Pablo's Misc Corner - 4/20/07

Theres not much that could be termed pure in today's game of baseball. Many are turned off by the economic landscape, questions about performance enhancing drugs and the like. There are some that have stopped watching the game because of the perceived greed in the game. Others abandoned the game after the strike in 1994 and have never returned.

I will not argue that the game has not changed because it has. Gone are the days when a family of four could visit a major league game without donating plasma on the way to the stadium (at least if you plan on eating at the game). Expansion in 1998 only added to an already watered down talent pool. Everywhere you turn its new jerseys, new stadiums and the like. The game has changed quite a bit.

However, one thing that has not changed and has been left pure is the simple pleasure of listening to a west coast night game on the radio. I remember as a little kid, lying in bed and listening to a ballgame (Pirates and sometimes Mets on WFAN) and drifting off to sleep with thoughts of fly balls, diving catches, stolen bases and grand slams dancing in my head. It was an adventure, a chance to stay up late and let the last thing I heard for the day be the crack of the bat and the thump of the ball in the glove. It was a simple joy, but one I will never forget.

Today, with the divisional opponents playing so many more games than they did in the past, there are less west coast trips. But tonight, at 10pm, the Bucs take on the Dodgers on the coast. No doubt we will all be watching the first few innings on fancy TV's or in fancy sports bars drinking a fancy beer. But if you get a chance, for the last few innings, lay in bed, with the lights off and listen to the game with your $15 clock radio on your night stand. Let the game take you back to when you were 11 years old and you were supposed to be asleep, but you were sneeking a listen to the Bucs. You'll find that simple pleasure of baseball. I know thats what I'll be doing.

Petey Pablo OUT!