Category: Commentary

America’s Best Sport

 “Baseball is like church.  Many attend, few understand.”

Leo Durocher

 I believe that baseball is the best game ever invented.  No other sport compares to it, really.  It is like poetry played out on brown dirt and green grass.  Baseball is part of our character, culture, and history - America’s best sport.
 Abner Doubleday is credited with developing the game we know as baseball in Cooperstown, New York, in the summer of 1839.  Some dispute this story, however.  References to games resembling baseball in the United States date back to the 18th century.  Baseball’s direct ancestors appear to be the English games of cricket and rounders.  Prior to the American Revolution, variations of these games were being played in schoolyards and on college campuses across the country.
 In September of 1845, a group of men in New York City founded the Knickerbocker Baseball Club.  One of the members - bank clerk and volunteer firefighter - Alexander Joy Cartwright, created a set of rules that would form the basis for modern baseball.  These included the three-strike rule, a diamond-shaped field, and fowl lines.  The Knickerbockers played the first official game of baseball against a team of cricket players in 1846.
 It is said that baseball came of age during the Civil War, with soldiers on both sides participating.  Baseball was the most popular sport for both armies, causing it to spread nationwide after the war.  
 Professional baseball debuted with the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869.  In 1876 the National League that we know today was created, followed by the American League in 1901.  Baseball has grown from there.  Once considered our national pastime, baseball has lost ground to football, basketball, hockey, and soccer.  But the game lives on and is still popular today.  Here are some reasons why…
 Even if you don’t like the game itself, baseball is the best sport to watch in person.  You can be outside in the sunshine, enjoy a hot dog and beer, and feel like a true American.  There’s nothing like the sights and sounds of a ball game – the crack of a bat, the pop of a ball in a mitt, strike calls, organ music.  Stadiums are like cathedrals, and when entering the sight of perfectly manicured emerald green grass can take your breath away.  A ball game can be a joy for your senses.
 Baseball provides a relaxed environment for players and fans while at the same time building a sense of tension and drama.  Not being controlled by the clock gives baseball a composed cadence and rhythm.  There is more freedom in the game.  Every pitch and play can make a difference.  
 There are mental benefits to baseball as well.  For players and coaches, it is an analytical, strategy driven, calculated sport requiring long term thought.  The defense has the ball, unusual in sport, and you must know in advance what you are going to do.  It’s like playing 3D chess with cleats on.  For fans, there are mental benefits as well.  Smartphone addicted short attention span humans may not appreciate baseball, thinking it is boring and too slow.  But watching baseball stretches your attention span, just like reading a good book.  In our fast-paced, instant gratification, dopamine filled social media world, baseball fosters patience and a calm demeanor like no other sport.  It builds character.
 Baseball is good training for life because it teaches us to deal with failure (whether you are a player or fan).  Life is filled with constant failure, as is baseball.  The batter who fails 70% of the time (batting .300) is among the very best in the league.  Baseball is especially suited to our American sensibilities because it teaches us how to cope with failure.  In America we have the freedom to fail, and we do.  Baseball shows us how to deal with it.
 Baseball also offers a magical mix between both the singular and plural, the lone hero and the reliable team.  Baseball gracefully incorporates a perfect balance between individual and group effort which is superior to other sports.
 And baseball presents a picture of a real meritocracy, what America aspires to be.  Here luck matters least.  Teams play 162 games over a six- month season (the longest season in any sport).  At the end of each season, each team is its record, with the stats to prove it.  
 There is a charm to baseball that other sports can’t match.  Like Brad Pitt said, playing the character of Billy Beane in the movie Moneyball, “It’s hard not to be romantic about baseball.”

© 2024 Jody Dyer
typewriterweekly.com

 “Learn from flowers – always angle towards the Sun.”

Maureen Joyce Connolly

 Sunlight matters.  Recent research suggests that experiencing early morning sunlight might be the healthiest thing you do every day.  Many believe that getting sunlight into your eyes early in the morning can be vital to our physical and mental health.
 Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist, podcaster, and associate professor at Stanford University School of Medicine.  He lists morning sunlight as one of six fundamental pillars of health, alongside daily exercise and movement, quality nutrition, managing stress, healthy relationships, and restorative sleep.  Morning sunlight aligns with the body’s natural rhythm by triggering a release of cortisol.  This is a critical daily activity for hormonal function and positive mental and metabolic health.  
 The spectrum of light in the early morning is different than sunshine later in the day.  Optimally, it is best to soak up these early morning rays within the first two to three hours after sunrise (though, the earlier, the better).  Because of the angle at which the sun’s rays hit the Earth, morning sun tends to be cooler and softer, creating unique light wavelengths which impact the body in different ways.  Morning sun is a potent and free source of light therapy.
 Sunlight at dawn and in the early hours of the day is softer and diffused.  This beneficial light is due to the lower solar angle we experience early in the day.  This spectrum of early sunlight includes red light, blue light, and invisible infrared light.  
 Morning red light is known for its calming effects and is believed to reduce inflammation.  The morning’s blue light is said to raise cortisol levels, waking you up and prepping your body for sleep at the end of the day.  Invisible infrared light absorbed in the morning penetrates deep into the eyes and tissues of your body and is thought to have healing properties, aiding in cell repair and regeneration.
 The primary benefits that you can receive from morning sunlight exposure include improved sleep and enhanced mood, energy, and mental clarity.  
 A good dose of morning sun sets and regulates your circadian rhythm, or your body’s internal clock.  This sunlight increases your cortisol levels, waking you up and setting your clock for sleep approx. 16 hours later.  After a productive day, you can then fall asleep faster and have a more restful night’s sleep.  
 Your healthy dose of morning sunlight also triggers the release of endorphins which lift your mood, can foster stress relief, and boost your energy.  Compounding this positive energy is the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin.  Serotonin helps you relax and contributes to a feeling of well-being.  This is a very good thing.
 Here is how to best harness the morning sun for better physical and mental health.  
 Ideally, drag yourself into the morning sunlight within the first 30-60 minutes after waking (best at dawn, but still beneficial during the first 2-3 hours of the day).
 Stay in the sun for at least five minutes.  More time is better.  10-30 minutes is a good goal.  Being outside is crucial.  This doesn’t work sitting by a window.
 Looking in the direction of the sun is sufficient.  Do not stare directly at the sun.  Instead, look towards the east in the general direction of the rising sun with your eyes open (look above or below the sun – or off to the side).  The goal is to simply get sunlight into your eyes indirectly, not look at the sun.  Staring at the sun directly, at any time, but especially later in the day when sunlight is stronger, can burn your retina and damage your vision.
 Contacts or glasses can be worn when absorbing sunlight.  I do prefer to soak up the sun with my naked eyes, however.
 Inspired by the research I have done for this column, I have been attempting to cultivate the practice of absorbing early morning sunlight.  I typically begin my morning by reading my Bible for 30 minutes or so, and as such have taken my reading outside.  While I do miss some mornings, this has become a wonderful way to start my day.  Other than the peace and calm of enjoying the morning sunlight in our backyard, I have noticed an improvement in my sleep.  When I get even 10 minutes of morning sunshine, I do sleep better at night.  This really works!  Hack your health and try this for yourself.  You’ll be glad you did… 

© 2024 Jody Dyer