But do you still go to ballgames?

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

I have not been to a game this year, yet. A hospital visit negated a planned trip... I do hope to see a game in St. Louis in 2 weeks, and a game in Cincy in 3 weeks.

A few years ago, about 2001, when Alex Rodriguez signed that huge contract with Texas, a wise collecting friend of mine opined one day that "we" were not baseball fans. I was dumbstruck. We had been to major and minor league games together, we knew who Harry Wright was, we both had Jefferson Burdick's American Card Catalog, we knew it didn't matter which way you faced as you turned when you ran past first, it was whether you were attempting to advance... I asked him what he meant. He said that when a shortstop is paid over 25 million dollars to play 162 games, how could we be a fan of that? He said we were fans of 19th and 20th century baseball, not the 21st century game. He was right. If Texas averaged 40,000 a game for 81 home games, that would be 3.2 million, so I figured over $8 a ticket would cover A-Rod's salary. I'm not against him for getting it, good for him. Baseball is NUTZ! Read Williams' book "Card Sharks" to learn how buyers of modern cards helped fund the last players' strike... So I go see a few games each year, but not like the old days.

I bought a card on eBay about a year ago, a Remar Bread PCL card. With the email about where to send the $4 was this...

"I like to sit outside, drink beer, and hollar at people.
If I do that at home I get arrested and go to jail.
So I go to baseball games and fit right in."

He is oh so right, where else can you sit outside, hollar at one side, both, or even include the men in blue? And if you're sly you can sit on the isle, in one of those seats where the beer comes to you.

So I'm a fanatic of 19th and 20th century baseball, and I have some interest and derive some enjoyment from the modern game (echoes of Henry Chadwick?).