catapult magazine

Discussion may include which sport is most creational.

Are you going to miss the Expos, Dan?

I voted for Tennis, but I think my favorite sports to watch on Television are collegiate. I tend to find that professional sports (basketball in particular) are so sensationalistic the glory of the individual outplays the aspect of team. College football and college basketball seem to be a bit more pure in the realm of sports. I guess that’s the reason I like to watch doubles in tennis more than singles.
Is the same visible in hockey? I don’t know enough about it yet, apart from the University Wisconsin Madison having a good team again this year (finally) and Milwaukee winning the IHL last year.

I won’t miss the expos but i do think it’s a shame to lose them—i have some friends who were fanatical fans who would go to every home game. montreal may now have the distinction of being the biggest city in North America without a professional baseball or basketball team. the problem was always the olympic stadium which is nice to look at from the outside but really sucks on the inside. You can have 50 thousand people in there and it still feels empty—i don’t know what they’re going to use it for now that it’s finally paid off (30 years later).

how do you vote for the sport? i can’t figure it…

I’ll only tell you if you promise to vote for baseball.

i can’t believe i’m being held hostage like this by a baseball fan!

you know, henry, this is no way to sell baseball. vote or no vote, hockey is the best sport to watch….we’ll, at least it was last year.

Welcome to my identity crisis. I’m Canadian and I still like baseball better. Mostly I resent the fact that N.A. football is currently leading the poll.

To get back to Dan’s question about which sport is the most creational, I would have to say baseball. All the other major sports are dualistic. They all involve invading the opposing team’s territory and putting the puck/ball into the other team’s net/end. Baseball is the only major sport where the field is shared. Baseball is the only sport where the defense has the ball. No one wants to invade or conquer territory in baseball. Everyone just wants to go home. Everyone wants to be “safe” at “home”. (Paraphrased from a George Carlin stand-up performance).

Baseball is also more creational than other sports because it is not bound by time. The clock will never run out for the losing team. They always have a chance to come back and win until the last player is retired. Grace is always available.

I also like the fact that baseball is the fullest combination of teamwork (defense) and individual accomplishment (batting). Every player (except pitchers in the A.L.) has to come to the plate and take their cuts. No matter how bad a player is, there comes a time when the team’s hopes rest entirely on her or him. Redemption is always available.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.

108 beads on a rosary.

108 stitches on a baseball.

Coincidence? I think not.

Baseball is amazing as well because of the perfect distances and scale of the field. Speedy Johnny Damon makes it to first a split second before the Alex Rodriguez’ throw from third. 50 years ago Pee Wee Reese made it to first a split second before the throw from Andy Carey. And 50 years before that. The runners were slower, the arms not as strong, but the field is the equalizer.

Also, talk about creativity. In other sports, football, hockey, basketball, the field is exactly the same size no matter where you play. Baseball has the green monster where a short fly ball to left is a homerun. Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field. Houston’s hill, San Fran’s McCovey cove. Arizona has two warning tracks that confuses visiting outfielders. Some blame Mariano Rivera’s error in the 2001 game seven on the old-fashioned strip of dirt between home plate and the pitcher’s mound.

Could go on and on.