Former Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck once said, “There are two seasons, winter and baseball.”

Snowballs, skis and trays from the dining halls have all been some of the most popular items to play with throughout this and every winter season.

Isn’t it time for some new toys?

Although it is still January, I am ready to put a glove on my hand and toss around a white leather ball with red stitching.

I’m ready for baseball.

The feeling of the ball smacking into your Rawlings mitt, the ding of an aluminum bat colliding with the ball, and the dirt accumulating in your shoes as you round the bases create memories that last a lifetime.

Sadly, my time in organized baseball has been over for nearly five years. I find it hard-pressed to get pickup games going, as many of my friends have given up their childhood recollection of their first Little League games. Some even go as far as saying baseball is a dying sport.

I’m here to defend our national pastime.

The first thing I hear from anti-baseball narcissists is that it’s a boring game. “It takes so long in between pitches, and it’s never exciting,” they moan.

OK, so there’s no hard-hitting action like in hockey or football. But it’s far from dreary.

There are nine guys out in the field ready to move on any pitch. Each player has specific game plans for each hitter and has to adjust to every pitch. There can’t be any flaw in their concentration at any time.

Furthermore, the precise skill of hitting is far from simple.

Ted Williams, a 19-time All Star and two-time MVP, said hitting a baseball was the hardest thing to do in the sport.

Based on the national television ratings, baseball has indeed taken a backseat to the National Football League. In all honesty, that makes sense.

After all, it’s kind of hard to plan a life around 162 Major League Baseball games.

Th
ose against the sport have plenty of ammunition to put down the nearly 200-year-old sport, as no instant replay and the lack of a salary cap seems to have hindered interest in the sport.

But, unlike any other sport on earth, baseball is built on tradition. The dirt fields and humble beginnings have translated to the modern game with a blue collar ethic and desire for personal achievement. Baseball is embedded in the soil of the founding of America.

Can any sport hold a candle to that distinction?

While basketball and football may be easier to play with simple equipment, baseball has been here from the get-go.

Even today, the mentality of the sport is carried out by the die-hard players, coaches and fans.

Last Friday, West Virginia head baseball Greg Van Zant tweeted that his squad opened practice with “great effort” and a well-prepared attitude. Although, he has drawn harsh criticisms in his 15 years at WVU, Van Zant appreciates the central ethics of being a baseball player.

While we are all suffering through the harsh conditions of the winter doldrums there is something to look forward to that will rid ourselves of the freezing torment: Baseball.