Zoom Zoom Zumaya: Game 4 of 22

Summary:
Score: Tigers 8 Oakland A's 4
Temperature: 78 o
Attendance: 40,355
Winner of the Dunkin' Donuts Race: Dashing Donut

In the past week or so, I've had a similar conversation with about half a dozen people who have all been curious to know if I am going to these twenty two games willingly or under duress. Am I a fan myself or just a very cool wife? Hmm. Well, can't a girl be both? :) The answer is this: I'm not only going willingly, I'm going very happily. Every time I answer this question, I realize I'm evading the other person's central question which is this: what is the appeal of baseball especially if you've never played? I'm not sure I can answer that question in any kind of detail but I have spent a fair bit of time pondering this question this past week. It's occuring to me that in order to like anything you need to try to (or want to try to) understand it on its own terms. Whether we're talking about baseball, modern art, Nascar, Gertrude Stein, curling, growing orchids, hip-hop or Puccini, you need to want to understand what makes it a unique entity. The rules are fairly simple, the pace methodical but there's a lot going on. Part of what's interesting to me about baseball is that there is a lot to learn about the game; every game I learn something new. In previous games, I had a great view of the outfield and was able to see how the outfielders positioned themselves differently for different hitters and different scenarios. Today we sat in a section I'd never sat in before and we had great sight lines between the mound (last summer I learned why pitchers pitch from a mound) and home plate. I was able to watch Joel Zumaya pitch from this angle and I learned a lot. From this angle I could watch the movement of his 101 mph pitch and actually see how that pitch is different from the 85 mph pitch he threw next. My digital camera is full of failed attempts to capture one of these 100 mph pitches-- check these out on flickr. Being able to see these subtleties added a new layer of understanding to my rudimentary knowledge of the game. I think this is what keeps me coming back. Our next set of tickets is for the first weekend in August. I'll be back to non-baseball subjects soon. Oh, and I was able to capture today's donut race-- I'm trying to figure out how to post video footage if you're interested in reliving Dashing Donut's stunning victory.