The Shadow-gloom and Weight of the Sacred

I love baseball. As a kid, I hated it, but then I lived in St. Louis during the summer of 1997 and attended three baseball games. I converted. Baseball is unique among prominent sports in the States: football is in a stadium; basketball is an arena. But baseball is in a park. When you visit the ballpark, it's not just about watching a good game, it's about participating in American history and culture. It's not simply about the competition--it's about the entire event: the hot dogs, peanuts, cracker jacks, beer (for some people), time with family. I love that baseball has it's quiet moments and its raucous moments. You can carry on a conversation with the people around you, but you're not obligated to shush at any point, like in golf or tennis. At the same time, it's not so loud (except in the really intense moments) that you have to yell in order to talk to the person sitting next to you, as is often the case in basketball. So, in honor of the new baseball season, I've decided to list my top 5 baseball players.

5. Nolan Ryan--Nolan was winding down his career as I was in elementary and middle school. Even though he was old, he was still a very solid pitcher on the mound and his fastball was mythical. I remember all the boys in sixth grade wanting a Nolan Ryan baseball card; my sixth grade teacher had his rookie card. I watched him pitch a time or two on television and that's kind of cool to say. (Even though I wasn't a baseball fan as a child, I enjoyed baseball cards because all my friends were into them, and Nolan Ryan was such a fixture in American culture by that point, that I wanted to see him play.)

4. Johnny Bench--I never saw Johnny Bench play baseball, but I understand his place in the baseball pantheon of greats. Possibly the greatest catcher ever. I spent most of my childhood in Ft. Cobb, Oklahoma, which is about 20 minutes from Binger, Oklahoma, where Johnny Bench is from. Maybe that's why he's one of my favorites. I tend to like pitchers, as you'll notice from my Top 5, but Johnny is an Oklahoman, so welcome to The Gypsy's Top 5 Mr. Bench.

3. Albert Pujols--From his rookie season, he was incredible. From the very beginning of his career, it was exciting to be a Cardinal fan just because he was a part of the team. And, it continues to be that way. He's the type of player that makes you hold your breath every time he's at the plate because, with each and every swing, you're watching history. You're watching greatness.

2. Bob Gipson--Another Cardinal great. Possibly the greatest pitcher ever. In 1968, MLB lowered the mound from 15 inches to 10 inches in order to lessen the advantages of pitchers and create more offense. Rumor has it that there was one pitcher whose performance, more than any other, informed the decision of the Baseball Rules Committee: Bob Gipson.

1. Sandy Koufax--I was first introduced to Sandy Koufax in eighth grade when I read the Stephen King book Needful Things--a dark comedy about greed which remains one of my favorite King books despite the absolutely horrendous, deus ex machina ending. King, of course, is infamous for such endings, but Needful Things may be the worst ending he's ever put together (despite this, and perhaps as a testimony of the novel's achievement as a whole, it is a good book). In any event, I didn't know if Sandy Koufax was a real pitcher (a Sandy Koufax baseball card plays a central role in the novel's plot development) and I mispronounced his name (koo-fax), but I remained fascinated, for reasons I can't explain, by this player. I did eventually learn about Sandy Koufax and how he didn't pitch a game in the World Series because of Yom Kippur, how he pitched a perfect game later in his career, among other accomplishments of his record-breaking career. I'm just really intrigued with Sandy Koufax as a person and, now that I've come to love baseball, enjoy all that he did in his career.

Honorable Mention (because it hurts not to mention these guys): Stan "The Man" Musial, Willie Mays, Darryl Strawberry, Greg Maddux (almost listed him instead of Johnny Bench), Mickey Mantel.