Living in Boston means living with sports. In Durham, sports talk was mainly limited to people yelling about college basketball, because that was the biggest game in town. Sure, we had the Durham Bulls, but they don’t inspire the same level of fanaticism as, say, the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics or Bruins. There are four major sports franchises crammed into this one city and lord, does it show.
I’ve long resisted any attempt to become involved in the sports culture, but more and more, that seems like ignoring a large and integral part of Boston culture. People communicate in sports, it’s what they talk about, how they interact, a reason to go out for the night and watch a game in the bar.
So, in the interest of embedding myself in the culture, I’m going to “follow” a “team”. Since football season is almost over and basketball season has already started, I picked baseball. Plus, I’ll get the thrill of following the under-dog team, just like the Bad News Bears or Rocky. And I’ve always been interested in the mythology behind baseball.
First up, I need to read up on stats and line-ups and…other…stuff. Maybe I should watch Ken Burns’ Baseball in order to truly learn about the sport from the very beginning. The more I think about this whole process, the more I realize that I know next to nothing about baseball. I know it starts in the Spring. Maybe. Maybe that’s just when they start training.
The last time I even watched a baseball game was a Durham Bulls game almost five years ago. I know there are bats and balls and bases and n ine innings, but other than that, I’m as lost as a linebacker in a hockey rink.
Time to get started.
Dylan Charles
dylancharles.net 
Follow the Bruins. Hockey is fun to watch once you get in the groove of watching it. Then, before we know it, you’ll come down and visit when they play the Hurricanes!
what’s a linebacker.
You *played* baseball.
Hey Dylan, How goes your ‘sporting attempt’ going so far? You’ve picked a challenging sport to follow. I played it for 8 years, followed it for more years than I would like to admit, and have now coached my son and his team for 4 years, and I’m constantly amazed at how much I still learn.
Funny coincidence…I came across your blog as the 12th ranked link from googling ‘sports culture’ while researching for a sport culture school I’m helping start.
It’s going well, considering how the Sox have been playing so far. I’ve learned a lot since this post and have been enjoying it a lot.