Often we discuss baseball as a whole. Not as the parts that makeup baseball, but as the entire idea that is baseball played out before our eyes. There’s nothing wrong with viewing baseball this way, but the real strength of baseball for me is in the moments that make the whole of baseball possible. Never is this more readily apparent than in the age of social media and video clips.
Sitting down and watching a baseball game is one of my favorite things to do. Either in-person or from the comfort of my own home, watching baseball is my main hobby. There’s a lot to be gleaned from taking in the entirety of a baseball game. After the fact baseball is best represented by the moments that make up the games. In today’s day and age social media allows the moments that makeup baseball to truly shine. It’s a regular occurrence for me to scroll through Twitter and come across some minute-long clip from a game that I want to watch. This then leads me down the rabbit hole of even more clips, and then more, and then even more.
Baseball, on the whole, is long and languid. The game moves at a pace that lends itself to discussion, rumination, and so forth. For me, this is one of the best parts of baseball, getting lost in the totality of the game that is taking place right in front of me. At the same time it’s a different, but just as rewarding, experience to get lost in a great moment from a game. There’s no other sport that makes me yearn for moments as baseball does. When I used to watch football clips I always needed some sort of soundtrack or editing together of a bunch of clips to make the moments stand out for me. When it comes to baseball all I need is the clip of the moment itself and I am instantly lost in the emotion of baseball.
In just about any form, baseball is great. Past moments help us to relive the greatness that we once took in live. Nothing can replace the feeling of something great happening while you are watching. All the same, rekindling thoughts and memories by watching moments that hold significance for us is a trip that I would recommend anyone take whenever they have the chance.
Lead photo courtesy of Jonathan Daniel – Getty Images
