Is Steve Jaeger trolling the NFL? Yeah, yeah he is.
- You can chew gum and blow bubbles while you play.
- You get to speak softly and carry a big stick.
- You don’t have to go to Indianapolis, Buffalo, or Jacksonville
- Exercise is optional.
- Canadians get to hear the “Star Spangled Banner” 81 times a year.
- No Jerry Jones, no Dan Snyder.
- John Madden doesn’t give you the recipe for Turducken.
- Spring training in Fort Myers in February vs. training camp in Altoona in July.
- No time spent thinking about Tim Tebow’s eye black.
- Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY vs. Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
- No Terry Bradshaw.
- Fenway Park.
- Wrigley Field.
- You look cool wearing a baseball cap backward. Try that with a football helmet.
- Pinstripes.
- Baseball terms work much better for sexual euphemisms.
- Better nicknames like Dizzy, Oilcan and Stuffy.
- You get to learn some Japanese.
- Way better to watch a game in shorts and a tee shirt than a parka and snow pants.
- You don’t need to be in anyone’s will to get tickets.
- You get to stand up and sing during the seventh inning whether you’re drunk or not.
- You can follow the game from the upper deck without the help of a satellite TV.
- Much better TV than summer reruns.
- No dancing in the end zone.
- You get to use terms like “chin music.”
—Photo autiscy/Flickr
Baseball is hardly a sport i”m not gunna go on forever on this but if you dont have to exercise to play it an u can play it while chewing tobacco then its a GAME… games and sports are 2 different things.
Eric M – if you know how to keep score and follow the game it’s much easier to understand the nuances of the game. Outfielders in the upper levels of the game NEVER stand still for hours at a time, they know each batter and how and where he likes to hit the ball and will move around the field depending on who is at bat. I once worked with a none too bright woman who compared watching her eight year old playing little league baseball to watching the NFL on TV, “Baseball is SOOO boring!”
No, you’re right. Outfielders do take 2 or 3 steps to the front, back, right or left every 5 or 10 minutes. I live for that!
Never mind, go back to your WWF. You can only try to enlighten people so much. If you’re looking for entertainment this weekend I believe there’s a monster truck rally on cable….
Dude, don’t you know “there’s no crying in baseball?” Half the fun of sports is debating. I’ve never had anyone get so emotional. Chill out.
See – now you’re quoting a baseball movie….
Of course. I could’ve used a football reference but I play to my audience. Just because I like football doesn’t mean I don’t know baseball as well as anybody. I know the game, including its history. As I indicated, I grew up hearing first hand accounts of my grandfather playing with some of the greatest players in the history of the game. From a little boy I have I known the history, rules, the nuances you mention, and I still follow the game every season – as a NY team fan. I go to more baseball games than football games.… Read more »
That and there’s a dearth of good football movies
WOW! I was looking through the comments on this post. All I can say is THIS is what happens when a Naked Girl shows up to the party.
1. You can chew gum and blow bubbles while you play. You have to in order to stay awake. 2. You get to speak softly and carry a big stick. Uh, OK. 3. You don’t have to go to Indianapolis, Buffalo, or Jacksonville. That’s no worse than Milwaukee, St. Louis, or Minneapolis. 4. Exercise is optional. True, true. 5. Canadians get to hear the “Star Spangled Banner” 81 times a year. OK. 6. No Jerry Jones, no Dan Snyder. Now THAT’s a true benefit. 7. John Madden doesn’t give you the recipe for Turducken. He retired years ago. 8. Spring… Read more »
Eric M – Once again I will quote the great Red Barber, “Only dull people find baseball dull”
Stuffy McGuinness was part of Connie Mac’s “$100,000 Infield” He also played with the Red Sox with a rookie pitcher named Babe Ruth. Baseball has history, football has NFL films
I agree with you on this one Steve. I could add to the list:
Baseball fans are sexier and better to date than football fans. Examples:
1) See baseball cap backwards on your list of 25.
2) Who wants to date a guy who gets drunk in 20 degree weather, screaming at the field shirtless?
While there is a generalization here, there is a neaderthal-like quality to football fans while baseball fans truly appreciate the subtly to the game. If you understand the game, there is actually a lot happening and is a thrilling experience.
Football, too, has history. Jim Thorpe, Knute Rockne, “Pop” Warner and “The Game” (the annual contest between Harvard and Yale) all date from before NFL films. Football can trace it’s beginnings to the 1820’s. As to “a neaderthal-like quality to football fans” not appreciating a subtly to a game? There is much more going on in a football game than you will EVER see in a televised broadcast. Offensive and defense plays are designed to confound the opposing team. Today’s football is a contest of smarts. I would much prefer to watch a game between two teams that have outstanding… Read more »
Eric – baseball is cerebral built completely on strategy often referred to as the thinking man’s game (except in Philadelphia) and yes college football has a rich history and don’t forget, Jim Thorpe played for the New York Giants although by most accounts he was a mediocre baseball player. When you attend an NFL game and sit next to some idiot who has been drinking out in the parking lot since early in the morning and is screaming, “KILL, KILL” it is hard to find any subtlety in the sport. Football is too violent for my taste and I find… Read more »
Steve, I’m an odd-ball in that I am both a Yankees AND Mets fan, and have been all my life. I grew up watching baseball, reading baseball books, and listening to stories told by my grandfather who played professional baseball with some of the greats of the Negro Leagues. I paid far more attention to baseball than football or even basketball as a youth. However, as I got older I began to appreciate sports that had/have more action, where decisions have to be made in seconds or less. Baseball has plenty of suspense but some/many games have relatively little action. … Read more »
There have been drunken brawls at every baseball game I have ever been to. Baseball fans drink beer too.
I am very sorry if my comment in response to Eric M was taken as rude. It was meant to be more a ribbing as he picked apart the article point-by-point. I am very aware that the shirtless drunks is the minority at a football game, but it is something funny about football to point out. For the record, I am dating a huge Ravens fan who also happens to be a Nats fan and I am crazy about him. He is in no way a Neanderthal and I enjoy watching football with him. I actually watched two play-off games… Read more »
My only response is:
Go Pats! *grunt, snort* ~rips off shirt~ KILL! KILL!
You make me laugh! I would sit next to you grunting and snorting at a football game any day.
I’m pulling for the Ravens because Belichek is an unapologetic cheater.
I am pulling for the Ravens too, but only because I think my boyfriend would stop speaking to me otherwise. 🙂
You are dating someone who is pulling for the Ravens?
I forgive you your lack of culture and taste in regards to baseball vs football. At least you can recognize good versus evil, and hope the Ravens beat the Pats.
This seems more or less a rehash of Thomas Boswell’s 1987 article 99 Reasons Baseball Is Better than Football. The bits about the halls of fame and tee shirts versus cold weather gear appear in both:
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/libvf100.shtml
Anon: Since I’ve been a Washington Post reader for most of my life there’s a good chance that twenty-five years ago I read the article you’ve mentioned and regurgitated bits in one form or another without realizing it. I also get my kid’s names mixed up from time to time but you keep up the good work and don’t worry, one of these days the Redskins will play up to their potential.
I just can’t stay awake during baseball. I try but it drags out way to long and for most of it is there is nothing. I would much rather watch football or hockey.
To quote the great Red Barber, “Only dull people find baseball dull”
It’s just a personal thing, but I can’t stand baseball. I do prefer football over baseball for a number of reasons. I could list them all, but I think George Carlin does a better job of it than I could EVER do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmXacL0Uny0
That’s OK Eric. I still like you.
I love this piece! I am sharing a link from my blog today. As a crazy baseball fan, it really resonated for me. I have two to add to your list:
26. Nationals Park
27. Walk-up songs
Naked Girl – this is actually part one of four, I’ve been posting these on Open Salon for several years.
Love this list. Steve, cool that you’re in DC, too. I’m a big Nats fan.
Okay, this is cute. But totally wrong.
But it doesn’t really matter. Because soccer is better than both.
Soccer? I guess that’s a better sport if your definition of sport is “wearing clothing that shows off your knees while never scoring any great amount of points”.
I’m a bigger football fan than baseball, but soccer? You gotta be kidding me.
Rebecca – follow the light, come into the light, all are welcome….