Yesterday while driving to work, I heard Michael Kay briefly talking about technology and Twitter and baseball and the like. I wasn’t listening very intently, but I did hear some ‘mother’s basement’ comment, so I’m glad I wasn’t that into what was being said. I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on just how plugged in many of us are while watching a baseball game.
During a game, many things are going on around me. Most of the time, I’m plopped down on our couch downstairs, the TV a mere 10 feet away. My dad is on his chair to my right, the cat is walking around somewhere as is my mom, and this very laptop is on my lap or the coffee table in front of me. I usually have at least two windows open: Twitter and River Ave. Blues to follow the game thread. As the announcers make claims and spit out information, I open up Baseball Reference or FanGraphs to check their information. When there’s a questionable call on a pitch, I go to Brooks Baseball or MLB Gameday to see what Pitch FX thought of the pitch. If there’s another interesting game on, I either pull it up on Gameday or MLB.tv or switch to MLB Network for a second to see if they have an update. I cannot think of a better way–aside from spending a game at the park itself–to watch a game.
That I can keep up with 130+ people on Twitter who are watching the same game I am is just incredible to me. That number grows even more when including the people using the Game Threads on River Ave. Blues. Here we all are, hundreds of people, all enjoying the same exact game at the same exact time. It’s like being at a giant sports bar, but there’s no high priced alcohol or obnoxious smell. And the best part: most of the people I talk to will actually appreciate my snarky comments and my advanced statistics.
Above everything else, excepting access to a metric ton of information that was never so easily available, technology and its uses–such as this blog and others like it, along with Twitter–has helped you and me in the way intended: connections. Because of writing this blog, because of visiting other sites, because of Tweeting, I have gotten to “know” a lot of people that I never would have before. Yes, I use the term “know” lightly because chances are I’ll never meet most of the people I talk to on here, but that’s missing the point. As if we met at a bar or a party or through a mutual friend, we all come together at game time and discuss a common love: baseball and the Yankees.
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3 Responses to On Being Plugged In
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TIQ IQ
Hey man,
I liked your blog a lot. I am a huge Yankees fan I can connect with your blog about the benefits of technology. There’s nothing like watching the Yankees on my sectional couch with all my gadgets near by. I’d like to get some advice from you about dominating a blog like you’ve done here. If you could read my blog and send me some feedback, I’d appreciate it greatly.
Thanks, Nick
-Cityofsports.wordpress.com
Totally see your point about how technology can allow us to do things and talk to people. But for me, baseball is about the game and me. It’s my time to let myself focus on something I love and tune everything else out. Dunno, that’s just me.
Paul? I agree with you – for me, a baseball game is something on which to focus, to the exclusion of most of the “tech tools” I use in the rest my life and in business.