The Subtle Joys of Baseball Season

Yesterday morning I woke, showered, and anxiously flipped on SNY.

As I watched the morning edition of SportsNite (which was revamped to include these annoying new blue boxes that cut off people's heads, take up too much of the screen, and generally obscure the view of what you're trying to watch) I scanned the Sports section of the Daily News.

By the time I was in the office I was on to the Post and New York Times. Then it was on to Metsblog, ESPN, and all the rest (I swear I got some work done, too).

I devoured it all hungrily. No detail was too small, no angle not worth reading about.

Of the many joys of baseball, for me, the routines of the season are just as great as the action on the field.

I love the breathless anticipation of looking at the backpages and reading the stories. It's been that way for me since I was a kid. I used to run down the hall of my parents' apartment, swing open the front door, scoop up the paper and plop down somewhere with the Sports section.

Today, most of the papers I read are digital, most days anyway, but the feverish anticipation is still the same.

And when I get to the ballpark many of the routines are still there as well. I still try to get my meal somewhere in the fourth inning. Back at Shea where the food options weren't quite so appetizing, it was always a hot dog and a soft pretzel. I still take a certain comfort in that order, but in this Citi Field world of Shake Shack, Blue Smoke, and all the rest, it's too tempting to mix things up.

Whether your tastes have evolved over the years or if you're still going with your tried and trues, chances are, if you're reading this site, that the best routine of all is the team itself and the sweet sounds and scenes at the ballpark.

Looking back on the first off-day of the season, though, I was struck by the subtle joys of baseball, and thankful that those are back, too.

- A.F.O.M.G.