Mailbag: “Are you a National League or American League baseball fan?”

My kid sister living in Atlanta Braves territory writes:

“Are you an NL fan or AL fan? What are some of your favorite teams? And is baseball your favorite sport?”

Because I can, let me answer your questions in reverse, Sara. While I find college football, World Cup soccer, and Grand Slam Tennis slightly more exciting, I think baseball is the greatest American professional sport. I say that because I like it better than the more popular NFL or NBA, for several reasons:

Winning a baseball game is often just a swing a way, no matter how far behind your team is. In other sports, when you’re down, you’re really down, whereas mounting a comeback is easier in baseball than in other sports. This makes what can sometimes be a boring game to watch particularly exhilarating, especially during important games. That’s what I like most about baseball.
Watching sports outdoors is better than watching sports indoors.
Hitting a baseball thrown by a professional pitcher is the hardest thing to do of any sport. A lot of people say golf is harder, but a golf ball doesn’t move before you hit it, let alone at 100 miles per hour while curving. I respect that.
Baseball is distinctly American. It’s been around for over a hundred years. It’s like apple pie and chocolate chip cookies. When I watch baseball, I feel like I’m watching a piece of American history.
I enjoy all things associated with baseball. Hot dogs. Peanuts. The smell of freshly cut grass. Dirt. An upbeat organ. Patriotism. October. Its a feast of awesomeness.

To answer your second question, I love baseball more than I love anyone team. But I do have my favorites. In the National League, I like watching the Dodgers, Cubs, and Braves (c’mon 2009 wildcard chase!). In the American League, I enjoy watching the Yankees, Red Sox, Mariners, and the A’s. Some of my favorite active players are Ichiro, Matt Holliday, Josh Becket, and Big Papi ’cause he has an awesome smile and is good at hitting home runs. Some of my favorite old-timers include Ted Williams, Kurt Gibson, Bo Jackson, Tom Glavine, Sandy Koufax, Micky Mantle, Joe Dimaggio, Lou Gehrig, and Jackie Robinson.

Regarding which league is better? Although I think all pitches should be required to hit, the hard-hitting American League is more fun to watch, which maybe explains why the American League has won the World Series 61 times to the National League’s 43.

See also: More baseball on Smooth Harold

Lou Gehrig

—October 1, 2009

6 Comments

Chizat

Oct 1, 2009 at 8:37 am

1. I’d sure love to see a team come back from 10 runs down with one swing.

4. Evolving from older bat-and-ball games, an early form of baseball was being played in England by the mid-eighteenth century. This game and the related rounders were brought by British and Irish immigrants to North America

Tim

Oct 1, 2009 at 8:38 am

STEROIDS – Enough said.

Tyson

Oct 1, 2009 at 9:18 am

Hot dogs and chewy pretzels always taste better at baseball games. Baseball games are great with friends because you can chat, tell stories, make jokes, harass the guy in the on-deck circle, and still follow all of the action.

That said, the National League is better. If you are in the game, you should be required to bat.

Sara

Oct 1, 2009 at 9:19 am

Ha! Thanks for answering my questions, Blake! And you’re right; the Wild Card chase is fun to watch! Baseball (or anything, really) is much more fun to watch when I know more about it!

I’ll have to watch more baseball to see if I agree with you on all counts, but I can already say that if you don’t have a clue about sports, reasons 2 and 5 are what make baseball the most fun to watch . . . 🙂

Hey, remember when you and Brooks wore Yankees caps in high school, when they were playing the Braves in the World Series? You punks. 😉

Mark

Oct 1, 2009 at 2:24 pm

The other cool thing about baseball is the statistics. They keep stats on everything and the stats are consistent and easily defined.

The other thing I like about baseball is the majority of the games are decided by the players on the field. It’s far and few between that you complain about the umpires ruining the game unlike basketball and football where the refs can and do have a direct influence on the outcome.

Baseball always has the best superstitions as well and the most captivating story lines. It’s just an all around great American sport.

Conor

Oct 13, 2009 at 12:57 pm

I’d have to agree with you on the reasons why baseball is the best American sport, but definitely have to say that I’m a NL fan. They might not score as many runs or have as many big stars, but the strategy involved (especially in late-inning nail biters) makes the NL almost as much mental as it is physical.

Also, it could be that I’m biased because I’ve been raised watching NL games (the Padres are due for a World Series ring sooner or later. 40 years isn’t that long if you think about it…).

Blake Snow

writer-for-hire, content guy, bestselling author

Mailbag: “Are you a National League or American League baseball fan?”

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