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The old ballgame© St. Petersburg Times published March 29, 2003 It's important, with all the pain and anxiety from the war, to appreciate normalcy when the opportunity arises. Baseball season opens this weekend, and with it, the chance to focus on a pastime that hasn't changed as much as our own lives. There is a connection still in today's fancy, corporate ballparks with the evocative history of this simple game. Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Robinson, Clemente, Mantle, Mays, Aaron -- it's dizzying to make even a mental lineup of the greats who popularized the game. There is a sense of intimacy on both sides of the stands, the shared experience of boys and girls alike who have gripped the laces and rounded third. Baseball has a smell and a sound of its own. No other sport in America has an anthem. Regardless of the team they support, there are many Americans this year who are tuning in for the sake of diversion. Tampa Bay fans are excited about Lou Piniella's first season, but there is a larger point to the coming week. Baseball is small by comparison to our bigger world, but it does convey a comforting sense of tradition. The season opens Sunday night.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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From the Times Opinion page |
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