There’s a baseball game tonight which very well may have the most talented players ever assembled on a baseball diamond. Of course, since I’m talking about baseball, that’s up for debate. But even if you aren’t a fan of the game, if you want to be I would suggest you watch this game tonight. It will be like nothing else you’ve ever seen. I’m talking about the semi-final match up between the United States and the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Two great lineups. Two completely different approaches to the game.
Baseball is an American game. The best players in the world play in the major leagues. The giants of the game’s long and storied history are mostly American. But our country is huge and our sporting interests are diverse. Right now baseball is probably the third or fourth most popular sport. In the Dominican Republic baseball is the only game.
Over the past thirty or forty years many of the best players in the world have come from the DR. Their brand of baseball includes aggressive base running and flamboyant displays of bravado. They play the game with their emotions on their sleeves—like all of us used to play the game when we were kids.
There has been pushback from many American baseball fans of a certain age—guys like me—to the excessive bat flipping and over the top self congratulating chest-pounding going on in the big leagues in recent years. I must confess to being frequently annoyed by it at times. On the other hand, sometimes American players seem like corporate robots, more interested in their portfolios than the game. It’s hard to warm up to guys making 30 million dollars a year, I suppose. But many of these Dominican players make tons of money too…and you would never know it watching the way they play. There’s something about they have that is glaringly absent in today’s game. Joy.
A friend of mine pointed out another difference he’s noticed. The Italian team that is currently undefeated in this tournament is known mostly as the guys who drink espresso shots in the dugout after home runs. The Dominicans are known for the crazy ways they find to hype each other up. Our guys listened to an ex Navy Seal talk about the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden to get hyped before playing against…Canada.
Still, tonight I will be rooting for the USA. They are my guys. Many of them are terrific human beings, and I always feel pride watching my fellow Americans doing excellent things against the very best competition. But if I’m being honest I’ll have to admit to a bit of jealousy. I envy the DR their love of the game and each other. I envy them their joy.
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