Viewpoint: Buy Me Some Peanuts and Crackerjacks
All 30 Major League Baseball teams will take the field today, March 28, for the earliest opening day in history outside of international openers. March 28, opening day, is the earliest opening by a single day, March 29, of the 2018 season.
Baseball has been around a long time. Well, a long time by most standards. The oldest competitive sport is wrestling. Cave drawings indicate competitive wrestling dated back as far as 3000 B.C. The sport was introduced into the ancient Olympics in 708 B.C.
Baseball’s first official game in the United States took place in Hoboken, New Jersey in June 1846. In 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first professional baseball team and two years later, in 1871, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players was established.
There have been reports that the New York Knickerbockers played a professional game in 1845, but the Hoboken contest has long been recognized as the first officially recorded baseball game in U.S. history. That game on June 19, 1846 saw the “New York Nine” defeat the Knickerbockers 23-1 in four innings.
As a contrast the National Football League officially started in Canton, Ohio August 20, 1920. The National Basketball Association was formed in New York June 6, 1946.
While we are making comparisons with other pro sports, the average ticket, parking, beer and food to go see the Cleveland Indians play is $46. The Chicago Cubs are the high end at $170. Seeing the Charlotte Hornets play in the NBA comes with a total price tag of $71; all the way up to the NY Knicks where the same items will cost you $176.
Pro hockey is expensive. To buy a ticket, park, have some adult beverages and food at the Buffalo Sabers hockey game plan on spending $133.12. If you are watching the Las Vegas Golden Knight, plan on leaving $600.66.
The National Football League varies from $167.10 to watch the Buffalo Bills, and a mere 461 miles to the East the New England Patriots will cost you $925.80.
Being the first official team had its perks for the Cincinnati team, now the Cincinnati Reds. For decades, the first pitch of every major league season officially took place in Cincinnati. The Reds remain the only major league team to always open the season with a home game. There was an exception in 1966 when rain washed out the entire opening series.
Although popular legend says that the game was invented by Abner Doubleday, historians agree that it is based on the English game of Rounders.
Ok, this may throw you for a loop. The first official major league baseball player was a catcher named Moses Fleetwood Walker, AND he was the first black baseball player in the major leagues. How’s that for a trivia question. Bet 999 out of a 1000 tell you that Jackie Robinson was the first black baseball player. By the way, his brother, Weldy Walker, was the second black baseball player in the major leagues.
The original National League had eight members: the Boston Red Stockings (now the Atlanta Braves), Chicago White Stockings (now the Chicago Cubs), Cincinnati Red Stockings, Hartford Dark Blues, Louisville Grays, Mutual of New York, Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Brown Stockings. I wonder what color socks each of these teams wore?
If you enjoy a slower pace, less expense, less hostile crowds and a chance to kick back and relax, you may want to take in a game. And by midnight tonight, if there are no weather delays or cancellations, 15 teams will be tied for first and 15 teams will be tied for last and they will only have 161 regular season games left. Play ball.