As I read the newspaper yesterday morning, I started to ignore the Sports Section, but found myself drawn into it, looking for information on the Seattle Mariners. And I felt the first unmistakable tickling deep inside... yes... I'm coming down with Baseball Fever.
I don't really consider myself a sports fan. I follow Seattle teams, and sometimes watch other games when I'm exercising and there's nothing else to watch. But I don't define myself as being a sports fan (I'm a comic book fan, but not a sports fan). And yet, I can get a horrible case of Baseball Fever. The worst was a couple of years ago, when I was unemployed much of the baseball season, and my little sister was in Paraguay. So I had the ability to watch the games and the neccessity of telling Lisa about the incredible run the M's were having. Between the two factors, I began to live and breathe baseball. And, thanks to the season the M's had that year, it was quite a pleasant summer, even if the fall was a bit of a disappointment.
I can't tell you when I went to my first baseball game. I know I was very young. I remember first being a fan of Mariner player Alvin Davis, and I know that I never cared if the M's won or lost. They were my team. And I still felt that way even when they started winning.
One of the first things I collected, long before I collected comic books, was baseball cards. I didn't care about the other teams and players... all I wanted was Seattle Mariners and Pilots. Ok, so I only have one Pilots card, but I have a whole bunch of Mariners cards, including a few who never actually played for the team. My dream of collecting every single Mariners baseball card vanished when Ken Griffey Jr joined the team and it suddenly became impossible to afford even team sets. I still collect them, just not as madly as I used to. And I still only care about getting Mariner cards.
My favorite player nowadays is Edgar Martinez. While I'm not a big fan of the Designated Hitter rule (I think it's rather stupid, actually) I do have to admit that it extended Edgar's career long enough for him to have a major impact on Seattle baseball, and that's been a good thing. And I like Ichiro, too.
Ahem. So, what's bringing on this early spike of fever? I think it may have something to do with the Mariners success thus far in Spring Training. Today the Mariners beat Milwaukee 6-3, yesterday they beat Kansas City 8-7. On Sunday they walloped San Diego 13-2, on Saturday they beat San Diego 7-1. They lost both split squad games on Friday, but won their first Spring Training game on Thursday. In short, they are on a four game winning streak, and showing early signs of being a good team. Yeah, the spring means nothing for the regular season, but it's nice to see them winning.
Ah well. I guess I'd better take a couple of aspirin and call the doctor in the morning.
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