I have a confession to make.
I am a nerd.
Not the kind who dresses up as a Klingon and attends Star Trek conventions, but the kind who knows all 270 Division I college football programs (including their mascots) and the MLB Cy Young award winners for the past 20 years.
That’s right, I’m a sports nerd. The kind of person who will watch bowling or competitive darts on TV instead of the latest hit reality series.
It’s what fuels what I do for a living.
In this business, you’re not supposed to play favorites.
Every team and every sport wants to be viewed as equal, but it’s against human nature not to play favorites. I have an appreciation and respect for all sports and certainly try to give every sport and every team the coverage they deserve.
But, there is one sport that will always hold a special place in my heart — baseball.
I played baseball, and it was also one of my first beats as a reporter in college. I grew up on Atlanta Braves baseball and remember summer nights spent tuned into TBS with the rest of the Southeast to watch the Braves and their historic run in the ’90s.
In addition to covering my college team and playing a year of club ball, I had an internship in college for which I was selected to scout players and write features for Scout.com and FoxSports.com for the Savannah Sand Gnats, a minor league affiliate of the New York Mets.
I got to meet major-league players and future stars and spent almost every day that summer at the ballpark.
I already had a deep knowledge of the game, but seeing the day-to-day operations of a team, stadium and front office gave me even more insight into the game I love.
One of the most common arguments I hear against baseball is that the game is too slow.
I guess there might have been a point when I would agree with that, but I’ve developed such an appreciation and understanding of the game that I now can watch every pitch without looking away.
And I am not just talking professional baseball, but also college, high school and youth ball.
Baseball is a wonderful game that is fascinating to watch and analyze. If you are one of those people that think it’s too slow and boring, I urge you to give it another chance. Go check out a game or practice of a local team or catch a MLB spring training game in a nearby city.
The family-type atmosphere you’ll find is greater than any other sport.
Go check it out. When it clicks, you’ll see what I mean.