There’s no denying it now. We’re too close to the edge of it all. Our precious baseball season is nearing its final resolution. September, and the final C’s games of the season, are so close on the horizon now we can almost see the whites of their eyes.
The end of August always tends to feel like an eternal Sunday evening. In that, you know the responsibility that Monday holds is looming, and yet, it’s still the weekend. There’s still time to play and have fun. But the rentable space in the back of your head is firmly occupied by what comes next.
Again, I’m not trying to harsh/or/kill anyone’s buzz. There’s still baseball to play and sunny summer days to enjoy. But, it’s important to be in touch with reality. And, if you’re a baseball fan like me, it’s time to start planning for the off-season.
Namely, figure out a few things to do/experience that will hopefully distract you as you wait for baseball’s triumphant return.
So today, dear reader, I have a short list of ideas that will hopefully inspire you to keep busy and distracted during baseball’s winter hiatus.
1. Work on your heckling
I am a firm believer that a clever, well-timed heckle can be a perfect addition to any ballgame. But maybe it’s time to take your skills to another level. Perhaps you can use the winter months to get a thesaurus or take a creative writing class. Then when you get back to the ballpark next summer, you can surprise everyone with your witty barbs that go beyond the traditional “batter/belly scratcher,” “pitcher/belly itcher” moulds we know and love.
2. Read a book about baseball
When I’m missing baseball sometimes the only cure is to dive into a book where the themes, plot and concepts all revolve around my favourite sport. In my opinion, baseball is the sport that sports the most words written about it, both fiction and non-fiction. Here are a few recommendations from me to you: For fiction, try cracking open Bang the Drum Slowly by Mark Harris. And for something a little more modern and firmly in the non-fiction category, The Only Rule Is It Has To Work by Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller was a page-turner I couldn’t put down.
3. Finally figure out what a balk is
The balk is maybe the most confusing rule in all of baseball. It’s right up there with the infield fly rule and what constitutes a swing. Did you know that there are 13 separate actions that could lead to the umpires calling a balk, each one more mystifying than the last? And if you’ve had a chance to see multiple games at Nat Bailey this summer, you might have seen how addicted the Northwest League umpires are to calling the balk. They love it. They live for it. They lay awake at night and dream about it. So, I think, a useful off-season pursuit would be to get into the minutiae of the balk and finally figure it out.
And there you have it: a few tips to mull over as colder weather approaches. Until then, I’ll see you down at the Nat, soaking up every remaining crack of the bat(s).
