Ten Things I Love About Baseball

By Eric Gouldsberry, This Great Game—Posted August 13, 2026

People complain too much these days. You see it constantly on social media, which has become a cesspool of arguments, counter-arguments, and the inevitable devolution of an online conversation in which legitimate debate collapses into gutter-level verbal abuse. 

Baseball is not immune to the hate. More than not, everyone from nationally-known sportswriters to the common keyboard warrior have something nasty to say. I do not dismiss myself from that world; not just once, but twice, I’ve written 10 things that I hate about baseball. 

But why carp? Baseball really is such a beautiful game, and for many reasons. So let me take the next 10 paragraphs and reveal things that I love about this great game. See if you agree, or if you have your own thoughts—after all, I do not hold the monopoly on what’s right and wrong within the baseball world.  

The Triple

There’s no more exciting play in baseball. The tension rises when a ball ricochets about the gap, or buries itself deep into the corners; the batter is sure to get a double—but can he stretch it to three bases? (Bonus question: Could he even go for four? Answer: That often becomes a case of wishful thinking.) The triple carries far more excitement than any of the trendy components of the three-batter outcome—the walk, strikeout or, yes, even the home run—because of the intensity needed by the runner to achieve it—and that of the fielders to stop him. 

The Minor Leagues

The lower levels of baseball are to the majors what matinees used to be to the feature films shown at night. They’re affordable, colorful and full of shameless promotional schlock. Where else can you go to a ballpark and watch teams with names like Trash Pandas, Mighty Mussels, Yard Goats or Sod Poodles? Not only are the minors full of future stars, but also rising marketing wizards who often take advantage of the environment to create some truly zany promotional concepts. If you can’t enjoy the minor league experience, then you need to get to urgent care and have a doctor remove the stick that’s buried where the sun don’t shine. 

A Good Ol’ Hotdog

There’s so many food options to be found at MLB ballparks—with some teams trying to outdo others with outrageous items such as the rainbow bubble waffle (Chicago’s Rate Field) and brisket doughnuts (Houston’s Daikin Park), but I’m totally happy just going to the common concession stand and asking for a simple hotdog to go with either a soda or beer. Add fries to it, and—this is where I go haute cuisine—garnish it with garlic, as they’ve done for years at San Francisco’s Oracle Park. 

The Hit and Run

It’s a dying art form in baseball, and that’s a shame. Teams simply don’t take chances the way they used to, but I insist that the positives still outweigh the negatives. They certainly do for the fans, because the outcome could be just about anything—and that’s entertainment. 

A Complete Game

Speaking of dying art forms, nothing has become more of an endangered species than the complete game. Okay, fine then—it’s all understandable in this day and age with high-priced arms, high-priced relievers, and high-priced numbers crunchers in the front office dictating to the dugout the optimal percentages. But I’m old school, and I miss the my youthful, ball-watching days when the pitcher’s job was to throw all nine innings, and sometimes then some. Which makes anyone going the distance these days, when six innings is otherwise considered a content effort, all the more impressive. 

Walking the ballpark before the game

They say you should show up fashionably late at a party. For a ballgame, I’d rather show up fashionably early. Why? It’s to walk around the ballpark at a pleasingly slow pace to admire its beauty, and stop for a bite to eat or a beer to drink at a fun social lounge like the Rooftop at Denver’s Coors Field or the Taste of the City food court at New York’s Citi Field. Whereas half the fun of a vacation is getting there, half the fun of a ballgame is soaking in the atmosphere before the sounds of “Play Ball!” 

Spring training

I’ve already laid out all the wonderful things to experience during Spring Training, but it’s simply worth reiterating here. I’ve been to the Phoenix area during the Cactus League season some 10 times—and it never, ever gets old. The perfect weather, the beautiful small ballparks, the access to the players, the cheap (even free, in a couple places) parking—it’s the perfect way to get yourself in the mood for the upcoming baseball season. 

Hustle

It’s beyond me as to why ballplayers lollygag away from the batter’s box when they think a routine grounder is an automatic out, or a deep fly is an automatic home run. These well-paid joggers should take the advice given by the precog to Tom Cruise in Minority Report: “Run!” For all of Pete Rose’s failings as a moral compass, the one thing he never disappointed with was his ability—using average speed, mind you—to turn a single into a double with laser-focused determination. If only more players were taught the Charlie Hustle method of baserunning. 

Catching a foul ball—and giving it to a kid

I was at a minor league game in the mid-2000s with my wife and two young children. A batter attempted a bunt and he fouled it over the home-plate screen, right in my direction; I made an easy catch with my glove. I instinctively turned to my six-year-old daughter and give her the ball. The smile on her face was absolutely priceless, as she took hold of it. So here’s my advice to any adult catching a foul ball at a baseball game: Give it to the kid nearest to you, and watch the reaction. I guarantee it will make your day. 

Statistics

I initially became a baseball fan at grade-school age because of the stats. I didn’t know the personalities of the ballplayers themselves—unless they were highly publicized stars like Reggie Jackson or Bobby Bonds—but I sure came to understand their statistical personalities. Some were of the 20-homer, 20-steal type, while others were of the no-homer, low-strikeout variety. Numbers gave me an instant perception of a player’s strength or weakness. As one who’s very good at quick math, I only became more drawn into a myriad of numbers to draw an even finer perception of a player through a then-crude form of analytics. Stats still turn me on—no, not in that kind of way—and helps keep me in tune with how a player identifies numerically.