How Big of A fan Are You?

[Archive]

Posted By: Jason L

First off, Judd - very funny...loved it, made me laugh out loud.

Me: Fan of the Game, Cubs fan, History buff. Truly fanatic, no, but dedicated nonetheless.
I got into this game late (not until about 13 or so), and I spent two entire summers in suburban Chicago watching every televised Cubs game on WGN, listening to every word that Harry Caray, Steve Stone (in his first years with the Cubs, I believe), and Milo Hamilton uttered...learning the game.

My mom saw this and bought my first pack of cards when she came home from the grocery store one afternoon. 1984 Fleer. It couldn't have been a better gift. It got me interested in stats, and therefore math (which benefited me greatly later on, as I went to work on Wall Street), it got me interested in team rosters, and the idea of set collecting.

I am a tremendous fan of the game. Moreso than a fan of the Cubs. I am also a fan of any player that embodies what I perceive to be the spirit of the game. If a player has infectious energy, looks like he's having fun, then I am a fan. This is why my 3 biggest player concentrated collections are Ozzie Smith, Kirby Puckett and Walter Payton (I know, football, but the same idea...)...
Ken, as much as I would like to agree with your thoughts on the player incentives, I just don't think it's realistic for a player to play without regard for money. They jumped to other teams and leagues for money back in the deadball era just the same...I think all we can ask for is that they enjoy (or at least pretend) playing the game, and hope that they spark the excitement within the younger generation watching them play...Ozzie Smith made me want to play baseball - he got me excited about it...Kirby and his fireplug stature made me think I could have a shot at playing it well, too!!!

Hearing about my father talk about his favorite team and players introduced me to the history of the game, and its importance.

Then my mother's geneology and talks with her father revealed that I had cousins who played the game, and all of a sudden I was hooked on the 30s-40s era, and learned that there was a minor league system out west that many folks thought to be so advanced as to be almost a third major league...which reminded me about how geographically segmented the country was back then...placing baseball in context once again within American culture...amazing history lessons to be had everywhere I turned.

I'm hooked on all of it...I spend money on the stuff, I go to games when I can, I go to Cooperstown when I can, and I am hard pressed to find a better night than in front of the tv watching a game from beginning to end.

and I think it is the same game as it was during the deadball era...the players are the same, the fans are the same and the media are all the same, only moreso!

Well, that's about it.