I can’t help it. Every time I attend a baseball game, I get “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” stuck in my head.
I don’t know much about the rules of baseball, but I know about the personality.
Baseball is an all-American sport. I have had this idea fed into my head so many times that I almost expect that if a baseball player was cut he would bleed red, white and blue.
With these ideas in mind, I decided to head to an IUS baseball game. It was IU Southeast against Mid-Continent University on the windy afternoon of April 6.
I decided to walk, since it was a nice day, and also because I underestimated how far away a normally cramped IUS campus would put its baseball field. The walk was pleasant though, and I came up on the American flag flying over the field with the players already out on the field.
This was looking pretty all-American to me.
The bleachers were scattered with parents, grandparents and girlfriends of the players. I sat down in front of two softball players who were sprawled out on the bleachers behind me complaining about something.
The breeze brought smells of nachos and hot dogs from the concession stand. What’s an all-American event without some junk food?
An announcer’s omnipresent voice scratched through the speakers and then rap music started playing. I don’t know who this omnipresent DJ and emcee was, but he sure didn’t know much about good tunes.
On the field, players waiting to bat swung their arms around like windmills and periodically spit on the ground.
Players in the dugout sat leaned over with their elbows on their knees, spitting as they felt the need. The catcher waited patiently while the pitcher took a second to spit.
As things progressed, team members on one or the other would randomly begin to smack and slap each other. I could tell by the smiles on their faces that this meant something good had just happened.
It was good to finally be down at the baseball field watching a game. IUS students, if they are like me, stay fairly uninformed about our school’s athletics, which I think is a bit of a shame.
All I knew about the IUS baseball team was they planted trees on Earth Day once, so it was a pleasure to see them in action.
More rap music played as the players switched from offense to defense. The lyrics were saying something about the musician having ice in his veins and blood in his eyes. This seemed a little dramatic for a college baseball game. Perhaps the omnipresent DJ/emcee just had his iPod on shuffle.
As Dump trucks and other vehicles lumbered by on Hausfeldt Lane, Casey Crawley, senior leftfielder, stepped up to the plate. I immediately started thinking of the famous children’s poem, “Casey At Bat.” In this case, unlike the poem, Casey didn’t strike out.
“I can’t see the ball,” one student next to me whined with a large pair of sunglasses perched in her hair.
It seemed like the baseball players were cheering more than the people in the stands were. This seemed a little embarrassing, like singing “Happy birthday to me.” Perhaps they didn’t mind. One little girl was mouthing a cheer but made sure no one could hear her.
I began to notice that when IU Southeast was batting the omnipresent DJ played his rap music much more often. Sometimes, he would throw in 1980s rock or country music to keep us on our toes.
Jordan Pass, junior infielder, was also keeping us on our toes when he hit a ball backward and into the bleachers. He almost hit the omnipresent DJ but not quite.
Pass then hit a foul ball that flew into the dugout, sending his teammates running. Pass had one more chance, and I resisted the urge to cover my head. I’m glad I didn’t, because I got a chance to watch Pass hit the ball and make it all the way to second base, scoring more runs for IU Southeast.
My mind began to wander to the history of baseball. I remembered reading somewhere baseball started toward the end of the 19th century. America and baseball have a long history together. It was hard for me not to imagine the players out there in striped trousers and handlebar mustaches.
Then came the halfway point of the seventh inning, because IU Southeast was still in the lead after Mid-Continent University batted during the seventh inning, the game was finished.
I watched players file out onto the field and hit each other again while the omnipresent DJ put on a little something we could all celebrate to — more rap music.
As players rested and waited for the second game of the doubleheader, I headed off into the sunset, bidding baseball farewell for the evening with Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” blaring over the field.
By MICHELE HOP
Staff Writer
mhop@ius.edu