Last Season

At times, I feel like I've crashed a funeral. Every article I read about this upcoming season, there are the same words whispered over and over again in somber tones. "The collapse" "Last September" "2011" It's a spooky repetition. There's a shadow over the start of this season and for someone who's just now entering the … Continue reading Last Season →

The Hellion

There are players where it's almost impossible to see them as anything but legendary: Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig. Even in their flaws, they're almost more than human; Babe Ruth's love of excess and Ted Williams' temper. There is one player who goes beyond legend though, in every way. Ty Cobb set almost 120 … Continue reading The Hellion →

The Park

One of the most surprising things that I've read through-out my spring training, was that, prior to Henry, Werner and Lucchino buying the team, there was a lot of talk about abandoning Fenway and building a new park elsewhere. To me, even before I started my whole Baseball Project, this was unthinkable. Leave Fenway? But...it's … Continue reading The Park →

The Obsession

I've started to mentally break up The Baseball Project into segments. The first segment is, obviously, Spring Training. For the last few weeks, I've read, watched, absorbed and analyzed nothing but baseball. I've watched Ken Burns Baseball. I've read baseball books about the various players. I've read articles about the up-coming season. I've even started … Continue reading The Obsession →

The Numbers

.406 56 714 1.82 511 61 73 I knew there were numbers in Baseball. That's kind of Baseball's thing. It even has its own math associated with it. But, holy moley, I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed. For the pitcher alone there are dozens of stats that you can follow. There's the pitcher's ERA … Continue reading The Numbers →

The Hat

As part of my baseball learnin', I wanted to buy something that would mark me as a fan of the Red Sox. You can't really call yourself a fan until you wander around with a clear label identifying yourself as such. That way, if you see someone wearing a, say, Yankees cap, you can loudly … Continue reading The Hat →

Outside the Fence

I have a tendency to stay away from groups. I try not to belong to things. It's equal parts introversion and orneriness. If you're on the outside, you're free of the constraints of that group. You don't have to meet every Wednesday night and discuss Russian literature. You don't have to speak some weird, hidden … Continue reading Outside the Fence →

The Ball

I bought a baseball the other day. The lengths I went to get it were more than one might expect, seeing as how Baseball is out of season. I finally managed to find one right near Fenway Park, an obvious place to buy a ball really. There's something intrinsically and inexplicably soothing about holding it. … Continue reading The Ball →

The Lost

When learning about baseball's history, it is impossible to ignore the forty years that African Americans were not allowed to play, regardless of ability. Any attempt by a black american to play ball was rejected by Major League Baseball. They were shut out and forced to form their own leagues. There debates, even now, about … Continue reading The Lost →

Preparations

As I may have mentioned, I'm getting prepared to watch baseball from season's beginning to season's end. The only problem is, I'm not entirely sure what I should do to prepare for this. I'm trying to get caught up to speed on the subject, but I'm not sure where I should go, what I should … Continue reading Preparations →