The Five Seasons of Baseball

Judaism and Christianity have various holy days which occur during specific seasons of the year.  The purpose of these seasonal holidays is to cause people in their respective communities to remember, celebrate, and live out key events within the tradition.  These holy days remind us to be hopeful despite what is going on.  While Baseball is not a religion, it has its own seasons and functions in a similar manner.


In fact, Baseball has five seasons. We are presently living through the Spring Training season.  This is a distinct time when the various teams gather together either in Florida or Arizona to remember how to play the game.  Pitchers remember how to pitch and hitters hit, fielders field, catchers catch and everyone tries not to get hurt.  There is a long and cherished tradition of meeting in the Spring to examine young and up and coming players and for older players to get into shape for the next season.  Fans travel to these sites, surround the players with love and grace along with financial contributions or offerings.


The second season is what some have called “the regular season”, 163 games played over six months.  During this time teams or denominations compete against each other to see who can score the most runs.  Fans, mostly with grace, forgiveness along with copious amounts of sacramental beer and hot dogs, attend the games, sometimes in large number and sometimes as a small congregation.  As soon as they step into the other world of the holy stadiums, they immediately begin to relax.


The next season is where the best few teams compete in a short series of games in a conclave called the playoffs.  These short tense meetings, akin to synod conventions, do not necessarily prove which team is best, but which team has the best pitching and can be effective over a few games.  Some people are happy with the results.  Some are not. Some never will be.


The Fourth season is the World Series.  Even unbelievers in Baseball pay attention during these high holy days.  This is a best of seven game contest which ultimately crowns the World Champions of Baseball, the kings of kings and Lords of lords of the sport.


Finally, there is the off-season or sabbath where everyone rests a bit except for general managers who are always busy with money and personnel issues. 


Baseball is a game and a business, big business, sometimes too big.  But it is also a sacred and holy part of our culture. It is where we remember who we are, our imagined youth, our pretended innocence and our yearning for simplicity though there is nothing simple about Baseball.  


As the famous speech from “Field of Dreams” asserts, “And they’ll walk out to the bleachers and sit in shirt-sleaves on a perfect afternoon. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes.  And they’ll watch the game, and it’ll be as if they’d been dipped in magic waters.  The memories will be so thick, they’ll have to brush them away from their faces.  This field, this game, it’s part of our past, Ray.  It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.”


The five seasons of Baseball allow us to yearn for simpler times, to hope against hope, to trust once again.   In that way, it is quite religious.