The feeling of baseball comes back
By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
April 4, 2003
Major League Baseball is under way in full force, and Monday provided one of the best moments of every early-season baseball game.
That's right, the game being played in a snow storm.
On opening day, because Sunday's game with Anaheim taking on Texas is more of just an appetizer, the Baltimore Orioles took on the Cleveland Indians in a pretty decent snow fall, almost blizzard-like at times.
This has got to be one of the best parts of the first week or two of baseball.
Teams playing in regions not quite all the way out of winter, with snow coming down so hard that it can be hard to locate the players much less the ball.
This is just good times.
But the opening of the baseball season isn't just fun because of the snow storms.
It is one of three times during the marathon season when baseball has that pure feeling of Ken Burns' "Baseball."
The game seems to come up with a new way to tick off the fans every year, but on opening day, the All-Star Game, when it doesn't end in a tie and the World Series, MLB just has a different feeling to it.
It is just fun like Kevin Costner's quote in Bull Durham (I really like that movie), "This game is supposed to be fun fun, (spork)."
As baseball was making its way back into homes across America and beyond, the Magnolia State put on two baseball shows that were equally fun to watch this past week.
The 24th annual Mayor's Trophy game took place in Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson last Wednesday in front of about 5,900 fans, and in our own little neck of the state, East Mississippi Community College and East Central Community College dueled for the Judge's Cup for a fourth time in Decatur last Monday.
These games were perfect examples of how great the game of baseball can be.
Okay, so neither game was really an instant classics.
Mississippi State University popped the ball up so many times against Ole Miss in the Mayor's Trophy game, it felt like there was a bet among the Bulldogs to see who could hit the ball the highest without getting on base.
Plus, the Rebels pretty much wrapped up the game with a three-run fifth inning, but before that, the Ole Miss/MSU game looked to be a barn burner.
As for EMCC versus ECCC for the Judge's Cup, the first three innings were pretty sloppy.
But the miscues in the field did produce a lot of runs and actions on the field, which was exciting.
Unfortunately the Lions couldn't keep the frantic pace over the nine innings, as EMCC yielded three runs in the eight inning to produce the final outcome 10-6 in ECCC's favor.
But these two games had more to them than the final score.
The Mayor's Trophy and Judge's Cup both produced great atmospheres.
On the ECCC campus, fans were treated to a classic ballpark meal of hamburgers, corn dogs and other fixins prior to the game.
The Junior College game drew a large crowd on an increasingly chilly night, and it just had the feel of baseball.
The Mayor's Trophy mixed baseball and college football in the parking lot of Smith-Wills Stadium.
Last Wednesday was the perfect summer evening, that just screamed baseball, and the fans showed up in force to make it a good time.
Ole Miss and MSU supporters a like, but not together of course, tailgated in the parking lot. Inside the stadium, there were two sections down the first and third base lines set up for boosters to eat, drink and be merry before and during the game.
Smith-Wills Stadium felt like a major league ballpark.
Hordes of fans dressed in the school colors of eight the Rebels or Bulldogs flowed to the entrance turnstiles of the stadium in waves.
The smell of popcorn, hot dogs and other food you just can't get away with eating outside the friendly confines of a stadium or arena surrounded the field.
These two games were just great to be at and showcased baseball's continued draw. Let's just hope the pros can keep from doing something to force people away this year.
