Baseball Games Could Go On Forever

Baseball Games Could Go On Forever

               

     Ever considered that football, soccer, basketball, and hockey are all played within the confines of a timed game clock and baseball is not? It’s one thing that sets America’s pastime apart from the other team sports that are most often televised. Four quarters, two halves, three periods… these increments end after a certain duration of time expires and the clock hits zero. Baseball however is not timed on a clock, but rather is dictated by how quickly you can record three outs in an inning and then the game is complete after 9 innings. It is a different sort of a commitment that can go on somewhat indefinitely, and there are no ties in the game baseball.

              

      

    

      I should mention that I love the game of baseball, I always have as far back as I can remember. I was always spending spring to fall watching it, playing it, keeping track of statistics, and reading about it. Baseball was and is an immersive endeavor for me, and here’s why. I love the game and the eventual outcome, but the games within the game are the little battles of will along the way that most interest me. My dad, my brother, and I have a habit of texting in a group message during the game and especially after a win. The tradition started several years ago with my Dad calling to check in on my Grandfather after a win. Still, the three of us watched nightly as the Orioles suffered through fourteen consecutive losing seasons, we watched every inning of every game because we love the games within the game and hey, that’s what real fans do! Fair weather fans? Ain’t nobody got time for that.

               

     Baseball is a steady presence in our lives and it is one constant that never waivers. It provides us a common bond and is always there at seven o’clock on a summer night. If it rains, they wait it out. If it rains all night, they’ll play two games tomorrow! How great is that? Sometimes they’ll only charge a single admission and you’ll get bonus baseball!

               

     For generations, fathers and sons have bonded and grown over America’s pastime. The lessons contained in this great game are many- learning how to deal with adversity, working hard, practicing, giving it your all, as well as being a team player are values that every parent should want to impart on to their children. Contained within a beautifully complex game are lessons for life and things that apply off the baseball field.

                

A few father and son tandems in Major League Baseball over the years:

• Ken Griffey Sr and Ken Griffey Jr.

• Cal Ripken Sr, Cal Ripken Jr, and Billy Ripken

• Ernie Johnson Sr and Ernie Johnson Jr

• Bob Boone and Aaron and Bret Boone

• Mel Stottlemyre and Todd Stottlemyre

   
 Here is a clever article outlining some of the bloodlines throughout baseball history with a pair of fictional lineups from the San Diego Fathers and the Phoenix Sons.

The elder Cal Ripken was a longtime coach and manager in the Baltimore Orioles organization and both Cal Jr and Billy would go on to play in the major leagues, with Cal becoming the “Iron Man” for his record 2632 consecutive games played. Values instilled from a life spent in and around the game continue to give back as Ripken Baseball is very active in both Minor League Baseball and Little League baseball. The Ripken World Series is played every summer up in Aberdeen, just a few miles from where the Ripken boys grew up. Ken Griffey Jr. was fortunate enough to have actively played in games with his Dad as they were a part of the 1990 and 91 Seattle Mariners teams. On September 14, 1990 in what must have been quite a thrill, the Father and Son duo hit back to back home runs in a game. Baseball on its surface is just a game, but look a little deeper and you will see a legacy of generations connecting through sport in some pretty unique ways.