On Friday, when my eight-month-old baby takes a nap (hopefully), I will be finding an online stream of the New Mexico State vs. Texas Southern baseball game.
Why?
Because it’s baseball. Why not?
Friday is college baseball’s opening day. It always sneaks up on me, but it’s a welcome surprise. Major League Baseball is offering only hints this time of year, incongruous dispatches from sun-splashed spring training complexes, boring videos of pitchers fielding practice.
College baseball brings the real thing, when much of America is still in the throes of winter. It happens mostly below the Mason-Dixon line for the first few weeks of the season as northern teams make southerly treks, but it’s comforting to look out the window on a gray February day and know someone, somewhere is playing baseball.
The baseball of the college ranks is so welcome this time of year, but it’s good even when it’s not the only show in town. I became attuned to it thanks to the crack of the bat, not the ping. Growing up watching Cape Cod Baseball League games in the summer made me want to follow the guys I’d seen on the Cape in their spring seasons. Soon, the College World Series was an annual must-watch.
It’s a unique brand of baseball, too. There isn’t the home run or nothing mentality that’s overtaken Major League Baseball. Speed still matters. Teams play aggressive. Aces consistently go against aces in the Friday starter tradition. And no one has more fun on a baseball field than the college guys. They cheer loudly from the dugout and aren’t afraid to needle their opponents. It’s a cool environment.
That it follows from the summer – obviously my favorite time of year – and leads into another makes it even better. That New Mexico State game I’ll be watching features Nick Gonzales, the star of the 2019 Cape League season with the Cotuit Kettleers and a preseason All-American. Box scores will start to reveal future stars, too.
It all starts Friday, and it’s fitting that coincides with Valentine’s Day.
Baseball is back. Gotta love it.