I think... therefore I love baseball

“The play reaffirms what I already know – that baseball is the most perfect of games, solid, true, pure and precious as diamonds. If only life were so simple. I have often thought. If only there was a framework to life, rules to live by.” W.P. Kinsella is one of those people who really, truly understands the artful, beautiful game of baseball. Why do I love it so much? It’s hard to explain, it’s just so American, so full of wonder… the crack of the bat, the thump of a baseball in the catcher’s mitt, the cheers of the crowd, the smell of roasted peanuts permeating the ballpark…

There are a few things you should know about me, first, I was born into a baseball loving family, and the team I was brought up loving is so deeply ingrained it may as well be written in my DNA like my eye color. It’s just who I am. I am a total and complete Dodger girl. Yes, I love “my Dodgers” and I’m a proud even defiant fan.

All of my friends are Angels fans. A guy I used to date even referred to me as “devil woman” because we simply didn’t see eye to eye when it came to baseball. I’ve tried to like the Angels like all of my other [delusional] friends. I mean, they’re in the AL, my boys are in the NL, maybe they could be my AL team? Heck no. I hate them. Why do Angels fans think they’re the only ones with a legitimate claim to loving their team? I've been to Angels games, but I couldn’t help being annoyed by the presence of the Angels and their fans, so I’d root for the other team (see what I mean? Defiant.). Sure I love the game, but there’s something so different about being in Angels stadium and the genuine excitement I feel being at Dodgers’ stadium.

The excitement that rises in my heart as I cross the parking lot getting closer to the beautiful old stadium, the smell of Dodger dogs, the sea of blue that seems to move together like a wonderful choreographed dance, and even to those who hate the team have to admit, the sound of Vin Scully’s voice is perfect. I remember on Saturdays when the Dodgers games were on TV, dad would sit with my brother and me and we would watch the boys in blue do their thing, cheering at victories and cursing the other team in our defeats. I wish I could go to more Dodgers games, I’ve been to so many Angels games… ::sigh:: thus is the curse of a Dodgers girl living in Orange County.