As our friends over at MLB The Show have been emphasizing this summer, baseball is simply just better. Whatever that means to you on a personal level, is determined by your individual relationship with the game. But the universal impact of America’s pastime stretches far and wide throughout the globe, and each summer consistently brings in fans and enthusiasts from all walks of life to the thirty ballparks dispersed throughout the twenty-seven cities that have the privilege of calling a Major League Baseball team their own.
This week, The New York Yankees traveled to Chicago for a six day stretch of baseball where they would visit the Cubs and White Sox to square off in their respective ballparks. With obviously no Major League Baseball team rivaling or carrying the tradition and mystique which is that of the Yankees, paired with the allure of the pinstripes and the history of the iconic Wrigley Field, and topped off with it being Derek Jeter’s final trip to the Friendly Confines, it was inevitable that there was going to be something special in the baseball ingrained air for those 48 hours.
In partnership with MLB The Show 14′, we took to the streets of Wrigleyville over those two days and talked to baseball fans about why Baseball Is Better. While the specific reasons and individual stories all differed, one large common theme remained and was the sole reason for the fan’s excitement and attendance.. A simple love for the game of baseball.
Name(s): Monica & Alex
Age(s): 36 & 32
Hometown: Queens, New York
Favorite Baseball Player(s) Of All-Time: (Monica)- Dave Winfield. (Alex)- Babe Ruth
Baseball Is Better Because… “It just brings out so much emotion. I mean I walked up here towards Wrigley Field for the first time today, and I cried. It was the one place I wanted to come to the most. Baseball is an escape for us. It’s something to get away from every day life. This is what I love to do. I love to travel, and see my team play at all these different stadiums. It’s what it’s all about.” – Monica
Name: Doug Cervantes
Age: 50
Hometown: Walnut Creek, California
Favorite Baseball Player Of All-Time: Roberto Clemente
Baseball Is Better Because: “It’s a game that get’s shared from generation to generation. It’s my first time at Wrigley, and my son is actually here with me. I brought him up here for a graduation present. We’re going to Wrigley and that’s the kind of thing that we’ll remember forever. Baseball just has the ability to take you back to good memories.“
Name: Jared Rex
Age: 20
Hometown: Spencerville, Ohio
Favorite Baseball Player Of All-Time: Cal Ripken Jr.
Baseball Is Better Because… “Unlike other sports, you can’t stall or take a knee and try to end a game that way. The pitcher has to keep pitching to the hitters, and everyone gets their chance. The game always goes on.”
Name: Ricky Redinger
Age: 20
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
Favorite Baseball Player Of All-Time: “That’s tough, but I have to say Mark McGwire. Back when I was young and just started watching games, I remember McGwire and Sammy Sosa going at it and I got to see him hit a couple homeruns in person, against the Reds unfortunately.
Baseball Is Better Because… “It’s was the first sport that I played when I was young. I grew up playing in the front yard with my dad and my brother. It’s just a special game to love and share that love with people that feel the same way about it, too. It’s just a great sport.”
Name: Ryan Short
Age: 21
Hometown: Greenbrier, Arkansas
Favorite Baseball Player Of All-Time: Stan “The Man” Musial
Baseball Is Better Because… “It’s America’s past time. It’s as simple as that.”
