Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks

[khaosworks]

Sudesh said to me last Thursday at the Comics Mart, "You're so American."

I guess that's true. I grew up on American as well as British pop culture, and despite having lived three years in England, loving Shakespeare and London, and supporting English football, my regular trips to the United States, the number of people I know and love in the U.S. and the way I keep bitching about U.S. politics and stuff - not to mention my love affair recently with the Civil War and the South - it's safe to say I do have a jones for America. And it's really no secret I am really, really looking forward to spend an extended time in a country I've grown to adore next year.

The latest manifestation of my fetish is now a desire to learn about baseball. I picked up Ken Burns' 9-part documentary history on the game, and after going through nearly a century of baseball history, I'm beginning to understand the appeal the game has for Americans. It's an incredibly intellectual game, with many subtleties, and literally anything can happen from moment to moment. It's the duel between batter and pitcher, the precision with which the pitcher throws the ball, the decision to swing, or not to, the judgment of the runner whether to attempt to steal the next base, the numbers being crunched in the head of spectators and players to try to predict the probable outcomes. Emotionally, of course, English football fans and American baseball fans, if they knew of each others' histories, can equally relate. Team loyalty, team history, classic moments, the passing of the torch through generations, the near losses, the heartbreak of that stupid last-minute fumble, all that I'm familiar with. So I'm going into the game more with an appreciation for the mechanics and for its history and how it's been intertwined with American culture over the decades.

I haven't decided whether I'm going to support a baseball team yet, but I'm kind of warming towards the Boston Red Sox. They're the kind of almost-champions, stumbling at that last hurdle, that remind me of my own beloved Arsenal FC. Except that while the poor Red Sox haven't won a World's Series since 1919 (when they traded Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, which some say has jinxed the team since then) Arsenal at least wins once in a while.

The Red Sox are playing the Toronto Blue Jays today at the Sky Dome at 1:05 EDT. Might stay up to watch the results come in over the ESPN web site.

Comments

[bigmeanie.livejournal.com]

Reading this post was like reading my own sentiments about my baseball addiction. Do you have any suggested reading for the history of English football?

[khaosworks.livejournal.com]

It's difficult for me to recommend a general book on the history of English football because I've never read one. There are many team books (as a general search on Amazon.co.uk will show you) and manager's memoirs and so on, but few that get into the meat of it. I've heard that there's this new book by James Walvin titled "The Only Game" that's quite good but I've not read it as yet.

If you want a loving account of the emotions of English football and in particular what it means to be an Arsenal fan, pick up "Fever Pitch" by Nick Hornby. It's basically his autobiography which he juxtaposes with Arsenal's fortunes over those same years.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

It's interesting, reading this entry right next to Erry's entry about the US. One reminds me of things I worry about in my country, the other of things I love about living here. :)

A.
looking forward to seeing you here, and hoping you enjoy it as much as you're looking forward to it.

[gingicat]

Well, you have at least three Red Sox fans on your friends list (me, scirocco, and autographedcat), so you'll have sympathy when they lose. Mind you, ACat and I don't discuss the National League... since there, I root for the Mets and he roots for the Braves. It's the hometown team thing. :)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Go Sox!

[khaosworks.livejournal.com]

Sox aren't doing so well at the moment. It's the middle of the 4th, and it's 2-1 to the Blue Jays. Still, it ain't over 'til it's over.

[adamselzer.livejournal.com]

Being a Cubs fan is a fine way to build character. To quote Steve Goodman:

"The laws of averages say anything will happen that can
but the last time the Cubs won the national league pennant
was the year we droppd the bomb on Japan."

He wrote that 20 years ago, and it's still true.

Thank you

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

Also, rooting for a National League team has the added advantage of not subjecting yourself voluntarily to the horrors of the Designated Hitter.

If you want to read more about baseball, I heartily recommend http:///www.baseballprospectus.com and http://www.cubreporter.com for entirey different reasons.

[bigmeanie.livejournal.com]

I forgot to mention earlier.. I'm a Cubs fan, as is my Dad and as was his Dad. It doesn't matter whether they win or lose, at least for me, although I will admit to getting all caught up in the hype when they do.

[eviltofu.livejournal.com]

Go Cleveland! What? They just fired their couch? Oh well, time to rebuild.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

If you're planning on moving to Atlanta, if I were you I'd plan on learning to love the Braves as a method of survival.

[khaosworks.livejournal.com]

Sure. They're in the NL while the Red Sox are in the AL.

[eviltofu.livejournal.com]

Inter-league play?