remains in his\/her heart a respect and appreciation for those who do persist. For, those who eventually do make it to the higher and highest levels have the empathy and undying support of all who wish they could be there too.<\/p>\n There are myriad challenges a batter has to surmount while encountering the diminutive, ballistic (and frequently volatile), compressed, spherical projectile at the highest level of play. Most dispassionate and well-rounded athletes would agree that making solid and forceful contact with a bat to a pitched ball takes extraordinary, nearly uncanny, skill. An extreme exponent of supreme athleticism, like Michael Jordan, had to curtail a personal quest for \u201ccarry-over\u201d Sports glory, because he found the demands for \u201cBatting\u201d proficiency too daunting even for his premier sports status. One would have to query over what uncommon virtues characterize the \u201clegitimate\u201d Master <\/i>of the Art<\/i> of hitting a baseball. (The dilemma afforded by steroid use has purportedly usurped the crown of legitimacy from even those most venerable practitioners of the \u201cart\u201d.)<\/p>\n Hockey or Soccer will never become America\u2019s sport, because neither originated in America. Soccer\u2019s disproportionate propensity toward foot-eye coordination, although addressing good carry-over value for other sports, will never replace the allurement of Americans for premier hand and finger dexterity. And the question that thoughtful practitioners of peace might ask of those nations where soccer is most popular, \u201cwhat is it about a culture that a sporting event can invoke such partisan disdain that players, spectators, and officials find their lives to be in jeopardy under circumstances that elicit an unfavorable conclusion to a contest?\u201d\u00a0 And the overly \u201cbrutish\u201d antics in Hockey have forever tarnished the sophistication of elegance and beauty that inherently characterize the movement of skates on ice. Stick-handling, passing and \u201cshooting the puck\u201d, and fast skating would be enough to endear the minds and hearts of most American spectators to a competitive sport that didn\u2019t include the requisite debauchery of reckless body-checking and unmitigated violent confrontation with sticks and fists (weapons of war).<\/p>\n As the world has fast become a theatrical stage for public sentiment to display both outrageous and benevolent characterizations of humanity, a universal demand for the highest possible standard of excellence should be embodied by those who would be model-heroes for aspiring youth. Bickering over the trivialities concerning absurd compensatory packaging and equating successful performance levels to artificially inflating one\u2019s artistic potential are two areas where public scrutiny will exhibit least toleration, even toward heroes. Once Baseball has cleaned up its Act on Steroid Controversy, and engages itself with its ever-expanding dilemma involving inequitable player compensation, then the certainty of its utopian appeal will be more in evidence. Until then, Baseball is still America\u2019s endearing National Pastime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Baseball in its Purist Form: Individual, Collective, Universal Appeal Ken Burn\u2019s Baseball emphasizes the indigenous character and homespun heritage of our country\u2019s National Pastime. By implication it can be inferred that the innovative and endearing qualities of America can transform a world willing to incorporate the essence of those qualities into an enduring fabric for … Continue reading Baseball in its Purist Form: Individual, Collective, Universal Appeal<\/span>