Apstein: ‘Baseball is boring’: That’s what makes it great
From Stephanie Apstein at Sports Illustrated on November 28, 2019:
Sometimes when people find out what I do for work, they offer me a look of compassion. “Baseball is boring,” they say, sympathetically.
They are surprised when I agree with them. The words are right, I say. It’s the inflection that’s wrong. Baseball is boring!
Players learn this quickly. No one can stay engaged for three and a half hours, so minor league coaches are tasked with teaching prospects how to zone out between pitches and quickly return to focus. Baserunners joke with the basemen holding them on. Outfielders carry on conversations during innings. Marooned out in the bullpen, relievers try to solve the world’s problems.
For fans, the monotony is even more pronounced, and even more wonderful. Baseball is best enjoyed as the soundtrack to something else. It’s a perfect sport to watch as you catch up with a friend, as you read a book, as you drift off on a Sunday afternoon. Baseball doesn’t demand you lock in from first pitch to final out. It asks you to absorb it.
Read the full article here: https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/11/28/baseball-is-boring-beautiful-appreciation
Originally published: December 4, 2019. Last Updated: December 4, 2019.