A Spectacular Spectacle for the Senses

“Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!” Psalm 96:12

There really is nothing better than baseball. A lot of people complain that it’s too slow, but that’s the beauty of it. For the spectator, baseball is a totally body experience. Soul and mind engaged in a cacophony of experiences working together like the simplest of notes to create a complex symphony.

Walking into a stadium and being assaulted by the technicolor green of the field. The contrasting red-brown of the dirt, punctuated by the pure white chalk lines. Impeccably dressed players darting around the field, bending to scoop up a grounder or leap to snatch a potential homer. Baseball is a spectacular spectacle for the senses.

The sounds of the ballpark are unmistakable. The crack of wooden bat meeting the ball. The twack of ball meeting mit. The “whoo-ah!” and “ieeek!”of the umpire (that’s “out” and “strike” for those who don’t speak Ump). Baseball is the roars and moans of the crowd and barkers with peanuts and cotton candy. It’s the “Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dahhhh! Charge!” of the public-address system rallying the fans to champion their team and it’s the Take Me Out to the Ballgame of the Seventh-Inning Stretch.

The tastes of Baseball really need no introduction: Hot dog, beer, peanuts. Period. Basic. American. Elemental to the experience. Some ballparks try to improve on the concept of stadium foods. Little ice cream pellets. Gourmet burgers. Craft beer or wine in a little plastic cup. Beyond the nachos and soft-pretzels, which tend to make sense, there really is no need to improve on the classic hot dog, beer and peanuts combination. Why mess with perfection?

Does baseball have a smell? Unequivocally. Baseball smells of oiled mitts, Aqua Velva aftershave, mustard, dust, sunshine on grass, cotton-candy, freshly-printed programs, popcorn, sunscreen, Irish Spring soap and grit.

And the feel? Oh, the feel. The feel of baseball is the best sensory picture of them all. The feel of baseball is sticky pavement under your shoes, folding down a squeaky stadium seat, the electricity of a crowd. A lump in the throat at the national anthem. The surging satisfaction of a base stolen. The climactic suspense of a close play. The brooding energy of a bad call and the explosive thrill of ball sailing over the fence. It is sun warming shoulders and faces and It's the slow exit walk out of the stadium en masse, arms loaded with sweatshirts and half eaten bags of cotton candy and souvenirs. Murmurs of good games and blow outs, memories and pledges to come again.

There are few experiences in life that assault the senses, few experiences that are so unique that a single sensation plucked from the experience can evoke a wave of memory and emotion. Baseball is just such an experience. Baseball is joy. Baseball is family. Baseball is human. It is hope and community and excitement and love and perfection.

Baseball is America.

Play ball!