Shamlessly pirated from [MENTION=2498]casedawg51[/MENTION] FB account...
Hamilton: I'm sorry, softball - Winston-Salem Journal: Scott Hamilton
Hamilton: I'm sorry, softball
Posted: Friday, June 10, 2016 9:23 pm
By Scott Hamilton Winston-Salem Journal
Dear softball,
I’m just going to come out and say it: I’m sorry. I haven’t given you a chance and here I am, eager for your return merely days after you so dramatically left us. For years, I missed out on everything you have to offer, and I have only myself to blame.
Thank goodness you persevered and prospered despite lunkheads such as me either looking down their noses or completely turning their backs toward you.
What I saw unfold during the Women’s College World Series was unlike so many other things we see in sports today. The competition was fierce, the players were intriguing and the atmosphere was electric. And unlike so many other events in the made-for-television age, the pace of play was viewer-friendly, thus making the sport itself fan-friendly even for casual or, like myself, newfound observers.
I’ve been missing out, and I’m kicking myself with Beckham-like ferocity.
Once again, I’m sorry.
But please understand why I was hesitant to embrace you the way you deserve. I’m part of a bunch of baseball-reared traditionalists. Like the rest of my stubborn pack, I grew up bowing at the altar of a game that preaches how critical it is to compartmentalize emotions, lest you show up your esteemed opponent.
So there is no cheering in baseball, especially orchestrated cheers that are tough to take seriously. What rings throughout your stadiums is more like something heard from the student section at Cameron Indoor Stadium than from a dugout. Any baseball cheering comes in the form of some mumbling, rambling jibberish that is usually further mangled by copious wads of chewing tobacco or bubble gum or both. That leaves everything — from what’s being said to even its intended target — up for interpretation. There is no gray area when it comes to softball cheers. They’re more choreographed than the dance numbers and songs in a production of “West Side Story,” and they do … not … stop. Ever.
And then there’s the whole deal with wearing visors instead of caps, assuming the fielders sport any headgear at all. It’s tough to wrap my head around that one because baseball, daggone it, is a hat game. That this alleged sister of baseball is capless astounds me. Yet that’s a common theme these days.
I’m questioning so much after spending countless hours watching incredible athletes who ooze passion playing hard and — gasp! — having fun. Make no mistake: there’s seriousness around your game, and you can see it in the sneers on both teams. Winning means so much to the athletes on the field and in the dugouts, and they’re not afraid to suffer a few strawberries or worse to make a play. However, when things tighten up, the positive vibes don’t evaporate like steam. That constant chatter from the dugout doesn’t let up and instead speeds up. And the fans — many in facepaint — are the parents and friends and boosters of athletes who can deftly play their sport as any male counterpart in any male-dominated game. They fill your stadiums with a palpable vibe even when there is a seven-run deficit on the scoreboard. All of that could be reasons why you’ve seen a surge in softball over the past decade and a half.
There were 6,044 athletes playing Division I softball during the 2014-15 season, a 26-percent increase from the 4,781 on rosters in 2000-01. That indicates that not only are you thriving, but you’re able to recruit future generations to a game that has for years been relegated to second-tier status or worse among the all-sports cable networks.
Television ratings for 2015 eclipsed all records, and this year’s numbers — what with Oklahoma winning its third national title in a three-game series over Auburn that saw everything from a 2-1 finale to a game won via a walk-off grand slam — will likely be higher. Count me among those contributing.
And, please, consider giving me another chance. I’m already counting down the days until you return, and I promise to be well versed in the top 25, rosters and all the other minutiae that comes with the preseason. The difference this time, however, will be that I’ll appreciate your season start to finish and beyond.
I promise.
Hamilton: I'm sorry, softball - Winston-Salem Journal: Scott Hamilton
Hamilton: I'm sorry, softball
Posted: Friday, June 10, 2016 9:23 pm
By Scott Hamilton Winston-Salem Journal
Dear softball,
I’m just going to come out and say it: I’m sorry. I haven’t given you a chance and here I am, eager for your return merely days after you so dramatically left us. For years, I missed out on everything you have to offer, and I have only myself to blame.
Thank goodness you persevered and prospered despite lunkheads such as me either looking down their noses or completely turning their backs toward you.
What I saw unfold during the Women’s College World Series was unlike so many other things we see in sports today. The competition was fierce, the players were intriguing and the atmosphere was electric. And unlike so many other events in the made-for-television age, the pace of play was viewer-friendly, thus making the sport itself fan-friendly even for casual or, like myself, newfound observers.
I’ve been missing out, and I’m kicking myself with Beckham-like ferocity.
Once again, I’m sorry.
But please understand why I was hesitant to embrace you the way you deserve. I’m part of a bunch of baseball-reared traditionalists. Like the rest of my stubborn pack, I grew up bowing at the altar of a game that preaches how critical it is to compartmentalize emotions, lest you show up your esteemed opponent.
So there is no cheering in baseball, especially orchestrated cheers that are tough to take seriously. What rings throughout your stadiums is more like something heard from the student section at Cameron Indoor Stadium than from a dugout. Any baseball cheering comes in the form of some mumbling, rambling jibberish that is usually further mangled by copious wads of chewing tobacco or bubble gum or both. That leaves everything — from what’s being said to even its intended target — up for interpretation. There is no gray area when it comes to softball cheers. They’re more choreographed than the dance numbers and songs in a production of “West Side Story,” and they do … not … stop. Ever.
And then there’s the whole deal with wearing visors instead of caps, assuming the fielders sport any headgear at all. It’s tough to wrap my head around that one because baseball, daggone it, is a hat game. That this alleged sister of baseball is capless astounds me. Yet that’s a common theme these days.
I’m questioning so much after spending countless hours watching incredible athletes who ooze passion playing hard and — gasp! — having fun. Make no mistake: there’s seriousness around your game, and you can see it in the sneers on both teams. Winning means so much to the athletes on the field and in the dugouts, and they’re not afraid to suffer a few strawberries or worse to make a play. However, when things tighten up, the positive vibes don’t evaporate like steam. That constant chatter from the dugout doesn’t let up and instead speeds up. And the fans — many in facepaint — are the parents and friends and boosters of athletes who can deftly play their sport as any male counterpart in any male-dominated game. They fill your stadiums with a palpable vibe even when there is a seven-run deficit on the scoreboard. All of that could be reasons why you’ve seen a surge in softball over the past decade and a half.
There were 6,044 athletes playing Division I softball during the 2014-15 season, a 26-percent increase from the 4,781 on rosters in 2000-01. That indicates that not only are you thriving, but you’re able to recruit future generations to a game that has for years been relegated to second-tier status or worse among the all-sports cable networks.
Television ratings for 2015 eclipsed all records, and this year’s numbers — what with Oklahoma winning its third national title in a three-game series over Auburn that saw everything from a 2-1 finale to a game won via a walk-off grand slam — will likely be higher. Count me among those contributing.
And, please, consider giving me another chance. I’m already counting down the days until you return, and I promise to be well versed in the top 25, rosters and all the other minutiae that comes with the preseason. The difference this time, however, will be that I’ll appreciate your season start to finish and beyond.
I promise.
